Acadia National Park

9/10 Mommy Approved Smiling Faces

25 Visitor Center Road

Hulls Cove Visitor Center

Bar Harbor, ME 04609

(207)288-3338

https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

First of all, if you follow me, you know my kids have hiked-a lot! So hopefully this fact gives perspective to our opinions.  But, let me just say, my family had the best time in Acadia National Park. We hiked everyday and tried to do as much as we could since we were only in Bar Harbor from Friday-Monday with 6ish hours in the car during the first and last day of the road trip back to Rhode Island.

With that being said, we were in our motel room by 8ish every night and sleeping by 9. We were all tuckered out due to the daytime activities and waking up early to see the sunrise-a must-see while in Acadia! So, although it was a busy vacation for the kids and the whole family, it was also quite peaceful and relaxing filled with more rest than we normally get! ( hard to believe I know 🤪 ).

Where to begin? The food? The trails? The views? It’s all amazing honestly and the cherry on top for us was the waves of reds, yellows, oranges and greens that we saw with foliage being in peak season while visiting! ( The second week of October ) We all feel so lucky and happy we had such a perfect fall experience visiting Acadia National Park.

With my kids being almost 8 and newly 6 years old and well-experienced, we hiked some moderate trails during the trip. But the first day we arrived to Acadia we took it easy hiking the very popular Jordan Pond loop trail. This trail is so popular because it’s mainly a flat 3 mile trail that follows the circumference of Jordan Pond. Therefore, any age can enjoy this trail without breaking too much of a sweat. The views on the trail are breathtaking with its iconic bubbles  (North and South Bubble Mountains ) in the backdrop. Half of the Jordan Pond Trail is on a dirt path and the other half on wooden planks and granite stone. My son especially loved to hide in the stone inlets of the path and pop out in an attempt to scare us but it didn’t work since we saw him drop down to hide every time. 😂  One con about Jordan trail is touching the calm, clear water is forbidden as it is drinking water and should not be contaminated.   The water is 150 feet deep and it is the deepest and second largest lake in Acadia National Park.  The only restaurant to eat at in Acadia National Park is Jordon Pond House but it was so busy when we visited. The wait to get in was an hour and a half so we never went for their famous “ pop- overs.” Such a shame but, if you want to go, you can make advance reservations.  If you go, let me know how it is!!!

If you are looking for family-friendly overnight stays while visiting Acadia, check out these overnight locations with pools.

Day two we visited the infamous Cadillac Mountain in the morning but we had to reserve a time slot on-line in advance. I chose 9 am since sunrise and sunset were taken. It was so windy and cold we had on our winter gear and only stayed for 10 minutes.

Next we hiked Gorham Mountain then visited Sandy Beach and Thuya Garden for a change of pace AKA a contrast to Gorham Mountain Trial.

Gorham Mountain trail is a 3 mile loop but it does have quite an elevation. It offers incredible ocean and foliage views. This trail motivated us to want to do more hikes and see more beauty. After climbing to the summit, we went back down and then walked on busy ocean drive back to where we parked. This walk back to the car has a dirt walkway with ocean views  but it’s super busy with traffic and not secluded in nature due to all the parked cards on the roads.  Maybe the off-season would be different.

Thuya Gardens were fun to visit and very peaceful in contrast to the many people visiting the more popular trails.  In October there were still some flowers and we hiked one of their 13 trails.  We chose a short trail with water views named Asticou Stream Trail with overlooks the harbor.

Over these 3 + days in Acadia, we saw so many parents hiking with their babies/toddlers in hiking backpacks.  I was impressed because several of them had multiple children and even dogs on leashes too-wow!  What over-achievers huh? 

Day 3, we hiked the Bubbles in the morning which was challenging and Beech Mountain trail in the afternoon. We enjoyed both but for me, the Beech Mountain trail has an old fire tower at the top and although pretty intimidating to stand on, the views are vast and spectacular! It was a different hike being more inland throughout and then seeing this panoramic view.  Therefore, I liked it best!

Day 4, we debated hiking the infamous Beehive trail which has rungs and from what I hear, incredible views, but declined settling on Great Head instead. A fabulous thing about this last day was that it was Monday and it seemed as though Acadia had cleared out! We had most of this trail to ourselves seeing a few other hikers and families with dogs out. Our kids especially adored this trail since they got to enjoy time out on the rocks in the tide pools. My son found crabs, barnacles and muscles. My daughter enjoyed the hunt and hopping throughout the rock formations.

Along all the trails are massive amounts of wild blueberry plants. We can only image how much of a treat they are to hikers that encounter them while in season!

Food we liked:

Galyn’s– fresh grilled seafoods, lobster rolls, cocktails, blueberry lemonade, desserts- how cute is this lobster 🦞 with the flourless chocolate cake?

Side Street Cafe – drinks, burgers, dogs or “pups” as they call them. Bonus they gave the kids each a bag of clay to play with while waiting for their food to come.

Jeanie’s Maine Breakfast – omelettes and pancakes breakfast. The food was good the coffee weak for our taste. The kids loved their smiling pancakes with sprinkles. Super cute right?

Peekytoe Provisions -takeout chowder and lobster bisque with crab cakes 😋

Lunch Bar Harbor-unexpectedly hearty and delicious sandwiches, grilled big pieces of bread locally sourced tasty veggies- great overall quality and flavor!

Choco-late – breakfast sandwiches and fantastic strong coffees-try the red eye or any late with a beautiful foam picture on top

The Chart Room– great views, decent food. We had lunch the kids ate chicken fingers and fries and we had tuna sandwiches which were good.

Wanted to but didn’t make it to Thrive juice bar because they were closed Monday when we arrived to get breakfast. It was Indigenous People’s day so likely that’s why their hours were different than what was posted on-line.

The Skinny:

• Weather :  Go when you feel most comfortable being outside and the views are the best!  For me, that’s fall!  However, I’m sure the views are always spectacular here!  My friend  and her family loved visiting in the end of summer as they were able to swim at Sandy Beach.
• Parking and Admissions:  Before visiting you need to go on-line and purchase a $30 pass to enter the park, you will need it at certain check points.  Cadillac Mountain also requires a pass to enter and time reservation that is $4 a car-full.
• Location :  Acadia National Park is in Bar Harbor, Maine and has 49,076 acres with ocean views and elevated  rocky terrain.  There you will find an array of hiking trails here from easy, and short to long and challenging ones.  Also you can kayak, rock climb, rent bikes, ride electronic bikes and do plenty of other outdoor activities with the whole family to enjoy nature during your visit.
• Hours : Acadia National Park is open 24 hours a day but certain parts do close as the weather gets too cold / dangerous.
• Duration :  Our family spent 3 days from morning until night here hiking.  We only stopped to eat and that was needed after all the trails we completed.
• Tips and Recommendations :  Even if the weather is comfortable, pack variety of diverse clothing layers as the top of Cadillac Mountain gets colder and windier than the base of Acadia Park.  During our visit in October, the mornings and nights were chilly and the days were warm.  Acadia National Park welcomes dogs.  The cell phone reception is minimal while in the park so digital photos of maps and reservations are recommended.  All the trails we took were well blazed in blue.

If you are looking for a place to stay while exploring Acadia, check out these nearby hotels.

Jewel : 👍🏼

Jamison : 👍🏼

 

If hiking inclines with beautiful views are your thing, try Blue Hills Skyline trail in Milton, Massachusetts and  New Hampshire’s for Arethusa Falls.  Vermont’s Bingham Falls also has some decent inclines with gorgeous sights.