Bar Harbor & Acadia: Hiking, Harbor Views, and the Best Bites on the Coast of Maine

By liketheteaEATS on August 14, 2020 • ( 4 Comments )

There are some trips you take, and then there are the ones you immediately start planning to repeat.

That’s exactly how I felt after spending a few days exploring Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Between the coastal hikes, unreal harbor views, and some seriously great food, this quickly became one of my favorite trips.

My fiancée and I spent our time doing two things: hiking and eating — as often as possible.

Why Bar Harbor + Acadia Should Be on Your List

If you’ve never been, Mount Desert Island (where Bar Harbor and Acadia are located) is one of those places that feels a little unreal.

You’ve got:

Rocky coastline + ocean views
Mountain hikes with sweeping overlooks
Fresh seafood everywhere you turn

It’s the kind of destination where you can spend the morning on a mountain and the afternoon eating a lobster roll by the water.

Hiking in Acadia National Park

Let’s start with the obvious — Acadia National Park is the main event.

This is one of the most beautiful national parks on the East Coast, and it’s incredibly easy to explore whether you’re into intense hikes or just scenic stops.

There’s no shortage of hikes here, but what I loved most is how flexible everything is. You can go all-in on a climb or keep it super casual and still get incredible views.

Here’s what we did (and what I’d recommend building into your trip):

Ocean Path Trail (Sand Beach → Otter Point)
This is one of the most scenic and accessible walks in the park. You can start at Sand Beach and walk along the coastline toward Otter Point — about 2 miles roundtrip if you do a portion of it. The best part is that it’s a point-to-point trail along Park Loop Road, so you can park anywhere, walk as much as you want, and turn around whenever. You can also just drive this entire 13-mile stretch, and honestly, it’s beautiful the whole way.

South Bubble / Bubble Rock
This one gives you one of the most iconic views in Acadia — overlooking Jordan Pond. There are two ways to do it: you can start from the nearby parking lot for a shorter, easier hike, or you can access it from the Jordan Pond Loop, which turns it into more of a steady uphill climb. Either way, it’s about 1.2 miles total, and absolutely worth it for the view at the top.

Jordan Pond Loop
This is a ~3 mile loop that’s flat, easy, and really pretty the entire way around. If you’re planning to eat at Jordan Pond House, I highly recommend timing your walk so you finish right when they open at 11am. We finished closer to 2pm the first day and the line was insane — we ended up coming back the next day to actually eat there.

Bar Island (Low Tide Walk)
This one is just fun and a little different. At low tide, a sand bar appears that lets you walk from downtown Bar Harbor out to Bar Island. It’s less than a mile and you don’t need to do the whole thing, but it’s a really cool experience — especially since you can literally see the path appear from the waterfront.

Beehive Loop Trail
If you want something a little more adventurous, this is the one. The Beehive Loop (1.4 miles) includes metal rungs built into the rock, so you’re basically climbing your way up in sections. It’s not for anyone afraid of heights, but if you’re up for it, it’s incredibly rewarding and one of the more memorable hikes in the park. The descent is much easier — no rungs, just a standard trail down.

If you like hikes like this, you’d probably also enjoy some of the trails I covered in my Shenandoah National Park hiking guide, which has a similar mix of scenic and more challenging options.

Eating Your Way Through Bar Harbor (And What’s Actually Worth It)

Outside of the hikes, a huge part of this trip was just eating our way through Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. Between early mornings in the park and long afternoons exploring, we ended up hitting a really solid mix of casual spots, seafood, and some classic tourist stops.

Here’s what stood out:

Jeannie’s Great Maine Breakfast
This became our go-to early morning breakfast spot. It opens early, which is perfect if you’re trying to catch sunrise in Acadia. We went here after watching the sunrise one morning, and it was exactly what we needed — simple, hearty, and hit the spot.

Cafe This Way
Easily the best breakfast we had on the trip. I’m still thinking about it. The blueberry pancakes are a must, especially since Maine blueberries just hit different. Honestly, I wish we had gone back for dinner too.

Jordan Pond House
You kind of have to do this at least once. We got there just before they opened at 11am and there was already a line, which tells you everything you need to know. It’s definitely a bit of a tourist trap, but the popovers with jam and butter are absolutely worth it, especially with the view.

Side Street Cafe
A really solid dinner option in Bar Harbor. One tip — they have an online waitlist, and you should absolutely use it. We added ourselves around 5:30pm and didn’t sit until 7:45pm, so planning ahead here makes a big difference.

Mount Desert Island Baking Company
One of my favorite low-key moments of the trip. We grabbed coffee and breakfast here, then brought it into the park and ate near Otter Point/Otter Cove. We basically just pulled off along Park Loop Road and sat by the water — super simple, but honestly one of the most relaxing parts of the trip.

Thurston’s Lobster Pound
If you want that classic Maine lobster experience, this is it. Located out in Bass Harbor, right on the water, it feels like a true lobster pound. Everything was incredibly fresh, and the setting made it even better. This was one of those meals that just felt like peak Maine.

Between the fresh seafood, casual breakfast spots, and scenic picnic moments, the food here ends up becoming just as memorable as the hikes. It’s not overly fancy — it’s just really well done, and exactly what you want after a day in the park.

If you’re into trips where food is just as important as the scenery, this had a similar feel to my time exploring Long Beach Island restaurants and beach food spots, just with way more lobster.

Other Activities Around Bar Harbor + Acadia

Beyond hiking and eating (which honestly take up most of your time), there are a handful of must-do activities in Acadia and Bar Harbor that are absolutely worth building into your trip.

Watch the Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain
This is one of the most popular things to do in Acadia for a reason. Cadillac Mountain is one of the first places in the U.S. to see the sunrise, and it’s a pretty incredible way to start the day.
That said, it’s early. If waking up before dawn isn’t your thing, you can still drive to the top later in the day and get equally stunning views without the alarm clock.

Watch the Sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
On the opposite end of the day, this is the sunset move. When you get to the parking lot and face the water:

Head right if you want to get super close to the lighthouse
Head left for a short trail (less than half a mile) with an incredible elevated view

One important note: wear sneakers. It gets rocky, and you’ll want solid footing.

Drive Around Mount Desert Island
One of the easiest (and most underrated) things to do is just drive around the island. There are tons of small towns, scenic overlooks, and coastal views. We didn’t stop anywhere specific — just pulled off when something looked interesting — and it ended up being one of the most relaxing parts of the trip.

Very similar to how I approached my I-81 Virginia road trip, where the journey was just as good as the stops.

Rent Bikes (Highly Recommended)
We didn’t get a chance to do this, but it came up multiple times as a must-do. Biking through Acadia — especially along the carriage roads — is supposed to be one of the best ways to experience the park.

Rent Kayaks
If we had one more day, this is exactly what we would have done. Getting out on the water around Mount Desert Island seems like an incredible way to see the coastline from a different perspective. We did kayak in Portland on the same trip, and it made me wish we had carved out time to do it here too.

Between the sunrise and sunset views, scenic drives, and time on the water, there’s plenty to do beyond hiking — and it all adds to what makes this trip so memorable.