Now that we’re home from our cross country road trip, we have been itching to head out to the closest National Park to us! We’ve had this destination on our bucket list for a while and we LOVED it!

Acadia National Park encompasses all the best of Maine’s coastal area with tons to do for a fun-filled weekend! Whether you decide to camp or stay at one of the many Inns or hotels nearby, Acadia is packed with adventure! There are over 108 gorgeous square miles that Acadia National Park is set on, so 3-5 days is definitely plenty of time to see most of the highlights of the park.

Some quick helpful tips on the area before we get into things!

Nearby Airports: Bar Harbor, Maine (1 mile) or Portland, Maine (170 miles)
Temperature: (Summertime) Mid 80s and low 60s/50s at night Campgrounds: 4 (all need reservations & none are first come, first served)
Hotels: Bar Harbor, Maine (right outside the park)
Peak season: June-September (especially on weekends!)
Food: Plenty of dining options, restaurants, (LOTS of lobster), and grocery stores

Best spots you CAN’T miss:
Stargazing at Sand Beach
Jordon Pond
Cadillac Mountain (requires reservations for sunrise drives)
Bass Harbor Lighthouse
Beehive Loop Trail (OUR FAVORITE!!!)
Ocean Path Trails

Packing List!

TRAVEL GEAR LINKED *HERE*!
- hiking boots or sneakers
- socks & underwear
- sandals or flip flops (great for showering)
- rain coat
- sweatshirt/sweatpants
- 2 hiking outfits
- 2 comfortable outfits
- pajamas
- sunblock
- water
- cash and credit cards
- camera gear
- toiletries
- air mattress
- extra blankets
- foldable table
- foldable chairs
- cooler
- cooking utensils

Day One

Arrive at the park as early as possible! The lines to get in can get crazy long! When you arrive you will have the choice to purchase a 7 day pass for $55 or for a little bit more (our recommendation) buy the America The Beautiful pass , it covers the driver and 3 family members, not including children under 16 (they’re free). There are also military and senior citizen discounted passes!

we recommend camping!

Make sure you plan where you're staying WAY ahead of time ESPECIALLY if you are camping! The campgrounds are not first come first serve. Most of the campgrounds are very affordable and the scheduling site is easy to navigate but you must do so in advance! In addition to that, keep in mind that most of the campgrounds do not have showers (there are some down the road if you need them during your stay.) We stayed at Blackwoods Campground and really enjoyed our stay! They had very clean campsites and bathrooms and we would definitely stay there again!

Tents linked HERE!

If you plan on making dinner at your campsite we recommend stopping at the grocery store (Hannafords) in Bar Harbor to grab your food.

TIP: Skip the grocery store Ice and carry cash! On the way into the campground there are Ice coolers and firewood setup on the roadside by locals who sell ice at better prices! Just leave your cash for the goods you take and you're all set!

Drive Park Loop Road

We recommend doing this drive the first or second day to get familiar with the area. It’s a pretty short trip (27 miles) and a one lane road. This is a must do with tons of viewpoints to pull off and take photos, enjoy the scenery, or head to the biking or hiking trails along the way! We ended up driving the road about 3 times during the duration of the trip!

After a drive around park loop road we went to the grocery store to grab dinner (we got burgers & veggie kabobs with some 4 layer dip on the side!) on the way back to our campsite we picked up firewood and ice and headed in to setup camp. Which brings us to our second adventure of Day 1 which ended up being a small disaster…

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

If you're a photographer we don’t recommend this spot during peak season or on weekends. It gets absolutely PACKED. We arrived about 1.3 miles away to a park ranger directing traffic because the parking lot was completely full. She was not the most helpful and we ended up parking a mile back in the opposite direction at a campsite. All along the sideroads it says” no parking for lighthouse” so if you do want to visit this spot, arrive early or you probably won't get in or you'll have to walk 1-2 miles. With all that said this still made the list because it is definitely worth seeing. It is a gorgeous spot and iconic for Maine!

