2-Day Acadia National Park Itinerary
- nicole elizabeth
- Aug 10
- 6 min read
Acadia National Park is one of my favorite eastern US parks! Acadia is located in northeastern Maine and covers 47,000 acres and is made up of woodlands, rocky beaches, and peaks. Acadia is also home to the highest peak on the East Coast. I've taken two trips here and both have been amazing, here's how I would spend two days at the park based on things I've done and seen on each of my visits, you really can't go wrong in this park though!
Table of Contents
About Acadia
Acadia is definitely a unique park in that it is made up of several different landscapes. As mentioned above, the park has a combination of mountains, wooded areas, shorelines, rocky overlooks, etc. Acadia is home to the tallest peak on the east coast of the United States- Cadillac Mountain, sitting at 1,530 feet. This is also the first place to see the sunrise in the U.S.! Acadia is also home to wildlife such as deer, eagles, seals, foxes, and falcons. You can get around the park by car or if you're visiting from late June to early October you can also use the free shuttle. The park costs $30 per car to enter, unless you have an annual or lifetime national park pass. Cadillac Mountain requires a separate permit and reservation which I'll link later in the post!
Getting to Acadia / Where to Stay
Acadia is located in northeast Maine and is accessible by car. The closest airports to the park are Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (about 15 mins from park entrance), Bangor International Airport (about a 1.5 hour drive from the park entrance), or Portland International Airport (about 3.5 hour drive from park entrance). As far as accommodations near or in the park, there are no lodges in the park, however, there are three campgrounds, or you can stay in one of the several campgrounds or Airbnbs outside of the park. If you do decide to camp outside of the park, I highly recommend Mt. Desert Campground, which is where we stayed and had a great experience! If you're planning to camp, especially during peak season, I highly highly recommend booking a campsite early, as they fill up quickly! The closest town to the park is Bar Harbor, which has plenty of hotel and Airbnb options.
Best Time to Visit
Acadia is beautiful no matter what time you visit, and the best time to visit, in my opinion, kind of depends on what you're looking to see and do. Winter will definitely have the fewest crowds and can be beautiful with the snow. However, some trails and roads may be closed. Spring offers fewer crowds and the temperature can be mild, however, some trails still may be closed and some areas may be wet and muddy. Summer is peak season, the weather is usually great and all of the trails should be open, however, it is definitely the busiest season, so you can expect it to get very crowded. Lastly, fall offers peak foliage and the temperature is starting to cool down, while still busy, there are typically fewer crowds than summer time.
Day One: Jordan Pond, Bubble Rock, Sand Beach, Bar Harbor
Start off day one heading to Jordan Pond. This is a good area to get to early, as it gets super crowded! Jordan Pond is a flat, 3.4 mile loop around the pond and it has its own parking lot. This is an easy hike that offers beautiful views of the pond and the surrounding mountains, and although it's named Jordan Pond, this is definitely more like a lake. Next, if you're up for a hike, head right down the road to Bubble Rock Trailhead. This is a short 1.5-mile out and back hike that offers great views of Jordan Pond down below. Once you get to the trailhead, there are a few different trail options to make this hike longer, do whatever is best for you! Unfortunately, when we did this hike, it was pouring rain and foggy, so we couldn't see any views whatsoever, but from the pictures I saw on AllTrails, the views were beautiful! After finishing this hike, head over to Sand Beach, a small stretch of coast surrounded by cliffs and is located on Park Loop Road. This is the largest sandy beach in the park and offers nearby trails, or just a place to relax and enjoy the waves. This is also known to be a great stargazing spot! Finish off your day by heading into the nearby town of Bar Harbor to grab some lunch or dinner depending what time you end your day at the park. Bar Harbor is such a neat place to walk around, and you should definitely make time during your visit to Acadia to spend some time in town. I recommend eating at Testa's Bar and Grill or Bar Harbor Beer Works, however, there are plenty of restaurants and something for everyone! Make sure to stop in one of the shops and grab something blueberry flavored too!
Day Two: Cadillac Mountain Sunrise, Thunder Hole, Beehive Trail, Bass Harbor Light Station
There are a couple possibilities for how to start day two. Cadillac Mountain is the first place to see the sunset in the U.S., so if you have the opportunity to do so, I highly recommend trying to experience this! A permit is required to access Cadillac Mountain by car regardless, but you can either purchase a sunrise ticket or a time slot ticket. Both can be found on recreation.gov. We woke up at about 3:30am and headed over to the mountain. After a short drive and a short walk, we joined the dozens of other people attempting to watch the sunrise, however, unfortunately it was too foggy and we hardly got to see it. I have also been to Cadillac Mountain during the day just to walk around, so regardless of how you do it, I still recommend adding this spot to your itinerary!
After Cadillac Mountain, head over to Thunder Hole, which is located along Park Loop Road. Thunder Hole is a carved inlet along the rocky shoreline of Mount Desert Island. Under certain circumstances, waves are forced into the narrow channel and the air escapes mimicking the sound of thunder, and the water shoots up! This happens preiodically throughout the day, and there is no real way to time it, you just have to get lucky. We did hear somebody say that the best time to try to see it is 1-2 hours before high tide. Unfortunately during the three times we attempted to see it during my time in the park, we were unsuccessful, but my fiance has experienced it before on a trip to Acadia and said it was such a cool thing to see. Regardless, walking around the surrounding area is so beautiful, so even if you don't get to see the phenomenon, I still recommend checking this area out!
After spending some time here, if you're up for a challenge, make sure to add this hike to your trip to Acadia- The Beehive Trail. The Beehive Trail was such an aweosme hike, but one of the most challenging hikes I've ever done! This is a 1.5-mile loop trail with only about 500 feet of elevation gain, however, a lot of the trail consists of extremely narrow pathways, to the point where you are basically hugging the rock wall as you walk, as well as metal ladder rungs that you have to climb and hoist yourself up with at times. This hike is definitely difficult, but not impossible, you just have to go at the pace that works for you and really take your time with the ladder rungs. I absolutely loved this hike!
However, if you're not up for this, maybe head back into Bar Harbor to grab some lunch and explore more of the shops before heading down to the southwest side of the park to see Bass Harbor Light Station. This is one of the three lighthouses managed by Acadia National Park and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This light house was also featured on the NPS centennial postage stamp in 2016. It stands at 37 feet tall and was constructed in 1858. The light station is definitely a bit of a drive from the rest of the park, but in my opinion is so worth taking the time to check out!
Final Thoughts and Highlights
Overall, Acadia is a great park, and I don't know anyone that's been there that has had a negative thing to say about it! I've only been there in the summer, and would love to get back there during the fall one time to experience the beautiful foliage. My favorite things to do in the park are definitely walking around the top of Cadillac Mountain, the Beehive Trail and the Bubble Rock Trail. What I love about this park is there is truly something for everybody! I hope this post gives you some ideas of things to add to your Acadia National Park itinerary. This park is so enjoyable and there is so much to do, I definitely recommend visiting at some point if you're able to! Thanks for reading, and remember, there's always more to be explored :)
-nicole elizabeth
Comments