Acadia National Park

 

For our Fall Break this year we decided to check out another National Park and went to Acadia National Park in October.


I highly recommend this trip for families as an easy short trip to hit beautiful locations.

We flew into Boston and then took a puddle jumper to Bar Harbor Airport.  They let our kids sit in the cockpit and pretend to fly the plane!


We rented a car at the Bar Harbor Airport and used the Guide Along tour https://guidealong.com/tour/acadia-national-park/

HOTEL: 5/5 West Street Hotel.  This was a wonderful hotel with rooftop pool (adults only) but adjacent Bar Harbor Club with pool, tennis courts etc.  The location was incredible with ocean views and walkable to many restaurants and attractions. 


Scenic Drives: We did the two loops of Acadia National Park stopping in the visitor center to get the Junior Ranger books.  My kids loved doing the activities and earning another Junior Ranger Badge to add to their collection.  

For Cadillac Mountain Road you need to make a reservation in advance www.recreation.gov

We started the loop on our first day and didn't realize that it is a ONE WAY road so did not make it back in time for our entrance time that day (we had another one booked the next day).  The scenery is incredible with rocky and ocean views at every corner.

Day 2: We started at Cadillac mountain and it did not disappoint.  We hiked a very short walk to see the views and then continued on the park loop road including the Jordan Pond House and had Popovers and loved thunder Hole and the Ocean Path Hike.





Day 3: We woke up at 6AM to see the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain but it was so cloudy we only got super cold and no sunrise but were able to hike down the mountain to the bottom!  We then did the Mount Desert Island loop and saw some gardens, and more of the "town" I think you could skip this part if you are short on time.


Day 4: We took a Lobster Boat Tour which was one of the highlights of our trip.  They bring you out and pull out lobster traps and you hear about lobster fishing.  The kids loved seeing the Lobsters and the captain and guide were hilarious.  Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company- Lobster Fishing and Seal Watching- we saw tons of seals and lighthouse on our tour.


Overall I highly recommend Acadia for a short trip or as part of a longer trip to the Maine!


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