With nearly 50,000 acres of evergreen forests, rocky shorelines along ocean paths, and subalpine summits, Acadia National Park in Maine has something for everyone! Just a four and a half hour drive from Boston and less than three hours from Portland, Maine. This park is wonderful year-round, with beautiful views right outside Bar Harbor, carriage roads to shape that New England feel, scattered campgrounds, and some of the best hikes before your scenic drive back home.
We’ve compiled a list of places, bucket list worthy, to adventure responsibly while visiting Acadia National Park that are perfect for your next national park road trip:
(extra points if you head out there for fall foliage)
Best place for watching the sunrise: Cadillac Mountain
Start your day off right—grab a cup of coffee and a blanket and watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain! As the highest point on the Eastern seaboard right along the Atlantic Ocean, Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise in the United States from mid-October through early March. Please note that if you plan to drive up Cadillac summit road, vehicle reservations are required from mid-May to mid-October.
Best place for stargazing: Jordan Pond
Acadia National Park contains some of the darkest skies in the eastern United States, making it the perfect place to scout out constellations, planets, and other astronomical wonders! Head over to Acadia’s clearest lake—Jordan Pond—for a magical night under the stars: the park’s dark skies paired with the lake’s reflective surface make for an immersive and surreal stargazing experience that you won’t want to miss! And don’t forget the Jordan Pond House for your must needed popover.
For more astronomical fun at Acadia, check out the annual Night Sky Festival: a four-day celebration each September. Visit the official Acadia Night Sky Festival website for more information!
Best place for birding: Schoodic Peninsula
Hikers- be on the look out! Acadia’s diverse ecosystem is part of what makes the park so special. With over 338 species of birds, Acadia is a birder’s wonderland. Grab a pair of binoculars and a field guide—or an identification app like iNaturalist to help identify your new feathered friends—and head over to Schoodic Peninsula for a day of birding! Although the peninsula offers fantastic opportunities for birding year-round, spring is the most popular time of year for birds and birders alike: the peninsula is one of the first pitstops for migrating warblers, flycatchers, and seabirds navigating the Atlantic flyway—thus making it a prime location for bird-watching.
Looking for more birding opportunities? Check out Acadia’s annual birding festival for four days of social events, workshops, and more! Registration for the 24th annual birding festival opens early April 2023. Visit their website for more information!
Best place for kayaking: Eagle Lake
Acadia is home to 24 named lakes and ponds, including our favorite: Eagle Lake. If you’re looking to spend some time close to the water during your visit to Acadia National Park, we recommend spending a few hours paddling around the park’s largest freshwater lake, taking in the birdsong and a spectacular view of Cadillac Summit!
Best place for climbing: Otter Cliff
Acadia’s rocky terrain makes it great for traditional climbing, rappelling, and bouldering—and its sea cliffs offer a unique climbing experience. Head over to Otter Cliff for a few hours of sea-cliff climbing and enjoy spectacular views of Acadia from the park’s highest cliff!
Best trail for hiking: Beehive Loop
Acadia contains over 150 hiking trails for visitors to explore! Among these are The Precipice Trail, known for being the park’s most dangerous hike, and Cadillac South Ridge Trail, one of the park’s longest trails.
If you’re seeking a strenuous hike but looking for something less intense than Precipice Trail, challenge yourself to one of our favorite hikes: Beehive Loop! This ‘beehive trail’ boasts a 450ft ascent up a cliff and offers spectacular views of Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Frenchman Bay!
Looking for the best places to stay while in Acadia? Check out this blog post!
With nearly 50,000 acres of evergreen forests, rocky shorelines, and subalpine summits, Acadia National Park has something for everyone!
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite places to adventure responsibly in Acadia. Check it out:
Best place for watching the sunrise: Cadillac Mountain
Start your day off right—grab a cup of coffee and a blanket and watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain! As the highest point on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise in the country from mid-October through early March. Please note that vehicle reservations are required from mid-May to mid-October.
Best place for stargazing: Jordan Pond
Acadia National Park contains some of the darkest skies in the eastern United States, making it the perfect place to scout out constellations, planets, and other astronomical wonders! Head over to Acadia’s clearest lake—Jordan Pond—for a magical night under the stars: the park’s dark skies paired with the lake’s reflective surface make for an immersive and surreal stargazing experience that you won’t want to miss!
For more astronomical fun at Acadia, check out the annual Night Sky Festival: a four-day celebration each September. Visit the official Acadia Night Sky Festival website for more information!
Best place for birding: Schoodic Peninsula
Acadia’s diverse ecosystem is part of what makes the park so special. With over 338 species of birds, Acadia is a birder’s wonderland. Grab a pair of binoculars and a field guide—or an identification app like iNaturalist to help identify your new feathered friends—and head over to Schoodic Peninsula for a day of birding! Although the peninsula offers fantastic opportunities for birding year-round, spring is the most popular time of year for birds and birders alike: the peninsula is one of the first pitstops for migrating warblers, flycatchers, and seabirds navigating the Atlantic flyway—thus making it a prime location for bird-watching.
Looking for more birding opportunities? Check out Acadia’s annual birding festival for four days of social events, workshops, and more! Registration for the 24th annual birding festival opens early April 2023. Visit their website for more information!
Best place for kayaking: Eagle Lake
Acadia is home to 24 named lakes and ponds, including our favorite: Eagle Lake. If you’re looking to spend some time close to the water during your visit to Acadia National Park, we recommend spending a few hours paddling around the park’s largest freshwater lake, taking in the birdsong and a spectacular view of Cadillac Summit!
Best place for climbing: Otter Cliff
Acadia’s rocky terrain makes it great for traditional climbing, rappelling, and bouldering—and its sea cliffs offer a unique climbing experience. Head over to Otter Cliff for a few hours of sea-cliff climbing and enjoy spectacular views of Acadia from the park’s highest cliff!
Best trail for hiking: Beehive Loop
Acadia contains over 150 hiking trails for visitors to explore! Among these are The Precipice Trail, known for being the park’s most dangerous hike, and Cadillac South Ridge Trail, one of the park’s longest trails.
If you’re seeking a strenuous hike but looking for something less intense than Precipice Trail, challenge yourself to one of our favorite hikes: Beehive Loop! The trail boasts a 450ft ascent up a cliff and offers spectacular views of Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Frenchman Bay!
Looking for the best places to stay while in Acadia? Check out this blog post!
With nearly 50,000 acres of evergreen forests, rocky shorelines, and subalpine summits, Acadia National Park has something for everyone! We’ve compiled a list of 6 of our favorite places to adventure responsibly in Acadia. Check it out:
