MAINE FIVE DAY ROAD TRIP ITINERARY: ACADIA NATIONAL PARK & LIGHTHOUSES
We spent 10 days exploring New England as part of our U.S. History Road Trip and to visit Acadia National Park that has been on my bucket list forever. We had the absolute best time! Our road trip took us through Coastal Maine from Portland up to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and we finished our trip by spending five days in and around the Boston area. This guide will cover the first part of our trip in Maine.
GETTING HERE:
We flew into Boston because the flights were cheaper and because the second part of our trip had us in Boston and it was the most convenient to return the rental car. I recommend looking at flights into Portland, Maine if you don’t plan to visit Boston.
You will definitely need a rental car for this itinerary and remember to ask about a toll tag as the main route to Bar Harbor requires tolls.
DAY ONE: BOSTON TO PORTLAND, MAINE (1 NIGHT)
Portland is just under a two-hour drive from Boston. We redeemed a Hyatt Free Night Award to stay free at the Hyatt Place Old Port. This was my second stay here in two years and unfortunately this property moved up to a Category 5 hotel. It’s still a good redemption and I highly recommend staying in Old Port since you can walk to just about everything.
We love exploring the Old Port, going down the waterfront, shopping and eating lobster rolls. Lot’s to do here. To see the Portland Headlight, you will have to drive across town. But for us, this is the main attraction in Portland.
Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light Tips for Visiting:
Located in Fort Williams Park. Parking is paid at $6 for a 2 hour minimum which is more than enough time to visit the area unless you plan on hiking or doing other things in the park. Don’t try to get away with not paying. There are attendants everywhere and the fine is a lot more than the parking fee.
Bathrooms located in the parking lot.
From the parking lot follow the trail that leads to the Lighthouse you’ll see the old Lighthouse Keeper’s house which is now a museum and gift shop.
The Portland Headlight is the old lighthouse in Maine. Construction started in 1787 and it was first lit in January 1791. Make sure that you follow the trails in either direction of the Lighthouse and the views are completely different. If you have good weather, plan to visit around sunset for amazing views.
Even in July it can be super foggy
DAY TWO: BAR HARBOR, MAINE & ACADIA NATIONAL PARK (TWO NIGHTS)
The drive from Portland to Bar Harbor is a scenic 3 hours. We were able to check into our hotel, drop bags and then we headed to Bar Harbor to explore and eat lunch. Let me preface this part in saying that it was super foggy the two days that we were in Bar Harbor. While we were lucky with some sun breaks, much of our visit to Acadia was shrouded in clouds. We made the best of it and still went to every look out. Just means we’ll have to go back!
WHERE WE STAYED:
While there are several hotels bookable with points in Bar Harbor, none were available during our stay, so we booked two nights at the Acadia Inn. This is a beautiful property just a mile from the Acadia NP entrance. We had a great stay and would definitely stay here again.
We booked a two-queen room that included a very generous free breakfast in a gorgeous sunroom. The property felt very “Dirty Dancing-Esque” in that it had a large, heated pool and jacuzzi and tons of activities like bocce ball, playground, Adirondack chairs and movies playing in the back lawn with s’mores. So fun!
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK TIPS:
How to get in:
Standard Entrance Pass - $20 (best option if you don’t plan to visit any other National parks this year)
Acadia Annual Pass- $70. Purchase online or onsite.
America the Beautiful Pass - free to $80. This pass gives you unlimited access to all national parks for 12 months starting from your first visit date. (Seniors, military, visitors with a permanent disability, and families with a 4th grader are eligible for a free or discounted America the Beautiful pass.)
Cadillac Mountain Summit Road Reservations (details below)
You have two options on how to get through the park once inside. You can do the self-driving loop or you can hop on the free park shuttle at the main lodge (and even from downtown Bar Harbor). We opted to do the free shuttle and would do it again because we didn’t have to scramble to find parking spots at each hike/lookout (and let me tell you people had to park and walk a very, very long way to the trailhead/lookout and then back to their cars). The shuttle drops you off at each spot and you can hike to the next one, hop back on the shuttle (without having to walk back to your car) and head to the next stop. Super convenient.
Day One Acadia NP:
First shuttle Stop: Hulls Cove Visitor’s Center to Sand Beach. This is where you can access the trailhead for the popular Beehive Trail. It was very foggy on the day we visited, so we explored and then hiked to Otter’s Point where we picked up the Shuttle to the next stop.
Thunder Hole - this is a super cool stop where the water comes rushing into the rocks and it sounds like thunder.
Hopped back on the shuttle and headed to Jordan Pond. We hiked the 3.5-mile loop around the pond. The trail is mostly shaded and flat and I would rate as easy. There is a famous restaurant here called the Jordan Pond House, and you definitely need reservations if visiting during busy summer hours
After hiking Jordan Pond, we took that shuttle back to the main lodge, got the car and headed back to the hotel to swim and rest.
