The Taste of Maine (Portland, Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park): 4 Days Itinerary

Published on by Art

Hello, my name is Michelle, and I am a guest writer on this blog. My parents asked me to write about our 4 Day Acadia National Park Itinerary because Mike (my husband) and I recently went on this trip for our 3rd wedding anniversary. I hope I do a good job with this post so they will ask me back again. He-he.

Because of this special occasion, I had free reign to plan a trip for us. Being my parent’s daughter, an ideal vacation incorporates nature, good food, and a low maintenance wardrobe. We wanted to take the trip in October, so Acadia National Park came to mind after Googling the best Fall destinations in the U.S.

If you like hiking, nature, good food and some adventure (but not too much of it) in one of the most beautiful national parks in the US, this 4 Day Acadia National Park itinerary is for you.

Day 1 – Portland

Getting There

We live in Charlotte, NC which has a plethora of direct flights to most U.S. cities. It was a quick 3-hour flight from Charlotte to Portland, ME. We thought about flying into Boston instead but chose to limit our driving time while on vacation (Boston is a 5 hour drive to Acadia and Portland is a 3 hour drive to Acadia). Plus, we heard that Portland was a neat city to explore. We touched down in Portland around 1 pm, picked up our rental car, and checked into the Courtyard Marriott Downtown/Waterfront by 2 pm.

Portland

We loved our hotel location since it was right on the waterfront. The waterfront is a cute area with a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and touristy shops on one side and the water on the other side. We were surprised by the two cruise ships docked in the harbor but then realized Portland is part of New England/Canada cruise trips. Our hotel gave us list of best restaurants in “The Food Capital of America” which came in very handy as we explored the downtown area for a place to grab a quick bite for lunch. Quick side note – we read that Portland is vying with San Francisco as the city with the most restaurants per capita. We came across The Crooked Mile Café, a local café with a great selection of sandwiches and salads. We overheard some weekend visitors from Boston talking with their friend about what a nice weekend spot Portland is, so we were excited to keep exploring it.

After lunch, we escaped the cruise ship tourists by walking further down the waterfront until we hit the Eastern Prom Trail, a 3-mile trail along the water. We saw a group of kids taking sailing lessons which we definitely don’t see back in North Carolina. We didn’t make it too far down the trail because we wanted to catch a ferry ride to a nearby islands before it got too dark. There were a lot of quick walkers, joggers, and bikers that passed us on the trail, so it’s a great option for a stroll/jog.

Peaks Island

From there, we bought tickets at Casco Bay Lines on the waterfront to catch a ferry to Peaks Island ($7.50 round trip/person). It was a pretty ferry ride with a view of Portland and surrounding islands. It was a little colder than expected so I was glad to have gloves and a hat with me.

When we arrived on Peaks Island, we saw all of the locals coming off of the ferry greeting one another as they came back home after work and heading in the same direction to pick up their kids from school. The island itself wasn’t overly impressive but the locals said it’s much livelier in the summer when the weather is nice and you can kayak, golf, and ride golf carts around the island.

That evening, we had a delicious dinner at DiMilo’s On the Water. It’s a restaurant on a big ship which is next to a yacht club. As we walked into the restaurant, an older couple said, “It’s worth the wait, the haddock and seafood scampi are delicious.” We were appreciative of their suggestions and ended up going with those exact dishes. We really enjoyed it!

Day 2 – Bar Harbor/Acadia NP Loop

In the morning, we stopped at The Holy Donut for a mashed potato donut. The line was long, but I convinced my husband that it would move quickly, which it did. I felt healthier than I usually do eating a donut since it was made from potato, so it tasted so good. From there, we did the 3-hour drive to Bar Harbor, enjoying the beautiful foliage along the way. It was early October, so the leaves were starting to turn really bright and pretty red and orange colors.

