Acadia National Park is on the northeast edge of coastal Maine, and it is open year-round for visiting.  It brings a wealth of activities for those who want to hike, bike, walk or just enjoy some historical landmarks.  We went to Acadia National Park in August, which is one of the more crowded months to go on. If you’ve already done your research, you already know the picturesque foliage that the autumn offers — but regardless of the season you choose, you’ll find plenty to do!

Quick Summary:

• Sunrise or Sunset at Cadillac Mountain
• Hikes
  • Easy: Ocean Path (Thunder Hole, Monument Cove and Otter Point)
  • Moderate: Jordan Pond Full Loop
  • Moderate: Bubbles
  • Hard: Beehive, Gorham Mountain and Ocean Path Loop
• Carriage Roads

If you’d like to see a full itinerary of our road trip, check out Road Trip Across the Northeast.

Sunrise or Sunset at Cadillac Mountain

The Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in the eastern part of the U.S. At 1530 feet, you can catch the first sunrise here between October to early March. If you’re not up for waking up very early, the sunset is just as beautiful.  Be wary, though, that the parking lot may get filled up quickly.  We were lucky enough to find a spot on the side of the mountain, all the regular spots were already taken.  As we were driving back down, we noticed that the park rangers had already closed off the entry into the mountain – so try getting there early to avoid missing out on beautiful views. 

Easy Trail: Ocean Path (Thunder Hole, Monument Cove and Otter Point)

This 4.5-mile trail is a fairly easy walk that takes you along the shoreside.  While it’s a heavily trafficked out and back trail, it’s well paved and worth the scenic walk. Given that we were coming down from Gorham Mountain, we started the trail probably halfway up to Sand Beach.

Moderate Trail: Jordan Pond Full Loop Trail

Jordan Pond Full Loop is a moderate 3.4-mile trail that takes you around the entire pond.  When starting counterclockwise, half of the initial trail was well paved.  But the second half (left side of the trail) was built with wooden boards, often too narrow for multiple groups to pass by at once.  Thankfully, there’s a wider part every few feet where you can step to the side while the others pass. 

Hard Trail: Beehive, Gorham Mountain and Ocean Path Loop

To be honest, the morning of the hike I was going with the intention of doing the workaround path to the top (Bowl Trail) to avoid the Beehive (mostly because I didn’t think I could climb up) – but as I came across the sign to go up, I decided to go for it.  And I’m so happy I did because that trail was so much fun! Full disclosure, I am not a risk averse person, so it is not for the faint of heart.  It is a lot of rock scrambling and climbing up iron rungs, but the views at the top are incredibly worth it.  Once up there, we took a quick break and then continued towards Gorham Mountain, which was a bit rocky but a fun trail.  The entire trail is 3.5 miles, and it takes you back to the ocean path, where you’ll be able to easily take pitstop at Sand Beach.  I wasn’t brave enough to hop into that freezing water (my partner was).  

Moderate Trail: Bubbles Trail

As we were walking the Jordan Pond, we bumped into a sign that pointed upward and said “.4 miles – Bubbles.”  So we said, “Pft, .4 miles?  That’s nothing, let’s do it.”  Oh lord, we were wrong, and we learned our lesson to never underestimate a short trail.  It was a big rock scramble and seemed difficult to climb up.  It didn’t help that there were a lot of other people trying to climb up as well.  But the views were worth it!

Bike the Carriage Roads

After a long hike, we stopped by Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop to rent a few bikes and took a nearby road to the carriage roads.  These carriage roads were gifted by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family as they wished to travel on a motor-free byway via horse and carriage into the heart of Mount Desert Island.  We took the loop around Eagle Lake – be prepared for some steep inclines in some portions of the trail.

Acadia National Park offers a lot of different activities, whether it’s hiking, hiking, or walking – pick your choosing! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to our blog to get updates!