The Acadia itinerary: What to see and what to skip

Acadia was our second National Park visit of all time, and one of the easier to check off the list as New Englanders. We went in late September 2019 for a weekend getaway, back when we knew little about navigating national park visits. Since then, we have gone from national park novices to enthusiasts. Of the 63 major National Parks in the US, we have visited 38 of them.

We recently returned to Acadia, just 1 week shy of exactly 6 years from our first trip there. A lot of wonderment accompanied us. What would we think of this national park after visiting so many others? How would RVing to the area compare to our Airbnb stay in 2019? Last time, we were joined by my harp because I was in the throws of The Hiking Harpist, a music and nature project where I took my small harps on trails and shared peaceful music that matched the vibe of the surroundings. This year, we were joined by our friends and their children, 3 years old and 9 months old. That meant we would narrow our focus less on the hiking and more on the family-friendly excursions. This was something we looked forward to, because it meant varying up our activity choices, and getting to see and do new things. After this visit, we came away with a good sense of what we would recommend to others, everything from fun touristy excursions to scenic hikes. We also have lots more on our list for a future trip.

Even for New Englanders, Acadia is out of the way. Located on the coast of Maine, with the majority situated on an island with just one road bridging it from the mainland, the closest interstate is nearly an hour away. Going to Acadia is deliberate, and while it is possible to take a very long day trip or overnight to the region, it's best to give at least a few days to enjoy the area. Compared to some other national parks, Acadia is not large, spanning just under 50,000 acres. This includes not just the land but the water, too. The main loop on Mount Desert Island allows most of the main attractions and sights to be no more than a half-hour from one another.

We could immediately and easily answer our first question, "What would we think of this park after visiting so many others?" We absolutely love this park. The coast of Maine is special. It has rugged granite cliffs unlike any other state on the East Coast. The ocean is a gorgeous deep blue-teal. The mountains are distinctly round at their peaks, and one glance reminds you of where you are. In September, the leaves are starting to turn, but since peak hasn't yet arrived, the crowds are smaller. We enjoy squeezing in visits between summer crowds and leaf peepers, which is why we planned our second trip right around the same time as our first.

Our 2019 Trip

We prioritized hiking during our trip in 2019, but since this was our first visit to the park, we also made sure to check off the most popular attractions. We drove the Park Loop Road, stopping at many of the roadside pull-offs and parking lots.

See: Sand Beach

The parking lot gets crowded during peak times, and in late September it was too cold to have an actual beach day, but lounging around isn't necessary to capture the essence of the beach. This is the best place to see the turquoise hues of the water from sea-level. The sand is also very inviting. Lots of shores along the East Coast are rocky, but not this one.

Skip: Thunder Hole

Thunder hole is a rock outcropping where, when the tide is high and the waves are violent, they crash and make a sound like thunder. Supposedly. We have never been able to liken the sound to thunder, no matter when we go. We have even seen videos during storms and still can't hear a thunder boom coming from the waves. Maybe we're just not imaginative enough, or we've had too many experiences hearing real thunder. All that said, this is a quick stop along the Park Loop Road, and it is scenic. There are beautiful rocks, and seeing the waves crash into the outcropping is mesmerizing. Just don't get your hopes up to hear the thunder sounds. We did stop here during our second visit because after "talking it up," our friends wanted to (not) experience it for themselves. So perhaps make it a quick stop on your way to bigger and better places, and take in the sights rather than the sounds.

See: Gorham Mountain

We chose to hike Gorham Mountain because the trailhead was right off Park Loop Road and the difficulty wasn't too much for lugging a harp. This is a popular trail in the park, but it's not seen as a must-do. We were glad we chose it because the views are similar to those at the top of much more difficult-to-traverse mountains. We had great views of Sand Beach from 500ft up, and the budding foliage added extra pops of color to the green and blue hues of the sky, ocean, and evergreens.

Skip: Beehive Trail

The Beehive trail is arguably one of the most famous trails in all of Acadia, mostly because it sometimes makes the news. This trail and the similar Precipice Trail traverse the edge of the cliffsides, and iron rung step ladders, bars, and platforms have been built into the side of the rock. You can probably guess why these trails make the news.

