National Parks USA: Visit Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine
If you would have asked me in January if I thought I’d be traveling to Maine this summer… the answer would have been no. If you asked if I thought I’d have a puppy in tow with me- the answer would be been a strong NO. By now I thought I’d be posting about our trip 14-day trip to Europe: Venice, Rome, Florence, Barcelona… you know all the hot spots where COVID has wreaked havoc. 2020 brought many surprises and many canceled, rebooked, and then canceled again vacations. Most definitely our biggest surprise was taking the huge leap and deciding to bring a puppy, Benny, our golden doodle into our lives… and even though I’ve always been anti-animals, I have to say Benny has certainly brought a lot of joy into our lives over these past few months. 2020 also brought us to Maine and although it wasn’t our first choice, it turned out to be a beautiful & relaxing much needed vacation.
Why Maine?
Well.. I live in NY and King Cuomo came out with this great long list of states that now require a 14-day quarantine upon our return if we travel to…. 31 states and counting. We had planned to travel to Moab, Utah back in April on our spring break… because if you’ve read my previous travel posts… Utah is hands down my favorite state. Unfortunately they closed all National Parks back in April for a short time period, so we rebooked for the end of July. Then came Cuomo’s travel restrictions and friends of ours that we were traveling with had strict no-pay quarantine requirements if they were to travel to Utah, upon their return. So we canceled. Maine was one of the few states we still wanted to visit that didn’t require NY’ers to have a negative COVID test (as of July 3rd, 2020) because of our lowered infection rate numbers, and didn’t fall upon NY’s Travel Restriction list.
If you’d like more information on Maine’s COVID requirements for out-of-staters you can check it out here:
Needless to say we ended up on Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor, Maine with our new puppy in tow and beautiful Acadia National Park did not disappoint.
So this post will break down the specifics of our stay including:
General/Planning Information+ Hotel Details + Hikes/ Sights to See+ Places to Eat + and other things to consider while planning
General Information about the Park
Where is Acadia National Park ?
Acadia National Park is the only national park in all of New England and offers both coastal line and mountains. Located mostly on Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor is the closest and busiest town at the gateway of the park. Schoodic Peninsula to the north east (about a 50 minute drive from Bar Harbor) and Isle of Haut to the south west (you can get to by passenger ferry on a day trip), are the less visited parts of Acadia National Park- if you’re looking for a day trip away from the crowds. Acadia is most popular in the summer and especially in the fall as people flock to the area to see the changing of leaves. You can combine mountain hikes, with biking or walking on carriage trails, and even take a dip in Echo Lake (one of the only lakes that permit swimming), or a cold dip in the Atlantic at beautiful Sand Beach (water gets to about 55 degrees in the summer… brrr). Other activity options include renting kayaks, whale watching, or chartering a boat to go fishing (none of which we did because we had Benny with us).
What to know before planning:
1. Season+ Weather: The most popular time to visit is summer and fall, so if you’re looking to beat the crowds, spring might be a better option. Although we heard COVID and travel restrictions brought a lot less people to Acadia this summer. Since Maine is more north the temperature was considerably less than when we left NY (92 in NY compared to 75 in ME, and even colder on the water. Along with that- the water was super cold- it only gets to about 55 degrees in the summer time. We also had great weather. A hurricane was headed up the coast from Florida and was hitting parts of NY as we were in Maine. Bar Harbor only had rain one night from 10pm til 5am the next morning. I imagine this vacation with a dog would have been harder had there been terrible weather.
2. Cost to get into the Park: The cost to get into the park is $35 which admits one single, private, non-commercial vehicle and all its passengers and that covers your entry for 7 days. Due to COVID almost all entry gates didn’t charge a fee with the exception of the one gate (Sand Beach Entrance Station) en route to Ocean Path/ Sand Beach. (I wish I would have known this because I would have just purchased a one-day $7 entry pass instead). Or you can buy a National Park pass for $80. This covers all National Parks in the United States and a number of historical sites like the Statue of Liberty and Presidential Libraries for an entire year. Your national park pass also covers you and anyone you are with- so one person can buy the pass and all those with them can enter the park. You can even share the pass with one other person, and they can use it without you- as long as they sign the back of it. Note: if you have a 4th grader in your home- the National Park pass is free for them and covers your entire family as well. If you are 62 and over it’s also free, and I believe members of the military either get a discounted or a free pass.
