What to Do

We have split the park up into four main areas. We are going to start the trip in the far eastern section of the park (Schoodic Peninsula) and then head a little bit to the west to Mount Desert Island which we will split into East and West sections given how large it is. The fourth section is Isle au Haut. Visiting this island requires a 1.5-hour drive to Stonington, ME where you’ll then catch a 45-minute boat ride.

Schoodic Peninsula

This is actually the only portion of the entire park that is technically on the “mainland” as other sections are considered islands. If you are traveling in, this is a good place to start your trip as you can see the area and then work your way back to Bar Harbor (about an hour drive) where most people stay during their time at Acadia. There are a number of hikes in this area along a 6-mile scenic drive which mostly follows the rugged coastline and here are a few of our favorites:

Alder Trail — 1.1 miles RT, Easy, 45 minutes

This trail starts at the shoreline, but heads inland through the forest. It’s an easy walk and if you like to see a number of different types of trees – this walk is worthwhile as you will get alder bushes, pine, cedar, birch, and ash trees along the way. It’s a nice introduction to the area. You can also turn this into a larger loop hike (which is what we did) by hiking this one way and then taking the Schoodic Head trail before heading back to the road on the Anvil Trail.

Schoodic Head Trail — 1.1 miles RT, Moderate, 30 minutes

As mentioned above, you can connect to this trail via the Alder Trail if you are interested in a longer loop. This trail will take you up about 400 feet to Schoodic Head for some nice views of the area including Cadillac Mountain over on Mount Desert Island which is where you will spend the rest of your time at Acadia. You can now continue on the Anvil Trail back to your original parking area.

Anvil Trail — 2.2 miles RT, Moderate, 1 hour

Depending which way you go – you will either be heading up 400 feet to the top of Schoodic Head or 400 feet down back to the parking lot (or both if you are only hiking this trail instead of the loop mentioned above). Either way, you are going to walk through forested landscape on your way which is a nice relaxing walk. And if you are heading down only – its a very easy walk (you already did the hard work of walking up the Schoodic Head trail).

From here – you can continue along the 6 mile scenic road before making the hour drive back to the Bar Harbor area on Mount Desert Island which is likely where you will spend the rest of your time on this visit.

Mount Desert Island – East Side

This is where the majority of visitors spend their time. You will want to start your day at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center where you can watch the park movie and see several exhibits as well as talk to a ranger to get some recommendations and current conditions of any trails you are interested in hiking. From here, you will begin the 27 mile park loop road which is going to have several stops and hiking trails worth your time along the way. The first stop is going to be at Sieur de Monts where you will find a nature center, a museum, and wild gardens to walk through. If you are planning on just one day in this area, you won’t want to spend a ton of time here as there is a lot to see – but it is still worth a stop. Afterwards, get back in the car and drive to your first trail – and man, it is a tough one.

Precipice Loop – 3.2 miles RT, Strenuous, 2.5 hours

This hike is not for everyone. If you are afraid of heights or if it is even remotely wet – do not attempt this hike. You are essentially going to be going 1,000 feet straight up in the air for 0.9 miles. It’s really more of a climb than it is a hike. There are iron rungs along the way to help in pulling yourself up and there are a number of very narrow ledges where one slip is going to have pretty terrible consequences. Once you start – there really is no going back either as it is even more dangerous to descend this route. If you are willing and able to get to the top though, which is the summit of Champlain Mountain – you have some pretty incredible views of the coast line and the surrounding scenery. When you are done taking in the views – you are going to head back on the North Ridge & Orange & Black trails rather than descending the way you came. This will be a much more relaxing hike than it was on your way up. When you reach the park road – take a look back up at the summit you just climbed. You might be surprised at how straight up it is. Now it’s time to jump back in your car and head over to the most popular spot in Acadia – Sand Beach – where you will have the opportunity to swim or hike a couple more trails (one strenuous and one moderate).