The biggest issue we have with this trail is, people hike it to say they've hiked it. Oftentimes, these people are not equipped. It's deceiving because the trail is short, but in that distance are many instances that induce vertigo. Then, when the trail gets crowded, you find yourself stuck on an iron rung ledge, waiting for everyone in front of you to overcome their vertigo and use whatever skills they have to hoist themselves up onto the next boulder. Worse was the pressure we felt to get a move on when we were the ones getting our footing. We have not done, nor will we do, the Precipice Trail, and even back in the day, we questioned our choice to tackle the Beehive. These types of trails have never been our thing. We don't hike for the bragging rights.

The views at the top are fantastic, but hikers can get to the same area by taking the Bowl Trail as an out-and-back. Beehive hikers need to descend on the Bowl Trail because the Beehive is ascent only.

If you're a risk-taker and have the skills to traverse the ledges, then perhaps the Beehive will be exhilarating for you, but if you just want a hike with a beautiful view at the end, take the Bowl Trail instead.

See: Jordan Pond (but skip Bubbles Divide)

During this year's visit, we told our friends the story of how we hiked the western perimeter of Jordan Pond after an accidental hike down Bubbles Divide. We thought we were hiking the Bubble Trail, but it turns out Bubbles Divide is a different trail altogether. Carting my harp over miles of boulders and rocks was not a fun experience, but we do like telling the tale. We made lots of friends on our hike that day, all of us wondering "what the F is this trail?!" and commiserating, and everyone else feeling way better about themselves after seeing what I had to do to make sure the bottom of my harp didn't constantly hit the edge of the boulders as I climbed down the Divide. We didn't meet anyone who was on that trail on purpose.

Bubbles Divide, however, leads to the back side of Jordan Pond, which is idyllic.

Unfortunately, we spent so much time struggling down the boulders on Bubbles Divide that we started running out of daylight as we made our way past the west shore of Jordan Pond. We ended up missing the last shuttle; we're pretty sure it left about 10 minutes early. We needed to walk the Park Loop Road about a mile back to our car, in the pitch darkness, with our legs feeling like jelly from all our hiking.

We can't deny, though, that the waning sunlight made for quite a vibe. Jordan Pond is gorgeous from all sides! Well, we assume so, though we've yet to walk its east side. It's on our list to someday hike the entire perimeter. The trail weaves in and out of the woods and offers peeps of the pond and all the wildlife that calls the pond home. This is where I saw my first loon!

The trail looks difficult, but it's actually well carved among the boulders. Some parts also have wooden boardwalks.

The most popular viewing point of Jordan Pond is from the south, because it's most accessible from the parking lot and shuttle stop. This is where you can see the Bubbles, two very distinct round mountains that resemble a rather feminine physique.

There is one activity at Jordan Pond that we highly recommend, in addition to seeing these views, but due to our late arrival, we needed to skip it in 2019. That recommendation is coming up in a bit, but first, we'll leave you with one last recommendation from 2019, one that was a definite repeat for 2025.

See: Summit of Cadillac Mountain

Cadillac Mountain is Acadia's main attraction. It's the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the US and is the location of the country's first sunrise for many months out of the year. Because of this, sunrise visits are very popular, but this mountain attracts crowds at all times. The summit is accessible by automobile, making it a great choice for families and those who cannot hike to get the spectacular views. At the top, a half-mile path loops the perimeter, with many bald granite faces to wander for different vantage points.

One big change that happened between 2019 and 2025 is that the National Park Service began requiring timed entry reservations for the summit road. This year, we needed to purchase reservations online for $6 per vehicle, which gave us a 30-minute window of entry onto the road. Then at the top, we could stay for as long as we wished.

In 2019, we walked the summit loop first sans harp and then with harp. This was the defining moment when I realized how much attention the harp attracts. Without it, I could walk around unnoticed, which I very much prefer. Then, I did the same loop, past many of the same people, only this time with the harp, and I felt like I was on display. Back in 2019, I handled the attention much better. After COVID hit and my anxiety worsened, my harp hikes became very stressful. This is what drove me to retire The Hiking Harpist in 2022, after almost a year of harp hikes during our full-time travel life. My final harp hike was at Niagara Falls.

This year, we walked the summit loop and packed a picnic lunch.

Cadillac Mountain is one of those places where people often wonder, "Is it worth battling the crowds?" We believe it is. The views are unparalleled, and both times we went, even if the parking lot was crowded, the crowds disperse enough that we've always had plenty of space. There are two parking lots and also a summit gift shop with restrooms. Whether you choose to hike Acadia or not, we recommend fitting Cadillac into your itinerary.

Our 2025 Trip

I already mentioned a couple of sights we saw during both our 2019 and 2025 trips, but we experienced a lot of new sights and activities this time around, all of which we recommend you add to your Acadia itinerary.

