Planning a trip to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

GETTING THERE

Acadia National Park is near Ellsworth, reached via Route 3. Normally travelers take U.S. Route 1 to Ellsworth from southern Maine, but you can avoid coastal congestion by taking the Maine Turnpike to Bangor, then picking up I-395 to Route 1A and continuing south into Ellsworth. Though this is longer in terms of miles, it’s a quicker route in summer.

From Ellsworth, bear right onto Route 3 (U.S. Route 1 doesn’t go onto the island) and continue about 15 minutes to the island causeway in Trenton. Cross the bridge and you’re on the island. Consult a map carefully to determine which route to take from here; there are three possible choices, all leading to very different destinations: routes 3 and 233 go to Bar Harbor, Route 198 goes to Northeast Harbor, and Route 102 leads to Southwest harbor.

Year-round, there are several flights daily from Boston (and, seasonally, Newark) on small planes to the Hancock County-Bar Harbor airport (airport code BHB) in Trenton, just across the causeway from Mount Desert Island. Contact Cape Air (tel. 800/227-3247) for Boston flights, or book with that regional airline’s partner, JetBlue ( tel. 800/538-2583).

From the airport, call a taxi, rent a car, or—best of all—ride the free shuttle bus to downtown Bar Harbor from late June through mid-October.

GETTING AROUND

A free summer shuttle bus service known as the Island Explorer has been in place since 1999 as part of an effort to reduce the number of cars on the island’s roads. It’s working; the propane-powered buses—equipped with racks for bikes—serve multiple routes covering nearly the entire island, and will stop anywhere you request outside the village centers, including trailheads, ferries, small villages, and campgrounds. (Bring a book, though; there are lots of stops, some of which you must request with the driver.)

All routes—except the one on the neighboring Schoodic Peninsula—begin or end at the central Village Green in Bar Harbor, but you can hop onto the bus almost anywhere else—a handy way to avoid parking hassles in town. Route no. 3, which runs from Bar Harbor along much of the Park Loop, offers easy free access to some of the park’s best hiking trails.

The buses operate from late June through mid-October; ask for a schedule at island information centers, in shops, or at any hotel or campground.

For the Eastern half of the island is best navigated using Route 3, which forms a rough loop from Bar Harbor through Seal Harbor and past Northeast Harbor, both villages in the town of Mount Desert, then runs up along the eastern shore of Somes Sound. Route 102 and Route 102A provide access to the island’s western half, known as "the quiet side" and comprising the towns of Southwest Harbor, a lovely harbor town, and Tremont, mostly a fishing and boatbuilding community, still light on vacaction homes and tourist infrastructure.

Park Entrance Fees

Entrance fees to the park are collected at several gates from May through October; the rest of the year, entrance passes can be purchased from a self-serve kiosk at Hulls Cove Visitor Center. You can also always grab a pass online at recreation.gov or at several other spots around Mount Desert Island and the mainland (see nps.gov/acadia for a full list). A 1-week pass, which includes unlimited trips on the Park Loop Road (closed in winter), costs $35 per car; there’s no additional charge per passenger once you’ve bought the pass. Hikers, cyclists, folks riding the Island Explorer bus, and anyone else traveling without a vehicle must pay $20/person (motorcycles and up to two passengers are $30).

You can enter the park at several points in the interwoven network of park and town roads—a glance at a park map, available free at the visitor center, will make these access points self-evident. The main point of entry to Park Loop Road, the park’s most popular scenic byway, is near the official park visitor center at Hulls Cove (on Route 3 just north of Bar Harbor); the entry fee is collected at a tollbooth on the loop road, a half-mile north of Sand Beach.

When to Go

While spring is forgettable in Acadia—often intensely foggy or rainy—summer is peak tourist season. The weather in July and August is perfect for just about any outdoor activity. Most days are warm (in the 70s or 80s/low to mid-20s Celsius), with afternoons frequently cooler than mornings thanks to the sea breezes. Light fogs occasionally roll in from the southeast on a hot day, which gives the landscape a magical quality. Sunny days are the norm, but come prepared for rain; this is the Atlantic coast, after all. Once or twice each summer, a heatwave settles onto the island, producing temperatures in the 90s (30s Celsius), dense haze, and stifling humidity, but this rarely lasts more than a few days. August in Acadia is when both heat and traffic peak—traffic jams on the Park Loop Road are, sadly, the norm, and Bar Harbor is a zoo. If you can come earlier in the summer or hold off until September, consider it.

Soon enough (sometimes even in late Aug), a brisk north wind will blow in from the Canadian Arctic, forcing visitors into sweaters at night. You’ll smell the approach of autumn, with winter not far behind. Fall here is wonderful. Between Labor Day and the foliage season in early October, days are often warm and clear, nights have a crisp tang, and you can avoid the congestion, crowds, and pesky insects of summer. It’s not that the park is empty in September; bus tours seem to proliferate at this time, and it’s when the cruise ship season kicks into high gear in Bar Harbor. Not to worry: Both the cruise and tour-bus crowds tend to stick to the pavement—hikers and bikers need only get a minute or two off the road to find relative peace and quiet on the trails and carriage roads.

Winter is an increasingly popular time to travel to Acadia, especially among those who enjoy cross-country skiing the carriage roads. Be aware, though, that snow along the coast is inconsistent, and services—including most restaurants and many inns—are often closed down outright in winter. Expect to stay in either a really cheap motel or an expensive resort, and to often eat what locals do: pizza, burgers, and sandwiches.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Acadia National Park staffs two visitor centers. The Thompson Island Information Center (tel. 207/288-3411) on Route 3 is the first you’ll pass as you enter Mount Desert Island. This center is maintained by the local chambers of commerce, but park personnel are often on hand to answer inquiries. Open daily, 8:30am to 4:30pm, mid-May through mid-October, it’s a good first stop for general lodging and restaurant information.

If you’re interested primarily in information about the park itself, continue on Route 3 to the National Park Service’s Hulls Cove Visitor Center, about 7.5 miles beyond Thompson Island. This attractive, stone-walled center has professionally prepared park-service displays, such as a large relief map of the island, natural history exhibits, and a short introductory film. You can also request free brochures about hiking trails and the carriage roads, or purchase postcards and detailed trailbooks. The center is open daily from mid-April through the end of October.

Information is also available year-round, by phone or in person, at the park headquarters (tel. 207/288-3338), on Route 233 between Bar Harbor and Somesville, open daily (except closed weekends in summer). You can also make inquiries and find information online at www.nps.gov/acad.