Acadia National Park
November 12, 2022
I recently went on a road trip through Maine and one of the parts of the trip that I was looking forward to the most was exploring Acadia National Park. I had a little over a day to visit the park and I knew I needed to make the most of my time. Below was my itinerary and hopefully you might find it helpful for planning your trip there.
I went in the middle of June and the day was a bit gloomy but I knew it wasn’t going to stop me from having a great time. The park is massive, which I don’t think a lot of people realize. I entered the park and my first stop was to the Hulls Cove Visitors Center to grab a map and a postcard (I collect postcards from all of the National Parks I visit). This is also the start of Park Loop Road, which I knew I wanted to do because it would allow me to see a lot of the park and some of the well-known areas.
I wanted to head towards Sand Beach early because I heard that the parking lot filled up quick, but on my way I saw an area filled with lupines, so I pulled off and parked to get some pictures. This area is known as Witch Hole Pond and there’s actually a trail that runs around the pond. Next time I’ll have to check that out but the lupines and lily pads already got my experience off to a hot start.
I really wanted to hike the Beehive Trail and I knew it was close to Sand Beach, but unfortunately it was closed that day due to the poor weather. If you’re afraid of heights, this apparently isn’t the trail for you, but it’s on my bucket list for my next visit. When I got to the Sand Beach parking lot, it was almost full but luckily I was able to snag a spot. This is one of the most popular areas of the park and during the warmer months, people will hang out on the beach for hours.
After I walked around Sand Beach for a while, I made my way down the Ocean Path towards Thunder Hole. This path runs parallel to the road and is an easy walk. It was crowded because Thunder Hole is another popular area of the park. If you can, I would recommend keeping your car at Sand Beach and just walking to Thunder Hole, as opposed to trying to find parking somewhere closer.
Thunder Hole gets its name because water enters a crevice in the rocks and when the waves crash in the hole, it makes a loud noise like thunder. It’s cool to see but it’s definitely the most touristy thing that I saw when I was at Acadia. If that’s not your thing, then you can skip this part. I hiked back to my car and continued my drive around Park Loop Road. There are wonderful views of the coastline near the Thunder Hole area so if you have time, stop by and check those out.
My next stop was to head to Jordan Pond. This is another part of the park that’s very popular and I knew I wanted to do the Jordan Pond Path hike. Jordan Pond also has a restaurant on site so the parking was a little crazy- I would recommend going to the lower parking lot as there are more spaces available there. The Jordan Pond hike is easy and is about 3 miles so it took around an hour complete. The beginning of the hike was chilly and wet because the rain and wind was blowing off the pond really strong but once I continued around the bend a bit, it was a lot better and less windy. A lot of people were too cold to continue and they went back to the car, so if it’s like this when you get there, I would suggest to keep on walking.
There are definitely people on the trail with you but I felt like it wasn’t too crowded though. I loved the back part of the trail- there were some different things to see including a massive loon.
My walk on the second half of the trail was fun because it also included some interesting boardwalks. This might be a little difficult for some people so keep that in mind when choosing this path. If you have kids, make sure you take a look around because I saw some cool things like woodpecker holes, birds, etc. that I think the whole family can enjoy.
After I was done with my hike, I went to the Jordan Pond House, which is the main restaurant at Acadia. I read that you couldn’t make reservations and when I got to the restaurant, there were a lot of people waiting on a table. But because I was just a table of one, I got a seat almost immediately…perks of solo travel, y’all. The Jordan Pond House is known for their popovers and they did not disappoint- delicious!
After I had lunch, I decided to explore some of the carriage roads which to me almost felt like a secret part of the park. I hopped on a carriage road right outside of Jordan Pond and walked for a while. These roads wind all throughout the park and are closed to cars, which makes for a very peaceful experience. There are 45 miles of carriage roads so there’s a lot to explore but I was able to see some really cool bridges and views from my short hike. I highly recommend taking some of these trails if you want a different experience.
After I hiked the carriage roads, it was time to head to Cadillac Mountain. At this time you need a reservation to go to the top of Cadillac Mountain and I got mine a month in advance. Unfortunately I was there on a day when it was raining and you couldn’t see anything but fog. Cadillac Mountain normally provides incredible views as it’s the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and during half of the year, it’s the first place to view sunrise in the United States. My experience made it one I’ll laugh about for years but one day I’d love to see that sunrise or sunset from atop the mountain.
Cadillac Mountain was my last stop for the day as I needed to go check into my bed and breakfast. I stayed at the Acadia House Inn and it was great- I highly recommend it. It’s an inn located in the heart of Bar Harbor and I found it to be the most affordable place when I was doing research. The owners were lovely and I had a great experience. I had a great dinner in Bar Harbor and it’s a really cute, walkable town.
The next morning I knew I had a little time before I had to head out of town so I planned one more quick hike. When I was at the park the day before, I asked one of the rangers what her favorite hike was in the park and she said that she loves to get away to the less popular parts of Acadia National Park and that the Flying Mountain trail was a great trail.
That’s all I needed to hear and I planned my trip there for that morning. One thing that I found interesting is that this trail actually butts up to a neighborhood/private property so if you’re ever looking for some hikes where you don’t have to pay an entry fee to get into Acadia National Park, there are some available like this one. I found the hike to have a great variety of terrain and I got to see everything from spruce pines to beaches and the ocean.
My final stop before I headed south was to see the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. This is another famous part of the park but it’s away from the Bar Harbor area so it’s not as crowded. If you have extra time for a little drive, I recommend checking it out for the picture opportunities alone.
After I saw the lighthouse, it was time to make my way back south. Overall I thought Acadia had so many cool and different experiences. I can’t wait to go back and hike some of the other trails, especially some of the more remote areas of the park. If I could recommend one thing, it would be to find at least one part of Acadia that isn’t a crowded, touristy area and I feel like you’ll have an even better experience.