The famous popovers at Jordan Pond House Restaurant

We have big plans to hike the entire Jordan Pond Path trail, but as long as we don't lose daylight again, we will surely stop by Jordan Pond Restaurant for some popovers and tea. We will say, the setup of the restaurant is not streamlined. Depending on whether you want a full meal, a grab-and-go sandwich, or a popover, you need to go to different places. Lawn seating has the best view of the pond, but this is reserved for full restaurant patrons only. In order to get lawn seating, you need to to inside the restaurant and be seated by the host. Simple enough. However, for those of us who were seeking popovers, we felt like we were in a maze. First, we went to the upper deck, where we saw the grab-and-go cafe. They, however, only had a few popover options: a couple of breakfast sandwiches only available in the mornings, and a popover sundae. We just wanted normal popovers, and the lady at the cafe said we needed to follow the deck over to the back stairs, and then head down to the lower level patio. This is where the outdoor bar is. The bar serves beer, wine, tea, coffee, lemonade, and popovers. Seating for this is on the back patio only, behind the lawn and with distant peeps of the pond.

The line here can get fairly long, and we wondered why the upstairs cafe couldn't also serve popovers if they clearly already had some up there for their breakfast sandwiches and sundaes. Nevertheless, we found our way to the right place, and the popovers delivered. They were served with butter and strawberry jam.

We later discovered that, if we had wanted to access the outdoor bar without first going upstairs and then back down, we would have needed to go through the restaurant. Not a big deal once we know, but a struggle to navigate as first-time visitors. We also take some points off for the fact that all of our beverages were served in big plastic cups without straws or covers. We don't know if they are doing this for environmental reasons or if they ran out of covers, but it would have been really nice for those of us not ordering alcohol to be able to carry our drinks with us, down to the pond. It also lowered the family-friendly factor because there were no straws for kids.

Despite the difficulty of actually getting our popovers, they were delicious, and the experience is unique to the national parks. After we ate, we walked down to the pond to get some pictures of the Bubbles.

Echo Lake Beach

Echo Lake is off the beaten path but was near our campground, and so one morning we decided to head over. This isn't somewhere we would advise visitors go out of their way for, but if you are staying in or near Southwest Harbor, it's a nice stop. You can also have a little beach day there on the nicer days as an alternative to Sands Beach, substituting ocean for lake and crowds for more solitude. The free shuttle stops here, and there are nearby hiking trails, including the trail up Acadia Mountain.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

We missed out on seeing the region's most photographed lighthouse in 2019 because we stayed in Ellsworth, 40 minutes north of the lighthouse. This year, we were only 12 minutes away and added it to our itinerary. Unfortunately, our plan didn't pan out the way we hoped. The "open" hours for the lighthouse were very limited, and we wrongly assumed that even if the light station itself was technically closed, the grounds would still be open. We went after dark to see the lighthouse all lit up, but we could only view it from afar.

We had a long travel day the next day, but our friends went back to the lighthouse in the morning and had better luck. Even still, the lighthouse didn't open until 9am despite the sign saying it opened at 7am. We wondered how all the photographers get their sunrise photos. Do they sneak past the closed gate? It remains a mystery, but someday maybe Anthony and I will solve it. I would love to commit to getting some really nice photos there.

What remains on our Acadia bucket list

As we envision our future as RVers in New England, we see a 3rd visit to Acadia being very likely. We already mentioned a few things we would love to do, or do again, but beyond these, we made some notes of what to put on our list. Acadia is filled with historic carriage roads, and there is a stable inside the park that offers carriage rides. This seems like a unique way to immerse ourselves in the park. We also have yet to take advantage of the park's dog-friendliness. Lots of national parks have strict limits on where dogs can go, but Acadia shines as one of the parks with the least limits. Dogs are allowed on several of the trails and overlooks, and they can even dine on the lawn and patio at Jordan Pond House! Finally, we want to hit some of the trails that we've yet to hike, and there are lots to choose from. Currently, Acadia Mountain is at the top of our list, or perhaps we would take the actual Bubbles Trail, which would lead to the eastern side of Jordan Pond, the only side we haven't hiked. There is no shortage of recreation and entertainment at Acadia, and that's just inside the park! In the next post, we will venture outside the park boundaries and give our recommendations of places to go in Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Ellsworth. We will also talk about the campground we chose as the jumping off point for our Acadia-area adventures.