Acadia National Park


Our bike-moon ended in Bar Harbor, Maine and we were lucky enough to spend a week exploring. Bar Harbor has a lot to offer! If you’re planning a 2017 trip, add Acadia to the list. The weather was absolutely perfect in October, chilly at night and warm during the day. The fresh seafood deserves an entire blog (or blog post) – it is so good! October is not peak-season for Acadia; however, it still does get busy. Leaf peeking season is early to mid October. If you plan it right, you can see the most beautiful colors in New England and visit a National Park. We spent 6 days in Bar Harbor with 4 exploring the park.

Top four things to do in Acadia National Park:

  1. Watch the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain
  2. Bike the Carriage Roads
  3. Walk around Jordan Pond
  4. Hike The Beehive

Acadia is one of the most-visited national parks and so it is busy (you’ll read this more than once). I would recommend getting up and going as early as possible – you’ll be happy to see a bunch of people just starting when you’re finishing. For the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain (#1), take lots and lots of warm clothes. If you get there early, like you should, and you don’t want to stand the entire time, make sure to bring a blanket or folding chair so you have something to sit on besides ice cold granite. Right after sunrise, we stayed for a while and walked around, the lighting is perfect at this time (and the crowds are dissipating).

#2 really doesn’t need much explaining. Rent a bike & explore the Carriage Roads. Dress appropriately for the weather conditions.

Jordan Pond (#3) & Jordan Pond House – we did the full loop around Jordan Pond which is a flat 3.4 miles. If you can get into the restaurant, get a spot at the Jordan Pond House especially on a nice sunny day for some tea and scones outside.  When we checked the wait was 1.5 hours; we opted for the loop around Jordan Pond instead. The loop has some picture perfect spots, make sure to bring the camera.

Finally, last but not least, the beehive hike. This is a very short steep climb with iron rungs and exposed cliffs – scary but worth it! I would recommend going as early as possible to minimize the crowds (I know I’ve said that about 100 times). If you don’t want to climb up the iron rungs, there is another route up the back that is moderate.

I hope you enjoy Acadia as much as we did – Cheers! Happy exploring!

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