Beehive – Gorham Mountain – Ocean Path Loop – 4.0 miles RT, Strenuous, 3 hours

If you skipped Precipice above, given its difficulty, then you will have another chance at a more moderate climb once you reach Sand Beach. Pull into the Sand Beach parking lot and see if you can find a spot in the shade for your car as you are going to be here a while given everything there is to do.  If you have no interest in hiking and just want to relax on the beach – go for it. However, if you want to get out and experience the park a little more – start with the Beehive Loop trail which is going to take you about 0.7 miles up 450 feet involving plenty of ladders and rungs and rock scrambles (just like Precipice – but not quite as steep). Once you reach the top – you will have one heck of a view of Sand Beach, Great Head, and the surrounding area.

Once you have taken in the view – you still have 3.3 miles of hiking to do as you start your trek over to Gorham Mountain. This is a more moderate hike, and you will go up and down a few times. Once you reach Gorham – you will have a great view down to Otter Creek along the park road as well as a view back to the top of the Beehive trail you just came from. Now it’s time to head down to the park road and once you reach it – you’ll have about a 1.1 mile walk back to the Sand Beach parking lot right along the coast which is just a fantastic stroll with the waves crashing against the shore. You will pass the famous Thunder Hole along the way – so make sure to stop and spend some time there. If the waves are going – you will get have a great experience here. There are tons of spots along the coast on this walk to grab some photos of yourself with waves crashing against the coast right behind you. High tide is typically the best time to experience this portion of the park – so try to time your visit if you can.

Great Head Trail – 1.5 miles RT, Moderate, 2 hours

If you have any energy left – there is another great hike at Sand Beach. For this one, you will need to walk out onto the beach and then walk all the way to the left end. It’s not well marked, but you will head up a small hill and you will be on the Great Head Trail. You will climb a bit to about 150 feet and you will end up with a good view back towards Sand Beach. After this, you will have a nice easy stroll along the coastline before looping back around towards Sand Beach. It’s a pretty relaxing hike after what you have already done today, and you can end it with some relaxation on Sand Beach if you want. Sand Beach is a great spot for families as the kids can play on the beach as well as dip their toes in the chilly water. There are also bathrooms, changing rooms, a water refill station and places to wash the sand off. Once you are done here – get back in the car and continue on the park road until you get to the Jordan Pond parking lot. You will pass Otter Point on the way which can result in some very scenic photos as well.

Jordan Pond & Bubbles Loop – 4.2 miles RT, Moderate, 2.5 hours

If you need something to eat after logging the hiking miles above – the Jordan Pond House is a good place to do that. There will likely be a wait unless you’ve made a reservation, but the food is good, and the views are even better. There is also a gift shop if you are looking for some souvenirs. Once you are done there – another hike awaits you. This one is mostly easy with 3.2 miles being around Jordan Pond’s shores. Going counterclockwise, the first half of the trail is a very relaxing walk with great views at many points. About halfway around, you will come to a junction with the Bubble Loop trail which will take you up about 500 feet or so for the more moderate section of the hike. You can turn around at any point and head back to Jordan Pond – but we would recommend at least getting to the top of the South Bubble for amazing views of Jordan Pond and the surrounding area. You can continue on to the North Bubble or head back to the pond loop at this point. If you continue counterclockwise, you’ll encounter some rocky sections and a long log boardwalk.  If you’d prefer an easier stroll, finish off the trail by heading back the same way you came out.

You are not done with your day quite yet though. You still have one of the most famous spots in Acadia to check out – Cadillac Mountain. You can drive up to the summit of 1,530 feet from the park road. It’s the tallest point along the entire eastern coast and you will have amazing views from the top. In addition, it is a great place for either sunrise or sunset. On this particular day, you will be seeing sunset to cap off your extremely busy day. However, if you happen to be in the park from early March to early October, you should check out sunrise as you would be witnessing the first glimpse of the sun in the continental US. On our 2024 trip we did just that. After a 3am wake up call, our crew of 14 made the 30-min drive from our Vrbo to the summit. While it made for a long day, it was 100% worth it. Reservations are now required to drive the road to the summit. The Island Explorer bus system does not access this part of the park. A percentage of the available passes are available 90-days in advance and a percentage are available 2-days in advance. Check the park website for up-to-date information.

Mount Desert Island – West Side

The west side of the island is quite a bit less crowded when compared to the popular east side – but there are still some pretty awesome sites worth your time including one of the most famous photo shots in the entire National Park system as Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. To get your day started, let’s start at Acadia Mountain Trail for a moderate hike.

Acadia Mountain and Man O War Trail – 2.5 miles RT, Moderate, 2 hours

This won’t be nearly as strenuous as some of the climbs on the eastern side of the island, but it is still a solid 700-foot climb to get to the summit of Acadia Mountain. Once you are there, you’ll have incredible views of Somes Sound and there is a nice boulder up there to get your picture taken on with the Sound in the background. You’ll descend on the Man O War Trail which is a fairly easy walk down through the forest.

Once you return to the car – it’s time to head to Bass Harbor where you will want to make a stop at the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. It can be extremely difficult to find parking here but take your time and wait it out if needed. You won’t be allowed in the lighthouse – but that isn’t why you are here anyway. There are two paths to different viewpoints, and you should take both – but if you have limited time – make sure to take the walkway down to the shoreline with a view back to the lighthouse. Our guess is you will quickly recognize what you are looking at as it is one of the most iconic photos in Acadia. It’s the image on Acadia’s America the Beautiful quarter. It’s been on postage stamps. It’s been on several Atlas books. It is a stunning shot with the lighthouse sitting atop the rugged coastline. It’s actually better to try and arrive at the lighthouse near low tide which will allow you to get further out on the rocks for a better angle when taking photos – but it’s pretty awesome at any tide level. Once you are done with the views here, you can continue on the road over to the Wonderland Trail for your next walk.

Wonderland Trail – 1.4 miles RT, Easy, 1 hour

This is a nice easy stroll on a mostly gravel road through a Spruce forest and you will eventually come out of the forest with views of the coast line. At low tide, you can get out an explore on some of the rocks. We hit this closer to high tide, so didn’t have the opportunity to do much. It was still a very relaxing walk though. When you get back to the car, continue down the road a little bit more to the Natural Seawall which has been formed over many years of crashing waves building rocks on top of other rocks. When you are done here, there is one more trail we would recommend on this side of the island – and it is going to back towards the northern side of the island.

Beech Mountain Trail – 1.1 miles RT, Moderate, 1 hour

This trail is a bit out of the way, but is a nice way to end your busy day. There are actually several trail systems that can get you to the fire tower at the summit of Beech Mountain, but the easiest route is to leave from the Beech Mountain parking lot located between Echo Lake and Long Pond. You will again climb 350 feet through a forest and once you get to the top, you will have some great views of Long Pond, Echo Lake, and the surrounding forest. We had a cloudy afternoon, so can only imagine what the views would be like on a sunny day!

Once you are done here, you have seen most of Acadia! If you still have time in the park – you could check out some of the carriage rides, ferry out to Isle Au Haut, or track back and do activities on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island that you may have skipped while you were there (like Precipice or Beehive trails as doing them both in the same day is incredibly difficult).

Isle au Haut

The fourth section of the park and by far the least visited is Isle au Haut. This island is part national park, part private residences. Boat service to the island is on a first-come, first served and takes off from Stonington. There is limited parking at the dock and will be paid along with your boat fee. Check the park’s website for schedule and up to date pricing. The island offers hiking, camping, and some bicycle trails. There are two small shops in Town which is a stop on the ferry. We elected to be dropped off at the Town stop and then hiked to Duck Harbor where we picked the boat back up. We decided to spend only a few hours on the island and hiked around 7 miles. There were more trails to explore and if you chose to do so, make sure you take the later return trip. The trails are full of ‘trip hazards’ (rocks and roots) so make sure to have sturdy shoes. There are also signs warning of ticks and the mosquitos/bugs were definitely abundant. Take bug spray and sunscreen along with enough water as there was only one water filling station we saw and we aren’t sure if it was potable water.

Check out our Acadia t-shirt design found in our Etsy shop – Handmade By Manning