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Acadia National Park is an area in the northeast corner of the United States that protects a park full of hikes, history, and adventures. I finally got a chance to check it off my list about a month ago, and I wanted to share some tips about how to make the most of your time in Acadia National Park. Let's jump into it, and let me know what I left off in the comments.
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The first thing you got to know is how to get there. If you're flying in, there are airports in Portland and Bangor, Maine. But one of the easiest ways to do it is to fly into Boston and take the four and a half hour drive north. By itself, this is a beautiful drive, especially during the fall season, and I recommend stopping off in Portland, Maine to grab a lobster roll and to explore the city a little bit. Eventually, though, you'll make it to Bar Harbor, and the next thing you need to figure out is where to stay. I recommend staying in the Bar Harbor area if you can, as it's a great small town with lots of different places to eat and fun hotels. Plus, it's really close to the national park, and it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to drive up Cadillac Mountain for sunrise, or you can even come back to your hotel throughout the day if you just want to rest. The hotels are more expensive here, though, and they often sell out in advance, so get one as soon as you know which dates you're visiting. There are a few campgrounds around the area, but note that it does get really cold in this part of the United States, so those are the best options in the summer.
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Moving on from that, I wanted to talk a little bit about the park itself and its top attraction, which is sunrise. The Cadillac Mountain, by far the most popular thing to do in Acadia National Park, is to watch the sunrise, as it's supposed to be the first place in the United States to see the sunrise. Since it's so popular, it does require a permit, and most of the permits come out about two days in advance, but be sure to double-check that before you go. You definitely need to be on your computer and waiting, as the permits often sell out in 10 to 15 seconds. And for us, that meant 10 a.m. two days before we were planning to go up for sunrise. My dad and I were sitting right next to each other, both trying to load the page, and I was able to get a reservation, and he wasn't. So, note that they do go fast. You'll need a permit for the rest of the day if you want to drive up to Cadillac Mountain as well, but these are never as hard to get as the sunrise permits are.
Next up, driving into the park can create its own challenges, as many of the park's roads are only one way. It takes a lot longer to get to things than you would think, so plan for that. And also, many of the parking trails are on the one-way road, and if you miss a spot to park, you might have to go all the way around, which could be 15 and 20 minutes just to get back to the parking area. This is especially true for hikes like Precipice and the Beehive Trail. You get used to this, and it's not too bad, but I did see some people who missed the parking area and were really bummed about it. Also, if you don't want to drive, the park does have shuttle systems that run at certain times of the year. There wasn't a shuttle running when we were there, but be sure to check that if it's something that you want to do.
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Next up, let's talk a little bit about hiking, as that's one of the best things to do in the park and all over Mount Desert Island. Note that many of the trails here are very steep and rocky, so bring a hiking pole to help you on the trails. Even on the Jordan Pond hike, it can be helpful to have a hiking pole if you have mobility issues. To piggyback on the hiking notes, this park is home to the Precipice Trail and the Beehive Trail, two of the more dangerous short trails in the National Park system. These trails require you to climb iron rung ladders that are relatively exposed on the side of the mountain, so if you're afraid of heights, you might not want to do these. If you don't want to do the steep parts of the Precipice and the Beehive, there are less intense trails that will take you to the summit of each of them. The one for the Beehive is not too challenging, but the one for Precipice is still steep and formidable. That being said, if you're here with a family, the Jordan Pond Trail is one of the best you can do. It's a relatively easy three-mile walk around the pond with almost no elevation, and it's a beautiful trail the entire way.
While talking about the Jordan Pond area, we can't move on without talking about popovers. The historic lodge right on the edge of the water is known for popovers, which is like a hollow muffin that you eat with butter and jam. They've been making them for over a hundred years here, and if you want to try it, there's normally an hour to an hour and a half wait, even on the weekdays. You can get advanced reservations on their site, so check that before you go to save yourself some time. It's definitely a fun thing to try when you're in Acadia.
Continuing on from that, let's talk about food. And there's basically no food in Acadia National Park. This is not a big deal, though, as Bar Harbor and some of the other towns do have lots of restaurants that you can indulge in, and they're not too far from the park if you have to drive out. If you're planning a big day of hiking, though, you definitely want to bring food, snacks, and water so you don't have to drive all the way back to Bar Harbor to get what you need. For us, though, we never really found food to be too big of an issue while we were in Acadia.
Before ending this video, I just want to rattle off a few more quick notes to make the most of your time in Acadia National Park. First up, Thunder Hole is best viewed about two hours before high tide. Next up, Otter Point is a great sunset spot in the park. Third, the Precipice Trail is very dangerous after it rains, and it often closes in the summer for falcon nesting. In terms of difficulty, the Precipice Trail is at least two to three times more difficult than the Beehive Trail. Try the Beehive Trail first, and if you feel okay on that, then maybe move on to the Precipice Trail after. You can see both of these trails in my full Acadia video that I'll link to in the description. That's it for my tips on making the most of your time in Acadia National Park. Let me know what I left off in the comments, and if there's anything big I left off, I'll pin it as a top comment down below. Thanks so much for following along with me, and we will see you on the next video.