The Best 3 Day Guide to Acadia National Park

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Lauren Barrett

Looking to spend 3 days in Acadia National Park? You're in the right place.

​Bar Harbor is a picturesque town nestled between the coast of Maine and Acadia National Park. Visitors flock to this quaint town for the delicious lobster, breathtaking views, harrowing hikes, scenic bike rides, laidback vibes, and the perfect temperatures in the summertime. 

We went three years ago in July, and Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park easily rank in my top five places I have ever visited. I was blown away by how beautiful it is, and I have already have an itinerary set for when I visit again. 
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But here is the best 3 day guide of what we did the first time around along with suggestions/tips/recommendations from other seasoned travelers to the area. 

The Logistics 

• Traveled by rental car from Boston to Burlington, VT to Augusta, ME to Bar Harbor
• Traveled with my husband and parents
• Stayed at The Hampton Inn, Bar Harbor
• Stayed 4 nights, 4 days

The Itinerary

Day 1

• We arrived to Bar Harbor in the early afternoon and took some time settling into the hotel and exploring the downtown area (more on that later) for a grocery store for some snacks for the room. 
• We ate lunch at Finback Alehouse. Delicious crab cakes and lobster bisque. 
• Later, we drove into Acadia National Park to see the sunset at Sand Beach - a perfect place where land meets water to form a striking landscape of pinks, oranges, and yellows beaming off the cliffs in the distant. We ate our snacks and marveled at the sights. 
• We continued on to watch the latter half of the sunset on top of Cadillac Mountain. The sights were truly breathtaking. Our plan was to come here earlier for the full sunset, but it was closed due to being filled to capacity. 

Recommendations/Suggestions: 

• Spend one evening watching the sunset or sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. Get there early! 
• Cadillac Mountain sunrise hike
• ​Later drive down to Sand Beach for some stargazing. 

Day 2

• Started the day early to get to Acadia
• We parked near Sand Beach and took the Ocean Trail from there. Ocean Trail goes along the coast and offers views of the Atlantic Ocean, the famous Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliffs. 
• Veered off Ocean Trail and took a hike up Gorham Mountain Trail. This hike is steep but a good middle ground hike if you are looking for something challenging but not as challenging as some of the other hikes. You are rewarded with gorgeous views at the top. 
• Drove to Jordan Pond House. *Travel Tip*Make reservations ahead of time. We are so lucky that we did because the place was packed. Jordan Pond House is a perfect midday respite from hiking to enjoy popovers, lunch, and spectacular views of the pond with The Bubbles in the background. 
• In the evening, James and I drove out to Great Long Pond for SUP Yoga. More on this place later. 

Recommendations/Suggestions: 

• Precipice Trail and Beehive Trail for the adventurous and daring souls
• Hike around Jordan Pond (Penobscot Mt.)
• Time your visit to Thunder Hole two hours before high tide. We, unfortunately, did not and didn't get the full effect. 

Day 3

• My parents split off from my husband and me this day. They took a bike ride through the park, and we headed back to Great Long Pond. 
• This time we spent three hours paddleboarding (me) and kayaking (husband). As the name suggests, the pond is long and narrow with gorgeous (I can't stop using this word) backdrops of the mountains. 
• We headed downtown later in the day for lunch and to walk along Bar Island during low tide. 
• Later, met up with my parents for dinner at Galyn's, an upscale restaurant near the water. I ate more lobster bisque, and we watched the 4th of July fireworks. 

Recommendations/Suggestions: 

• National Park Canoe and Kayak Rental
  
• Mainely Meat Barbeque at Atlantic Brewing Company 
  
• Side Street Cafe
• Thirsty Whale
  
• Coffee Hound
  
• Mount Desert Ice Cream
  
• Take time to walk around Cottage Street and the rest of downtown (I wish we had more time to this)

Day 4

• My dad and I woke up early to get in one more hike. We hiked up North Bubbles and had great early morning views of the park. 
• We packed off and left. Sad to leave this beautiful place behind. 

Recommendations/Suggestions: 

• Spend 5 full days here
• Champlain Mountain
• Thurston's Lobster Place
• Go beyond Bar Harbor to Mt. Desert Island where you'll look at Isleboro Deer Isle in the distant when looking from Mt. Battie. 
• Sea kayaking

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​Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 2x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge and children's book, Henry's Hiccups, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy.  She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram and get her free parenting checklists. ​