Country: United States
Cities: Salem, Massachusetts – Bar Harbor, Maine
Highlights: Acadia National Park (Beehive Loop Trail, Ocean Path Trail, Cadillac Mountain, Gorham Mountain Loop, Bubble Trail, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse)
Sometimes a long weekend is all we can fit into our busy lives. I live within driving distance (OK – 11 hours) of Acadia National Park but had never been, so I decided to make my dream a reality. From beautiful coastal views to exhilarating hikes, Acadia did not disappoint. Even with the short amount of time, we were able to squeeze in SO many activities. I recommend this itinerary if you are only able to go for a long weekend.
We have heard many things about Acadia in the fall, so we planned our for the first weekend in October, hoping the leaves would be changing. Unfortunately, we ended up being a little early, but check out Maine’s fall foliage reports for the best time to go! Note that many others have this same idea, so fall is actually one of the MORE crowded times to go.
Driving to Acadia with a stop in Salem
So I won’t count this as a day, as many will be flying into Bangor or Boston and driving from there. However, when looking at the driving directions from Pennsylvania, I saw that Salem, Massachusetts really wasn’t that far out of the way (and it was another place I had never been!). We actually ended up driving up towards Salem Friday after work, staying overnight at Lakeside Inn about a half hour outside of Salem, and then going to Salem first thing the next morning. Note: Lakeside Inn wasn’t the nicest accommodation ever, but being in Salem is EXPENSIVE, so it worked for one good night’s rest at a reasonable price.
In Salem, since we were short on time, we decided to do a guided walking tour. There are many options available on Viator. We ended up going with a more history-based tour, which was very interesting. But be sure to book in advance if you can, as these sell out quickly!
The tour brought us to the most interesting sites of Salem, including the Town Hall (where Hocus Pocus was filmed!), the House of Seven Gables (where Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his famous book), various historical homes dating back to the 1600s, and much more!
The tour was very informative, but ultimately, there isn’t actually THAT much to see surrounding the Salem Witch trials as most of it is gone. We were able to see some gravestones and hear interesting stories, but that was about the extent of it. There is also a museum which we did not have time to explore but was recommended to us! We wanted to go into some of the quirky and mysterious shops, but ultimately lines were around corners and it was just so hectic, so we decided to head to Acadia instead.
In Acadia, we opted to camp at Mount Desert Campground. This campground was BEAUTIFUL and I highly recommend staying here if you can. As always, book in advance! We were able to score a nice site with a beautiful waterfront view.
When we got to Acadia, it was POURING rain. We grabbed dinner, hoping it would subside in that time. We headed into Bar Harbor, the main shopping and eating town, and grabbed some dinner at Leary’s Landing Irish Pub (the closest pub to Ireland in the US!). The pub was great – food was delicious and the vibes were all friendly. However, there wasn’t much bar seating (we got lucky!).
After dinner, we went back to camp and set up our tent in the rain and wind. Things only got worse from there, and by midnight, our tent had collapsed and we moved everything and slept in the car. What an adventure!
Day 1: Ocean Path Trail, Jordan Pond, and Bubble Rock Loop
By the next morning, the sun had finally come out. We took advantage of the delicious breakfast pastries offered from our campground and got ready for our first real venture into Acadia National Park. As the weather fluctuates, I recommend dressing in layers. I had on a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jacket, and hiking pants. I also put various hats and gloves in the car and wore my waterproof hiking boots.
In addition, we had gone grocery shopping the night before so we had lunches to pack. Obviously this is optional, but there are not that many dining options in the park, so we like to be prepared.
PRO TIP: Note that as Acadia is a NATIONAL park, you will need to pay to enter. I highly recommend stopping by the Visitor’s Center, picking up a map, and buying an “America the Beautiful” pass if you don’t already have one.
In addition, we used an audio tour guide, as we love to hear about the history and interesting stories of the park while we’re driving. There are several options available, but we always trust GuideAlong (previously known as Gypsy), which narrates as you drive based on your GPS.
Upon entering the park, the audio guide gives you a couple of small stops, including Schooner Head Overlook. This overlook is a little bit out of the way and we wondered if it would be worth it – it was pretty empty. But we decided to go for it and I’m so glad we did! This spot was one of my favorites!
The next big stop was Ocean Path Trail. If you want to hike the whole thing, it’s about 4.5 miles out and back. We ended up hiking part of it, driving to another parking area, and then hiking the rest of it. This path is one of the most popular in the park, and for good reason. There are various stops along the trail with overlooks and interesting cliff formations.
One of the most famous is Thunder Hole, a natural inlet where waves crash and rise up into the sky. It was amazing to experience!