3. How much time should I plan for Acadia? A solid three days is doable to see the best that Acadia and Bar Harbor have to offer. Since this was our only vacation of the year we spend 5 days here.
4. National Park Accommodations: While there are some camp grounds within Acadia National Park that have to be booked well in advance (linked below), unlike some of the larger National Parks, there are no hotel accommodations. That’s ok though because the gates to Acadia are literally within Bar Harbor and there’s a ton of accommodations both private house rentals and hotels within minutes of the park’s entrance.
5. Is Acadia and Bar Harbor dog-friendly? Yes! That’s part of the reason we chose this national park and town. We didn’t want to pawn Benny off on someone being that he was just coming up on four months old so we found a hotel that was pet-friendly and we were pleasantly surprised at how many dogs (and golden doodles) were staying at our hotel. In addition, I was super surprised at how many dog-friendly restaurants and stores there were. Shad and I would take turns going in to stores and having Benny on a leash outside and so many stores welcomed him in and gave him treats. I’ll talk more about this later on in the post.
Hotel Details:
This was kind of a last minute planned trip for us- so I had looked into Airbnb and VRBO rentals but was coming up short. We settled on the Holiday Inn Resort Bar Harbor which was right on the water and less than a mile from one of the main entrances to Acadia.
My review of the hotel?
Our room was recently in the newer renovated part of the building and originally I had booked a king bed with partial ocean view. When we arrived they upgraded us to an ocean view room on the first floor (because I signed up for the IHG rewards credit card when I booked and received $150 off the total of our bill) which was super convenient with having a puppy to take out often (he had no accidents in the hotel by the way). I read online on the reviews to book the main building (which we did). There was an adjacent building that didn’t look as nice and some of the more negative reviews came from that building.
Pros: Pet-friendly, on the water, had a pool, and a pool bar that made great drinks, restaurant, close to the park, 3/4 of a mile from downtown, room was clean, updated and comfortable. At night we set up our camping chairs and cooler in the lawn overlooking the bay.
Cons: Breakfast isn’t included. Due to COVID there was no room service (which wasn’t their fault). You could ask for towels, toiletries or extra sheets if you needed it. Also the staff in the restaurant had to get you coffee each morning instead of the help-yourself coffee station (again from COVID). I thought the hotel halls could have been cleaner especially since they had stated that guests could expect to see enhanced cleaning procedures (it looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed in a while and there was a huge noticeable cob web when you walked in the main door.)
We honestly just needed it to sleep and it did the job and we were also super grateful they allowed Benny to stay with us. (Note: Benny is hypoallergenic and since the hotel allowed dogs it didn’t dawn on me that I should bring my allergy meds… so the first night I was sneezing a lot before I visited Rite Aid.) Masks were required in the lobby and supposedly when walking through the halls but many people didn’t by the pool area.
Pet Friendly FAQ:
^Benny really enjoyed sleeping in bed with us… but we were all in for a first rough night when we were back to the crate-life at home.
Was there a charge for Benny? Yes $75
What were the requirements for pets? Had to be at least 4 months old (Benny was a week shy, but they didn’t ask or check), 40 lbs or less (but we saw much larger dogs and they never asked), couldn’t be left in the room alone due to room service (except there was none), and wasn’t allowed in certain areas of the hotel : restaurant and pool area (but the front desk lady said Benny could be by the pool if he was leashed and we did bring him there with no problem).
Hikes + Sights to See
This wasn’t a typical trip for us because we had an almost 4 month puppy in tow, so we were unsure how far he’d be able to hike with us. Normally on these types of trips we try to go for the thrill seeking hikes with picturesque views- but because many of those hikes involves ladders and rungs in the side of rocks, we opted for the family-friendly version of Acadia.
1. Cadillac Mountain Summit Loop to Cadillac Mountain: the first place to see the sun rise in the North east! Check google for the sunrise or sunset time. We caught the sunset on our first night in Acadia which is shown in the panoramic above.
