Acadia_ Bar Harbor
Day One: Acadia HIkes & Bar Harbor
- Fly into Portland on Friday Night and stay at Hotel near airport.
- 8:00-8:30AM. Tandem Coffee Roasters (122 Anderson Rd). Popular bike themed with great coffee and pastries with it's own bakery. Kimchi and Sharp Cheddar Scone, interesting.
- 8:30-10:45AM. Drive to Ellsworth about 30 minutes from Bar Harbor.
- 10:45-12:00PM. Charming New England town with plenty of small shops. Really good values at the consignment shops, Clothes Encounter (34 Water St), 2nd to None (142 Main St). Enjoyed Trio and Vinyl Vogue (142 Main St). Plenty of places to eat lunch or get a local beer, but we wanted to get to the hikes.
- 12:00-1:00PM. Drive straight to the Gorham Mt Parking lot. This takes longer than you want b/c you must enter the park (pay for a 7 day pass, around $35) and there is traffic. We lucked out b/c we were able to get a spot in the parking lot,,, morning hiker turnover.
- 1:00PM-4:30PM. Combined four popular hikes into one big 4.5 mile loop. Climbed to the top of Gorham Mt, through the woods to the Bowl, then over to Beehive Loop, and down to the Ocean Path Trail. Details and pictures below.
- 4:30-5:45PM. Moseley Cottage Inn (12 Atlantic Ave). Fabulous Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Bar Harbor. TIP: you want to stay in Bar Harbor at a place with parking, if you stay outside Bar Harbor, parking is challenging, lots of driving around and walking a mile from your spot. See more below on the Moseley Cottage Inn.
- 6:00-7:00PM. Garden Lounge at the Ivy Manor Inn (194 Main). Just around the corner from the Moseley Cottage Inn. see more below.
- 7:00-8:00PM. Stroll down Main street toward the harbor. A couple of good spots: Acadia Country Store and found great deals at the Acadia Trading Post.
- 8:00PM+. Geddys (19 Main St). Got the Lobster Bake which comes with claim chowder, corn, and blueberry pie. Brussels are good as well. Good beer menu in a fun bar atmosphere.
Day two: Biking carraige roads, Cadalac & Walk to bar island
- 8:30 - 9:30AM. Cafe This Way (14 1/2 Mt Desert Street). Located down an alley with tons of outdoor seating and a colorful book theme. See more below.
- 10:00-2:00PM. Guided Ebike Tour of Acadia National Park Carriage Roads. The tour starts and ends at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center which is a nice attraction of it's own. See more below.
- 2:15-3:00PM. Thirsty Whale Tavern (40 Cottage St). see more below.
- 3:00-4:15PM. Cadillac Mountain. Unbelievable views of Bar Harbor and the Gulf of Maine, see more below.
- 4:30-5:15PM. Bar Island Land Bridge. Mile hike back and forth, so cool to see it from the top of Cadillac Mt, then drive down and walk it. see more below.
- 5:30-6:15PM. Back to the Moseley Cottage Inn for a shower.
- 6:30-7:30PM. Garden Lounge at Ivy Manor Inn, something about a beer garden after a day of biking and hiking with the sun going down.
- 7:30-8:15PM. Fogtown Brewing (33 Cottage). Multiple IPAs along with a strong Stout and Pilsner.
- 8:15PM+. SIde Street Cafe (49 Rodick St). Good fun place, plenty of drink choices, had the Blueberry Bubbles. BLT with Avocado on sourdough was refreshing.
Day Three: Highway 1, LL Bean in freeport & allagash
- 8:00-8:30AM. Choco-latte Cafe (240 Main). Good Bagels and Coffee
- 8:30-11:00AM. Drive Highway 1 a long the coast to Freeport (25 min North of Portland. Small towns along the way and other things to do, you could make a day of this trip.
- 11:00-12:00PM. Freeport, Maine. We went to a consignment shop, Haberdashery at 114 Maine, and the LL Bean Store, 95 Main. see more below.
- 12:30-2:00PM. Allagash Brewing Company (50 Industrial Way). What a great place on a perfect sunny day. see more below.
- 2:00PM +. 20 MIns to Portland Airport, headed for home.
More tips for A Bar Harbor Maine visit
- More Suggestions, maybe take several 3dayvacations: Bangor Maine with Stephen King's house and breweries.
- More time in Freeport if shopping is your thing. Could have gone to Maine Brewing Company.
- Portland - wow,brewery heaven. There were several in the same location with Alagash.
Details & Descriptions
Gorham Mt Trail
Gorham Mountain Trail is a relatively easy hike up. The trails are very well marked. The combination of granite, evergreens, ocean, and bright blue skies is a unique experience. So different than the deciduous trees of the Great Smokies and the red rock of Zion.
Beehive Trail
Beehive Loop Is a challenging hike in Acadia. We approached Beehive from The Bowl so we did not scale the iron rung section. Wonderful views of the beach and Gulf of Maine below, almost doesn't seem real. From the Beehive Summit, it is a short steep hike down to Ocean Trail.
Ocean Path Trail
The Ocean Path Trail has multiple features to check out including Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Point. We walked from the beach to our Gorham parking lot (just short of Otter Point). TIP: We hit Thunder Hole at low tide, probably better at high tide.
moseley cottage inn
Moseley Cottage Inn is a bed and breakfast in a large victorian house with a few hotel rooms as well. The house has several rooms, we were fortunate to get the Beehive room in the third floor turret. Very nice, location and parking in Bar Harbor highly recommended.
Garden Lounge
Garden Lounge
The Garden Lounge at the Ivy Manor Inn is one of the best beer gardens we've been to (love the beer gardens/truckyards in TX as well). Live Music, stone paths with benches and adirondack chairs. Beer selection is limited (about 12?) but included two of Maines finest IPAs.
Cafe This Way
Garden Lounge
Cafe This Way is a colorful book themed breakfast spot. Tons of outdoor seating. This place is very popular so there may be a wait. Menu is awesome, had the Howdy Dooty Scramble and Kristi got the French Toast.
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Guided Ebike tour of Acadia National Park Carriage Roads is a 22 mile journey on the Carriage Roads built by JD Rockafeller. What a time saver, go to Jordan Pond, Eagle Lake, Bubble Pond, and Duck Brook Bridge. Lots of history and beautiful scenery. The beaver dams were an unexpected highlight. Popovers at the Jordan House are a treat.
Thirsty Whale Tavern
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Thirsty Whale Tavern is a local watering hole with delicious Lobster Rolls, there were highly rated and delivered. Just a quick lunch. Looked like a cool hangout with a small patio outback. Good Beer Selection.
Cadillac mountain
Guided Ebike tour of acadia carriage roads
Bar Island land bridge
Cadillac Mountain is the highest peak on the eastern seaboard in the US. TIP: must reserve time months in advance if a busy time. There are paths along the top and a gift shop. The views are so spectacular it almost seems fake (like Pan looking down at Neverland). Nearing Low Tide, we got to see the Bar Island Land Bridge forming.
Bar Island land bridge
Bar Island land bridge
Bar Island Land Bridge. At low tide each day, a land bridge forms between Bar Harbor and Bar Island. It's about 1 mile over and there is a trail on Bar Island. You have to get back within 1.5 hours of Low Tide if you want to stay dry.
LL Bean Freeport
LL Bean has it's headquarters in Freeport Maine and it's a destination. Giant Store.
ALlagash
Allagash Brewing Company is a large brewery with nice indoor and outdoor seating and food trucks. I didn't think I liked Allagash White Ale until I went to this brewery. Great day drinking beer in the sunshine. They also have a large selection of different styles, really good flight place.