We checked into our hotel – the Bar Harbor Motel ($179/night with AAA discount). The hotel was a very quick 3-minute drive to Acadia and downtown Bar Harbor so we were very happy with it. The room was simple but clean. There were snacks, fruit, and a variety of hot and cold drinks available in the lobby until 11 pm which we took full advantage of. We didn’t need anything fancy but if you’re looking for something classier, the Bluenose Inn and Bar Harbor Inn & Spa looked extremely nice.

Loop Around Acadia

The weather was a bit dreary the day we arrived in Bar Harbor, so we hopped in our car and did the 27-mile loop around Acadia as an introduction to the park. I bought our week-long park pass online via Your Pass Now (selected the $30 for a vehicle option). When we entered our first pass checkpoint at the park, the park ranger asked for our ticket and driver’s license. We were given a pass to put in our car so that the rangers didn’t have to check our ticket and ID again. Note that if you plan to take the Island Explorer shuttle bus to the park, you will also need to purchase a ticket.

We entered the park at the Hulls Cove Visitor entrance and followed the loop, stopping at most of the lookout points. The signage is very clear around the park. We stopped at Sands Beach, Otter Point, and Cadillac Mountain, the summit point. It was sunset so the scenery was gorgeous. It took us about 2.5 hours to do the loop because it started to get dark and we knew that we would be back at the park again tomorrow.

I highly recommend doing the loop as a starting point to get familiar with the park. 

Day 3 – Beehive Trail in Acadia NP

Beehive Trail

After a continental breakfast at the hotel, we drove up to our first hiking spot. My dad introduced me to the AllTrails app, so we navigated to the location of the Beehive Trail via the Bowl Trail hike. We drove and were able to find a parking spot pretty close to the hike entrance. The road in the park has 2 lanes so cars can park in the right lane.

The Beehive was listed as a strenuous hike so I wasn’t all about it but my husband was, so I told myself, “I got this!” It was definitely more than I excepted but I’m happy I survived to write about it. The hike was standard in the beginning but then it got strenuous. I would not recommend it to someone who is afraid of heights or tight spaces. Bouldering (i.e. metal rods you have to use to climb) is involved at some parts of the hike. I was so relieved to get to the top. The view was beautiful.

Sands Beach

We then descended down the Bowl to the Gorham Mountain trail which took us up to the Ocean Drive Loop where we parked our car. It was about a 6 miles round trip and the best way to see all of the major spots in one day. From there, we walked down to Sands Beach to soak in the sun and relax.

We had dinner at the West Street Café where I got a lobster roll and my husband got another seafood pasta dish. After dinner, I indulged in some wild blueberry pie. It was delicious. My grandma has told me in the past all about how the blueberries we eat are very different from wild blueberries they used to eat in Russia. I finally got to taste these rare wild blueberries.

Day 4 – Jordan Pond in Acadia NP

Jordan Pond

The next day, we parked at the Jordan Pond House (we had to circle the lot a few times until a spot opened up) to start our hike. We walked counter-clockwise around Jordan Pond.

It was a trail with a lot of families and more elderly folks, so I felt relieved that the hike wasn’t going to be as strenuous as the day before. We look a slight detour along the trail to hike up the Bubbles Trail to see the Bubble Rock (a rock that miraculously hangs off of a cliff). It was steep, rocky climb up to the rock. To give you some context, we saw a couple who was carrying a 14-week old baby up the mountain. If they could do it, I told myself I could do it too.

Once we descended down from the Bubbles Trail, we completed the remainder of the Jordan Pond Trail. We heard all about the poppers (similar to Yorkshire pudding if you’re familiar with the food English people eat) at the Jordan Pond House, so we put our name on the waiting list there. It was a great snack for the day.

We finished off the night with another seafood dinner at Everyday Joe’s. The downtown area is a really nice setting with many restaurants to choose from. We also heard great things about Galyn’s but didn’t get a chance to try it.

We loved our trip to Maine for the scenery, time in nature, and great seafood. There are many other hikes we didn’t get to try at Acadia so we look forward to visiting again soon! I hope you liked our 4 Day Acadia National Park Itinerary.