Acadia National Park is one of America’s most visited national parks.  Most major highlights of the park are easily accessible by car, so it does not require a lot of effort to enjoy the scenery.  The park is located on the ocean which you can enjoy from the sandy beach or along the shoreline walking path.  In addition to amazing ocean views, the park also offers lakes, mountains, and miles of biking and horseback riding trails.  The town of Bar Harbor is located minutes from the park entrance, which means you have plenty of dining, shopping, and hotel options nearby.

Model Itinerary

Day 1:
There are several airports and highways that will bring you to the park.  Portland is the largest city in Maine and the Portland Jetport is a frequent choice of many visitors to the area.  Another popular choice is to fly into Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.  If you plan to visit Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, you can drive from one of the larger airports, or fly into Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport, or Bangor International Airport which is 50 miles away from Bar Harbor.
The park is located on Mount Desert Island.  The east side of the park is located near the town of Bar Harbor so that is the best place to find a hotel while visiting this area.   ​
Day 2:
One of the iconic experiences during a visit to Maine is taking a trip out to the Gulf of Maine to see the largest animals on the planet.  Make plans to go on a Whale Watching Tour at the beginning of your trip because the tour can be cancelled if the ocean conditions are unfavorable, and booking early gives you time to reschedule for another day if necessary.  We had booked a Puffin/Whale Watch trip with Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company in Bar Harbor which was cancelled twice due to the ocean conditions.  We ended up taking both the Puffin Cruise and a Whale Watch Cruise with Cap’n Fish’s Boothbay Harbor Boat Trips later in the week.  I highly recommend both of these excursions.  If your Whale Watching trip is cancelled there are still plenty of other tours that take you out on the water around the Harbor.   
Day 3:
There are several entrances to Acadia National Park, so on the first morning head to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center entrance to pick up a park map and information about Ranger activities for the week.  Park Rangers offer a variety of activies included guided walks, narrated boar tours, and talks about the geology or wildlife of the area.  From the Visitor Center, start the scenic drive on Park Loop Road.  Head toward the Sand Beach parking lot, stopping at Beaver Dam Pond and Schooner Head Overlook for a nice view of Egg Rock Lighthouse.  At Sand Beach you will find not only a sandy beach area, but also the trail heads for several good hiking trails.   One of the most popular trails is the Beehive Trail (1.6 mile strenuous loop) where hikers can climb iron rungs and ladders to the summit, then descend on the back side via the Bowl Trail to make a loop back to the parking lot.  A more moderate way to reach the Beehive summit is to take the Bowl Trail (1.4 mile moderate hike) to the backside of the Beehive where you can take a more moderate path to the summit on the Beehive Trail and then return on the same trail to complete the Bowl Trail loop back to the parking lot.  Sand Beach is a nice place to enjoy a picnic lunch and maybe take a swim in the ocean.  After lunch, spend some time walking on the Ocean Path Trail (4.4 mile easy hike) which follows the rocky shoreline along Park Loop Road,  goes past Thunder Hole and ends at Otter Point.  This is one of our favorite trails, but if you don’t want to walk the entire trail, you can drive to Thunder Hole and then walk the second part of the trail to Otter Point.  The best time of day to visit Thunder Hole is 2 hours before or after high tide.
Day 4:
Start your day early by making your way up to Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise.  During most of the year, this is the first spot in the U.S to see the sunrise, so this is a very popular place to be at 4:30 in the morning.  If you don’t make it to sunrise, then you should definitely drive up to the summit to see the sunset, or try both for 2 different experiences.  After breakfast, head back to Park Loop Road to the Bubbles parking lot.  There are several trails here, but the most popular is the Bubble Rock Trail (1.0 mile moderate, short but steep hike) to see a giant 14 ton boulder left by glaciers perched on the side of the cliff.  Then drive to the Jordon Pond House for lunch and to explore the network of carriage roads in the area.  There are no cars allowed on the carriage roads which make them perfect for walking, biking, and horseback riding.  There are bikes available for rent in town, or you can contact Wildwood Stables in the park for horseback riding and carriage rides.  Don’t miss walking at least part of the Jordon Pond Shore Trail (3.3 mile moderate loop).  From the Jordon Pond House, the left side of the trail has an elevated wooden boardwalk which follows the pond shoreline for at least part of the trail. 
Day 5:
Spend some time today exploring the other side of Mount Desert Island.  In the morning, we took the Islesford Historic & Scenic Cruise which was a 2 hour ranger narrated boat trip where we saw seals, lighthouses, and stopped for a short visit on Little Cranberry Island.  After lunch, drive down to see Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  
Day 6:
If you decide to stay in the area, there are plenty of options for spending a day out on the water around Bar Harbor.  There are companies that offer sailing trips, kayak rentals, lighthouse cruises, and scenic narrated boat trips down the coast.  We decided to head down the coast and spend the night on Deer Isle.  Acadia National Park extends to the small Island of Isle au Haut.  From the small fishing town of Stonington you can take a ferry out to the Island for a day hike, or you can book a 3 hour Eco-Tour Boat trip with Old Quarry Ocean Adventures.  Spend the night at the Pilgram’s Inn Bed & Breakfast.  The Inn was built in 1793 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  
Day 7:
Make the 3 hour drive back to Portland or 5 hour drive to Boston for your return flight home.  If you have time to extend your trip for another week continue with the Coastal Maine itinerary.  
Day 8:
Return home and start planning your next adventure.