Maine – Visited May 2018. 

Acadia is a wonderful place for your children to learn how philanthropy, descended through time, enables protection of wild places. Through charitable giving, generations have had the opportunity to explore, preserve, and enjoy this North Atlantic coastal park. With crisp blue skies, lush green vegetation, and picturesque views, it is easy to see why this is a favorite for many.

The park has glistening inland ponds that entice exploration by bike, on foot, or by horse. The rocky coastal environment is exceptionally scenic, and even the little ones will enjoy the views. Tide pools offer opportunity to dip feet into crisp ocean waters while exploring special habitats. Quaint tours by boat are great fun for older kids. Souvenir shopping, and fine dining are plentiful in the seaside town of Bar Harbor. This is a park that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Acadia left me in wonderment, and our visit here was like glimpsing another world. It left me somewhat haunted, because we have so many parks left to visit, but this place beckons for me to spend more time. It’s placed in a region, that in another lifetime, I think I could have called home. The rugged beauty, hardworking people, and wide expansive outdoors place this special park in the heart.

Junior Ranger Badge:

• Glacial Geology
• Archaeology
• Gifting Acadia
• Loons
• Tidal Pools

Extra Tips:

Biking on the carriage roads is better suited for older children. The famed carriage roads (constructed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to travel by horse and carriage without encountering motor vehicles) are a delightful way to tour the interior of the park. The rock chip surface and incline would be difficult for little legs to manage. Even our 11-year-old became frustrated at one point. Witch Hole Pond is a lovely carriage loop trail for families with older children to bike.

Read about park ecology and history before you visit. In our experience, we felt Acadia National Park visitor centers were lacking in educational exhibits. I was disappointed by the lack of ecological interpretive information. The Hulls Cove Visitor Center offered no interpretive displays. The Sieur de Monts Nature Center was closed during our visit, but it is small. The most valuable information was provided by a park ranger accompanying our schooner tour. With such a unique ecosystem, and habitat profoundly interwoven into the lives of residents, we thought there would be more opportunities to learn about lobster fishing, whales off the coast, or tide pool ecology. There is substantial information available on the park website, and I would strongly recommend researching and learning about the park before you visit.  There are lobster boat tours, not affiliated with the park, that you might want to consider if interested in learning more about this industry.

Take a boat tour. This is an ocean side park, and knowing what life is like on the pristine waters is part of the experience. We enjoyed a schooner tour, and my son helped hoist the sails!! We would have also enjoyed a seasonal passenger ferry to the Cranberry Islands.

Remember:

Reduce your footprint as much as possible to protect this place. This park is fragile and heavily visited. At all times, stay on the path. Only park in designated areas. Have a plan B to visit other destinations in the park, such as Schoodic Peninsula or Isle Au Haut if you can’t find parking. Consider taking the Island Explorer to tour the Park Loop Road area.

Limit your use of single use plastics. It takes resources to both bring and remove them from the island.

Where to Eat:

Jordon Pond House offers the tradition of popovers and blueberry lemonade, but it is both busy and expensive. Roadside lobster shacks at park entrances are an excellent choice, and there are plenty of wonderful restaurants in Bar Harbor.

At nearby roadside lobster shacks, daring taste buds will have the opportunity to try this fresh from the sea delicacy. There is nothing quite like fresh caught Maine lobster, a definite bucket list item. Blueberry pies, ice cream, and scones are also a treat, and every child is going to ask for a famous blueberry soda pop!

When to Go:

This park is busy, avoid peak times if possible. Even visiting in late May, before most park programs were available, was hectic. If you appreciate National Parks as a respite from humanity, try to avoid June through August. If you must go during these months, go beyond the heavily visited Park Loop Road. Schoodic Peninsula, away from most of the tourist destinations, offers solace. During our trip in late May, we were able to enjoy the area near Sewall Campground, particularly Wonderland, in relative solitude.

Where to Stay:

The Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA cabins were a perfect choice for our family. With bunkbeds for the kids, it gave us a better night’s rest than we would have had at a hotel. Our cabin came with a separate master bedroom, and a full kitchen for convenience. This campground boasts beautiful sunsets, tidal pools to explore, and they are dog friendly.