We stopped for lunch on one of the rocks and just relaxed, listening to the waves crash against the rocky shore. While it was crowded, there were still a few spots to have a little bit of privacy, which was nice. I highly recommend you take the time to explore this trail.
After finishing the Ocean Path Trail, our next stop was Jordan Pond. There is a restaurant here which we opted against, but it does come highly recommended. There is plenty of parking and we took a short stroll to the water’s edge.
After that, we decided we weren’t done hiking yet for the day. We were close to Bubble Rock Loop, which offered panoramic views over Jordan Pond, so we went for it! There are several ways to get there, but as it was getting later in the day, we opted for “the easy way“. There is a Bubbles Parking Lot past Jordan Pond. It is quite small, but we were able to snag a spot after waiting a couple of minutes. From here, the hike to Bubble Rock is less than a mile (albeit some uphill).
Surprisingly, Bubble Rock was a little bit hard to find. The signs get a little sparse, but we were eventually able to find it. It was…a rock. It was fine. The view, however, was beautiful. Lakes on both sides and the leaves were glowing in the sunlight. Definitely a good payoff for a short hike!
After our hike back to the car, we decided it was time to head back, shower and head to Bar Harbor for dinner. We ended up eating at Blaze, which was delicious. Next we headed to Cottage St. Pub for some AMAZING cocktails (highly recommend) and then the Thirsty Whale (not as good).
Day 2: Beehive Trail, Gorman Mountain Loop, Ocean Trail, Cadillac Mountain, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
We debated between the Beehive Trail and Precipice Trail, the two most popular and seemingly most difficult trails in the park, but decided to go with the Beehive Trail because it was “less scary”. To be honest, I am quite a scaredy-cat but the Beehive Trail was not bad at all. There were a few ladder rungs and drop off cliffs, but it did not feel dangerous to me.
There are a lot of ways to connect the Beehive to other trails, so we ended up going with the Beehive to Gorman Mountain to Ocean Path as described here.
The hike was GREAT, but it was CROWDED. We ended up standing in line for about half of it, waiting for other people to go up so we could also move. Once we got to the top though, the views were spectacular and we could say we finally did the Beehive!
From there, we followed the Gorman Mountain Loop, which lead us to various other ponds and overlooks, and eventually back to the Ocean Trail. We followed this trail back to our car, stopping for a waterfront pre-packed lunch along the way. I actually enjoyed the Gorman Mountain more because of the lack of crowds, but I’m still glad to say we climbed the Beehive.
Our next stop would be Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard in the US.
PRO TIP: Reservations in advance are now required to visit Cadillac Mountain. Please visit this site for more details and to reserve. You can reserve for sunrise or daytime. We did both (on different days).
The top of Cadillac Mountain is COLD, so be prepared with a jacket and hat. There is a gift shop and restrooms at the top, as well as several hiking trails. We hiked along the main, paved paths and scoped out where we would sit for sunrise the next morning.
After exploring for a bit, we drove back down the mountain and headed towards the Bass Head Harbor Lighthouse. This was a little bit of a drive, but I think it was worth it. However, parking was AWFUL. There was a line of about 50 cars, with 20 spots, so we waited in line for about an hour to be able to park. If you want to do this, I recommend going as early as possible.
At first, it didn’t seem like much. But we discovered an alternate hiking trail off to the left (while looking at the harbor) that had a MUCH better view. This is the hike you want. There were only a few other people down there and the scene was quintessential Maine. I would recommend grippy shoes though, as the rocks were a bit slippery.
Next, we got ready for our last night out in Bar Harbor. I hadn’t actually seen the harbor from Bar Harbor so we parked near the Shore Path and took a sunset stroll. It was truly magical with all of the fishing boats waiting around in the calm waters.
We grabbed dinner at the Tap and Barrel Tavern (great food, meh service) before heading back to the campground for our last night around the fire.
Day 3: Cadillac Mountain Sunrise and Head Home
One of the most iconic things to do in Acadia is head up to Cadillac Mountain for the sunrise. As mentioned previously, this now needs to be reserved in advance. Even with the reservations, it does get crowded. We got there about a half hour early and still had to wander around for a while to find a suitable sunrise spot.
Again, it is COLD up there, even colder in the morning, so we brought blankets, hot chocolate, etc (and it was still cold!). People brought chairs, tripods, etc. It was quite the event. We watched the sun rise over the horizon and cheered with hundreds of other strangers. It was really beautiful and a memory I won’t forget.
As we had a long drive ahead of us, we decided to head out for the drive home after sunrise. Of course, if you have more time, there are many other hikes that look amazing! I wish I had time to do the Precipice Trail, but I’ll just have to come back and do it next time.
All in all, it was a short but fun-filled, adventurous trip. I feel like we really got to experience the highlights of Acadia National Park in a short time, and I can’t wait to go back!