We returned to Acadia in the evening hoping the fog would clear up for our sunset reservations at Cadillac Mountain, which unfortunately, did not happen so we weren't able to experience it. Vehicle reservations are required from mid-May through October to access the Cadillac Mountain Road Summit so make sure you book your reservation way in advance.
Pro Tip: If you want to go up Cadillac Mountain without the hassle of making reservations and finding parking, or, you missed out on making reservations; you can take the FREE Cadillac Mountain Shuttle from downtown Bar Harbor. Find all the details here. Please note that if you want to go up for the sunrise or sunset, you do need to make a reservation with them.
Day Two Acadia NP:
Bass Harbor Lighthouse
Today Payton and I drove to see the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. It is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine. The lighthouse is located in Tremont, Maine which is about a 35 minutes’ drive from Bar Harbor. It is managed by Acadia National Park. We loved driving through all the little coastal towns, and I highly recommend building in extra time to stop, shop and eat.
How to see the Bass Harbor Lighthouse: there is just one parking lot and it is fairly small, so I recommend trying to get here very early. You’ll head towards the lighthouse from the parking lot. There are two ways to see the lighthouse - one is just a side view from the lighthouse keeper’s house - it involves no hiking. However, if you want to see the famous front view of the lighthouse - this does involve walking down a set of stairs and then scrambling over large boulders. Make sure that you are wearing proper shoes since the rocks can be slippery.
If you plan to visit during sunset, I recommend getting there super early or you may not find a place to park. Click on the link above for more park tips for visiting at sunset.
The view of the Lighthouse if you’re unable to do the stairs and climb the rocks
If you want to see the famous front view of the lighthouse, you’ll take this set of stairs. If will be to your left as you approach the Lighthouse Keeper’s House.
At the bottom of the stairs, you have to climb a large set of boulders to make your way over towards the lighthouse.
Make sure you wear sturdy shoes. We were lucky there weren’t a ton of people there when we visited. I could see this being very dangerous popular times like sunset.
BAR HARBOR:
In between our visits to Acadia National Park, we would head into downtown Bar Harbor which is a storybook coastal Maine town. While there are several paid parking lots, we drove around forever searching for one so I highly recommend taking the free shuttle - it’s called the Island Explorer. Here is the link to view the routes and timetables. Make sure you spend some time walking around Bar Harbor. There are so many cute shops and restaurants and it sits on the waterfront with gorgeous beach views.
Bar Harbor Sand Bar: Did you know that Bar Harbor is named after the large sand bar in town? I had no idea! During low tide you can walk all the way across the sand bar to Bar Island which is part of Acadia National Park. There is no parking lot here so be prepared to drive around and search for a spot on a side street. We ended up parking on a side street - just make sure you can legally park there.
Even during low tide, the sand is very moist so make sure to wear shoes that can get wet. If you do plan to walk all the way across to Bar Island, make sure you keep an eye on the Tide schedule, so you don’t get stuck over there.
If you have more time, consider:
Booking a whale watching or sunset cruise tour
Lobster Roll Tour
DAY 4: BAR HARBOR TO KENNEBUNKPORT (1 NIGHT)
Day four we headed towards Kennebunkport, Maine with a short stop in Bangor. The drive is about 3.5 hours. I visited here previously in the Fall months which I highly recommend for stunning fall color. We knew we wanted to stop in Bangor, Maine on the way which wasn’t much of a detour at all.
What to see in Bangor, Maine:
Home of Stephen King
Paul Bunyan Statue
LL Bean Headquarters
Stephen King’s House - I mean, would we expect anything less? I love it!
What to see in Kennebunkport:
Kennebunkport, another adorable coastal town made famous as the vacation spot for the Bush family is definitely worth a stop on your Coastal Maine road trip. Parking is fairly easy to find at each end of town. Head to the historic city center and just stroll around, grab lunch and an ice cream. If you have time, head to the beach.
Where we stayed
We really wanted to offset as much of the cost of the trip as possible, so we redeemed Hilton points to stay one night at the Hampton Inn Kennebunkport. It was right off the highway and just a short 15-minute drive into town.
DAY 5: KENNEBUNKPORT TO BOSTON
As we wrapped up our Coastal Maine Road Trip and headed to Boston for the U.S. History portion of our trip we made a quick stop in York, Maine to see another famous lighthouse, the Nubble Lighthouse.
Built in 1879, The Nubble Lighthouse is located on a tiny island across from Sohier Park in York, Maine. Parking was fairly easy to find. This little seaport town was so cute I wish we had more time to explore it. There are lots of little beach towns on this drive and you have time I would try to book a little cottage here.
Before heading to the next stop in the Boston area, we stopped in Salem, Mass for a couple of hours since it was on the way. I have visited Salem, Mass twice in October and am completely obsessed. You can read my Salem Guide here. Seeing it in the summer with the trees and flowers in bloom is pretty special too.
Stay tuned for Part Two: Boston and U.S. History Road Trip
Happy Travels!
Want more inspiration for New England Road Trip? Read my Fall in New England Guide here