TIP: When you arrive there will be an obvious path for the lighthouse, to get to where we took the photos below you have to go to the left of the lighthouse near the back end of the parking lot and towards the wooded area to find the dirt path leading down to wooden steps that will then take you down where we stood for our photos!

Sand Beach (Stargazing)

Milky Way Views!

If you have enough energy left after all that check the weather for the night and see if there are clear skies! We went back to our campsite, made dinner and had some smores before heading out to this next spot! Make sure you bring some extra blankets with you or a jacket, the winds at the beach pick up at night and it gets VERY cold. This was a highlight from our trip as we are both avid stargazers and absolutely love astrophotography! It is the second place in the northeast where you can easily see the milky way with your naked eye!

DAY TWO

If you're an early bird this adventure is for you!

Cadillac Mountain Sunrise

We are not early birds and after a long night of stargazing we slept through our alarms (both mornings in a row) but we heard great things and saw some great photos from our neighbors at the campsite! Online you have to book tickets in advance and you'll need to arrive about an hour before the sun actually starts rising. For those of you who are like us, the views from the top are just as beautiful during the day!

Beehive Loop Trail

Quick hiking tips for this trail:

1.8 miles roundtrip (UPHILL)
There are ladders and platforms and this hike is VERY steep and high up
Bring extra water if you can manage hiking it up the ladders
There are no bathrooms around
Wear proper footwear (hiking shoes or sneakers, definitely NO flipflops)

Arrive as early as possible! We got to the Beehive loop trail at 9am and we parked about 40 cars away (both sides of the road) from the trailhead. This hike is also much more straining after the sun has fully risen due to the high temperatures in the summer. You can also extend the 1.8 mile trip if you decide to hike The Bowl. The Bowl is a 1.3 mile loop around Bowl Lake. This can extend your hike by over an hour so make sure you plan ahead! This hike was by far our favorite hike we’ve done in the northeast. The ladders, platforms and challenge to get to the top made it so much fun! And you can’t beat the view!

Bar Harbor

In town there are tons of boutique shops and cute touristy nik naks you can purchase. There is also no shortage of restaurants here with tons of local lobster specials and great places to eat! The price ranges at every spot but you can definitely find something no matter your budget! We spent a good 4 hours walking around town and you can easily spend the entire day here depending on what you're looking for!

Jordan Pond (Sunset)

The last part of the day should be spent at Jordan Pond. If you arrive early enough there are hiking trails along the lake that end up back near the main parking lot. If you want to spend dinner at Jordan Pond House, make sure you book reservations ahead of time so you don't have to wait! They have tables out on the lawn and a great menu selection!

DAY THREE

Checkout at 10am from the campsite and always leave no trace! Clean up after yourself and make the next people’s stay just as enjoyable as yours! Our goal was to wake up for sunrise on our third day and we skipped star gazing the night before. Unfortunately we were woken up by a child screaming at 3 in the morning. After a few minutes we got up to see what was going on and from our tent we could see the parents begging the child to come back in the tent. Super confused, we chose not to get involved and mind our own business as this went on for the next hour. Needless to say we missed our 5am alarms for sunrise. With that story, keep in mind the park and the campgrounds are kid friendly and we hope you don't have this experience!

Sand Beach

This beach makes our list again! We spotted this spot from the Beehive trail and spent the night stargazing and had to see it up close during the sunshine! The water here is SO blue and gorgeous! Be cautious, it may look beautiful to swim in but the water is always freezing! We actually had advisories on our weather apps during the weekend we stayed to make sure we knew the risks of swimming and hypothermia. (if you look in the picture to the right, the beach featured above our heads is Sand Beach)

Depending on how much time you need to get back home on the 3rd day you can plan your trip around a few different options. If you're a hiker there are a few trails we want to check out next time we go back:
Precipice trail
Wonderland trail
Carriage road
The schooner trail
Tide pools along the coast

The Perfect 3 Day Weekend in Acadia National Park, Maine!

Packing List!

Day One