acadia national park
Acadia in late October (halloween weekend was when we visited) is definitely not peak season to visit the park. We had limited time to explore and most of Bar Harbor had already shut down for the season. BUT we still had a great time and got to check off some of the highlights of the park, and with veryyyy few crowds. I wouldn’t recommend going any later in the year than we did, unless your priority is winter activities.
We spent 1 night in Bar Harbor, and basically 2 half days in Acadia. Our itinerary is below — please note that this is NOT even close to everything to do or even all of the top sights in Acadia. We had limited time, daylight, and some of the park was already closed for the season, so this was what worked best for us.
Day 1
Drive up from Portland, ME (about 3 hours) and straight to the trailhead for the Precipice Trail
Hike the Precipice Trail (not fully to the top but about halfway, 2ish miles roundtrip)
Drive the park loop — stopping at Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and the top of Cadillac Mountain
Dinner in Bar Harbor
Crash at a B&B we had booked for the night
Day 2
Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain (it was POURING rain, so we were unable to do this)
Drive out to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
Stop at Echo Lake
Lunch in Bar Harbor
Drive back to Portland
The Precipice Trail
The precipice trail is not for beginners. It is steep, perilous, and involves a decent amount of rock scrambling. You’re basically climbing straight up the side of this mountain with little more to hang onto than metal rungs. If you have a strong fear of heights I would not recommend it. But if you can muscle through, it’s can be thrilling and lead to beautiful views.
We did not hike up to the top of the trail because we were concerned about losing daylight before getting to the other parts of the park we wanted to see. Also, in full honesty, I was kind of hating this hike while doing it because I don’t like rock scrambles or heights and it was slippery from rainfall earlier in the day and I thought I might die, not to be dramatic. It was level 2 fun for me: not particularly fun in the moment, but really really fun to think back on after we finished. Hannah, on the other hand, was loving every minute.
Sand Beach
This was a beautiful stop, especially in the late afternoon sun. It wasn't very crowded and the water was FREEZING. In the summer I think this beach gets paaacked.
Thunder Hole + Cadillac Mountain
Thunder Hole is really more of a “you need to be there” kind of attraction vs looking at photos. The cool part of this area is the thundering noise the ocean makes as it meets the rocky coast. It’s really cool and definitely worth a stop but you probably only need a few minutes. You can also climb around all the rocks. We started losing the sun here and the rest of the evening was super cloudy. Our last stop in the park was driving up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. My original plan was to be up here for sunrise — it’s supposed to be beautiful and it’s one of the first places to see the sun rise on the east coast. But the forecast called for heavy rain the next morning, so we decided to drive up to complete our park loop. During summer months/peak season, you need a vehicle reservation to drive up. We were past that, so there was plenty of parking and very few people. But it was COLD. Very windy, very cloudy, we were freeeeeezing. I’m glad we went when we did though, because the next day it wasn’t really possible
Day 2
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
We woke up to thunder and pouring rain and grabbed breakfast at our B&B while we tried to figure out a game plan. Eventually we decided to make the trip out to the lighthouse, which is about a 30 min drive from Bar Harbor, and just hope that it would maybe clear up enough for us to see it.
Turns out this was a perfect decision, because it was sunny and clear and beautiful when we got to the coast. There was also almost no one else there. The view is incredible, even if the lighthouse is a bit hard to see. Dramatic rocky cliffs, tall pine trees, the swirling ocean waves. It was so beautiful Hannah immediately broke into tears.
Echo Lake
This was a last minute stop, we saw the sign while driving past and decided “why not?” And it was the right choice. We had the place completely to ourselves. It’s a lovely little beach and would be a great picnic spot in the summer.
The plan after this was to grab brunch at Cafe This Way in Bar Harbor, but it was unfortunately closed for the season already (along with almost everything else). We ended up just grabbing coffee and a snack and then wandering in the last 2 souvenir stores that were open before heading back to Portland. Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I can’t wait to go back one day, ideally earlier in the year :)
We stayed at Black Friar Inn in Bar Harbor, which was a great spot. We had the turret room which had a spiral staircase that led up to an extra little room with tons of windows, a fireplace, and sitting space (the fireplace unfortunately didn’t work but it was still very cozy) The king bed was super comfy, and the breakfast was delicious. I’d recommend.
Things we weren’t able to do but I would go back for:
Tea at the Jordan Pond House
Biking the Carriage Roads
Hiking the Beehive trail + other trails
Exploring Bar Harbor more
Things to keep in mind when visiting Acadia
Cadillac Mountain requires vehicle reservations during peak season
This time of year was fantastic for limited crowds, but options were extremely limited in Bar Harbor. I wouldn’t recommend planning a trip any later than October
Peregrine falcon nesting occurs in March through late summer and many popular trails are closed during this time, including the Precipice trail