2. Jordon Pond Path: a three mile self guided nature trail around the pond (without dogs: add in the trail from Jordan Pond up the South Bubble trail to Bubble Rock). Everyone talked about stopping at the Jordon Pond House for their famous popovers but due to COVID there was only window service and the line was ridiculous. (A guy from Virginia at our hotel that Shad had a mutual friend with… because we can’t travel anywhere without Shad knowing someone… told us they were overrated). We really loved this and Benny was a trooper- he was able to hike the entire trail with us, including a part that was partially on bigger rocks. Get here early, the parking lot fills up quickly.
3. Sand Beach and Ocean Path to Thunder Hole: Sand Beach is the only beach in Acadia National Park that you can swim in the Atlantic at (if you can deal with 55 degree water). We checked out the beach with Benny in his dog backpack, but dogs aren’t allowed in the summer months so we didn’t stay long. We then walked Ocean Path to many lookouts shown above and to Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is an area of the rocks where water rushes in and waves crash which makes a thundering sound. My travel book said the best time to see Thunder Hole is 2 hours before high tide. (I googled high tide when we were there which was 12:30 so we arrived around 11). Sand Beach’s parking lot also fills up quickly but you’re allowed to park on the shoulder of Park Loop Road.
4. Echo Lake: you can swim here! But no dogs are allowed in the summer months :( So we just viewed it from the car.
5. Park Loop: a 27- mile one way loop road that takes you to all the best of Acadia and many look out points including Sand Beach, Ocean Path, and Thunder Hole (listed above). A great way to see the best of Acadia especially if you are traveling with the elderly or handicapped.
6. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse + Seawall: Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is the only lighthouse on Mount Desert Island is super poplar at sunset for photographers. We arrived about 45 minutes before sunset and watched from the rocks. (Make sure you have sneakers I was wearing flip flops for dinner afterwards and I don’t recommend it, Shad also carried Benny to certain rocks out on the water). Don’t make the same mistake we did- when you get to Bass Harbor Lighthouse there’s a path on the right of the lighthouse which will take you right next to it. The best pictures are from the left side of the lighthouse (when you’re facing the lighthouse from the parking lot), which you can get to by walking on a path + stairs near the restrooms. Get here early as well- this parking lot is so small and fills up fast. Seawall is a natural rock/granite wall that juds out into the ocean. We passed it on our way back up the loop to Bar Harbor.
7. Carriage Roads: bring your bikes or rent them to travel along the 45 miles of rustic carriage gravel roads donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr, which are only accessible by walking or biking. You can rent bikes in town with kid and pet carriers from:
8. Schoodic Peninsula: was actually our favorite because there were very few people here. It’s about 50-55 minutes from Bar Harbor. We stopped at an awesome little bakery on the way which I’ll link under “Places to Eat” for coffee and breakfast (to-go thanks to COVID), and we loved Schoodic Peninsula so much that on our last full day we decided to get lunch at a deli and bring drinks (possibly alcoholic) in our cooler to sit out at Schoodic Point for most of the day. We hiked the short Sundew Trail prior to driving to Schoodic Point. You’ll be looking across at Mount Desert Island from SP.
9. Isle Au Haut: We didn’t go to Isle Au Haut, but I’m going to link a great travel blog that talks about a day trip via ferry to here. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to bring a puppy on the ferry and how it would work if he had to go to the bathroom so we didn’t visit IAH.
10. Bar Harbor Downtown: there are sooooo many restaurants, shops, and ice cream parlors downtown on the water. We even ventured to the Land Bridge to Bar Island via foot with Benny, which is only accessible during low tide (so check the tide times because you don’t want to get stuck on Bar Island). Some people chose to drive their cars across. Look for Bridge Street and follow signs to the land bridge. We also hung out in the park overlooking the harbor and watched the boats come in.
And what I would have liked to hike if we didn’t have Benny with us:
Precipice Trail, Beehive Trail, + Jordan Cliffs Trail
Which you can read about in the extra resources at the end of this post.
Places to Eat
We came for the lobster… and we ate lobster every day… Maine’s food menu isn’t for those with shellfish allergies… haha. So most of these places are Lobster Pounds. We had Benny with us every place we ate so all listed below were pet-friendly and had outdoor seating.
My favorite lobster pound:
The Travelin’ Lobster: great lobster, an outside bar to sit at with plenty of tables outside as well, and they served alcohol. They also had old bay seasoning which I’m a fan of on my fresh seafood.
Not far behind:
Red Eden Lobster: was the best deal for lobster. We got the lobster meal for 2 which included 2 lobsters, a pound of clams and two ears of corn. They didn’t serve alcohol but there’s literally a winery (that’s also pet friendly) in their parking lot… so Shad went over and bought a bottle of white line. (PS Yelp says it opens at 3pm but it opens at 4pm)
C-Ray Lobster: right next to Red Eden Lobster, only open Wed-Sunday. Rivaled Red Eden Lobster. But I liked Red Eden more because of the access to the winery… lol
nothing to write home about but was super kid-friendly with goats to pet, whiffle ball and water guns:
Charlotte’s Lobster Pound by Seawall. In my opinion it was a little overpriced, I paid $10 for a cup of Lobster Bisque, Shad had a $30 fisherman’s platter with fried fish.. there were more fries than anything else, and I just enjoyed the other places more.
Other places we ate:
Side Street Cafe on Rodick Street: my cousin raved and raved about the best gluten-free lobster mac n cheese she ever ate in her life (and lobster rolls). We waited an hour and a half the first night to eat here only to be seated and super disappointed when we heard they were all out of lobster (WTF). But I had to go back and give it another try since she raved about the Lobster Mac n Cheese, and I had to say it was delicious.
Siam Sushi on Rodick Street: great sushi, dog friendly.
Royal Indian on Rodick Street: service at first was ehhh but the food was great.
The Bakery in Winter Harbor close to Schoodic Peninsula: was sooo good, we got coffee and baked goods here two mornings in a row on our way to Schoodic Point. Because of Covid we had to order online and wait in the parking lot for it. But it was great. You can order online here:
2 Cats Restaurant: we had coffee and muffins here one morning, you’re able to sit out on the deck or the front lawn. It was super good and my gluten issues caused me to pay the price for it… but I’d do it all over again. I had the cat’s paw and a mocha latte.
Steamy Buddha Cafe: in Ellsworth, we hit this spot one day on our way back to Bar Harbor from Schoodic Peninsula. It was absolutely delicious. I had the Vegan Buddha Bowl and Shad had the Earthy Buddha Bowl… I tried his and was super jealous.
We wanted to eat at the Mexican Restaurant Jalapeno too, but didn’t get the chance to.
Other Things to Consider While Planning & Resources
Our vacation was pretty low key in terms of the rigor of hikes due to having Benny with us. I highly recommend the following reads:
For information on hikes we weren’t able to do check out:
They also have a great post on top activities to do while in Acadia:
For Dog Friendly parts of Acadia check out this site:
I always rely on Lonely Planet as my go-to resource for planning these vacations:
My water backpack is my essential go-to for these types of trips and is always goes on sale for $25-35 at Dicks Sporting Goods. It’s been on 5 years of hiking trips with me:
I really worried about whether Benny would be able to hike given his age and especially in the sun. Therefore I purchased the K-9 backpack carrier. I bought a medium, which held up to 30 lbs, Benny was 22 at the time. They sell many different sizes and types. After the 4 mile hike around Jordan Pond he just wanted to sleep so I carried him in this on my back down Ocean Path to Thunder Hole. So many people stopped to take his picture in it and asked me “where is his body??” He’s super fluffy but very skinny:
I also received this water bottle and bowls from my brother as a gift when we first got Benny. We bring them everywhere with us for him to drink out of… I also carry them in a “running pack” aka a fanny pack so I have all my supplies for him with me.
Click on picture to be brought to amazon’s item:
Lastly, my friend Brian was over the other night and asked about our trip to Bar Harbor because they want to bring their Australian Labordoodle to Acadia. He told me about this awesome app called: BringFido, which I just downloaded. If you type in a city or town it will tell you all the pet friendly restaurants, lodging, stores, etc. (I wish I had it in Bar Harbor instead of calling each place and asking or checking Yelp). You can download the app or check out their website here: