G6AdventuresAs part of a three-week excursion to the Northeast, we spent eight nights of our trip in Bar Harbor, Maine. We stayed at the Bar Harbor Campground. During our visit, we explored Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Fort Knox and Camden during our visit. We rode bikes on the carriage trails, took a whale watching cruise, went on a moose safari, and a few of us took a fishing excursion. Our youngest was just over a year old, so we were somewhat limited in what we could accomplish during our stay. But, I think we definitely made the most of it. If you’re looking for a great family-friendly itinerary for your Bar Harbor vacation, keep reading! This is Part 1 of a 3-part series describing our amazing trip itinerary to Bar Harbor. In this post, we’ll cover our first three days of our trip.
Day 1: Arrival/Explore Bar Harbor
For anyone that plans to camp near Bar Harbor, Bar Harbor Campground is a great option. The sites come in a variety of types and sizes. There is a nice campground playground. The pool has an ocean view. There are several dog and walking trails. The free Island Explorer shuttle stops near the campground office, providing transportation from the campground to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, and neighboring villages.
There are two quirky things to note regarding this campground. First, it is cash only. They do have an on-site ATM machine, but you cannot pay for your campsite with a bank or credit card. Second, they do not take reservations. To be honest, we found this terrifying. We stayed the night in the Ellsworth Wal-Mart parking lot. We drove into the campground at 8 a.m. Once you arrive, you essentially drive around and look for an open spot or someone that is leaving. We saw a couple packing up and had to just wait for them to leave, which ended up being close to noon. From what I could tell, plenty of campers check out each day. Most people who arrive at a decent time find a spot. I feel like we arrived too early. You’re probably better off to wait until closer to check-out time to get there.
After we set up the camper, we made some lunch. Then, we drove into Bar Harbor to walk around and get our bearings of the area. We ate dinner at Route 66 Restaurant. This is a fun restaurant with a huge menu. With seating on two floors, it is full of fun, retro 50s inspired decor fully equipped with an old Lionel trail that circles overhead. It’s a bit crowded, but it has such a great, fun vibe. We sat on the second floor, which the kids loved, because they could look over at the first floor in awe of all the trinkets and wall hangings. We ordered the lobster roll, fish sandwich and a few different kids meals for the girls to share. Everything tasted great. We had great service. We would definitely recommend this incredibly family-friendly restaurant if you’re visiting the area.
Continuing to stroll through Bar Harbor, we checked out shops, boutiques and Agamont Park. Then, we visited Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. With a plethora of treats to choose from, there is truly something for nearly everyone. From fudge to homemade candy to countless ice cream flavors, there is so much yumminess to choose from. We even tried lobster ice cream! To be honest, it got mixed reviews from our crew. But, it was fun seeing and choosing unique options such as this. After enjoying our dessert, we watched a gorgeous sunset and headed back to the camper for some much-needed rest.
Day 2: Acadia National Park
After a fairly quick breakfast in the camper, we caught the Island Explorer to Acadia. This is a great option for transportation, particularly in the crowded peak season in July. We took the shuttle to Sand Beach. From there, we hiked the Ocean Path to the Gorham Mountain Trail, stopping at Thunder Hole. Before heading up Gorham Mountain, we looked up the difficulty of the trail. Everything we found indicated it was an easy trail, good for families. Perhaps it was because we were fairly new to hiking as a family. Or maybe because Eric carried our youngest on his back. Or maybe we just weren’t prepared. But, we thought it was a bit more difficult than an “easy” hike.
There is a bit of an incline, and it’s pretty rocky. At one point, we thought we’d reached the summit and were ecstatic…only to realize we weren’t yet at the top. Eventually, we reached the top and then headed back down the other side to Sand Beach. In total, it was about a 3-mile hike. It’s definitely doable, and I would do it again. I would just readjust everyone’s expectations in our group. I’d classify it more as moderate than easy.
After the hike, we took the shuttle back to the campground. We made dinner at the camper. Then, we headed over to the Log Cabin Restaurant for ice cream. From what I can tell, it looks like the Log Cabin has permanently closed, which is a bummer. After our treat, we drove over to the Bass Harbor Head Light Station. According to our research, this is a known sunset spot. Thankfully, we arrived early. Though there was plenty of parking when we arrived, it filled up quickly. But, our research was spot on. The sunset here was gorgeous. Nestled on the rocky coast, the view from the light station is phenomenal. However, remember that this is the most visited place on the west side of Mount Desert Island and the 5th busiest destination in Acadia National Park. So, plan accordingly!
Day 3: Day Trip!
When we travel, we like to take a look at possible day trips nearby. Though we love to experience as much as we can in our destination, we know something amazing could be just an hour or so away. Given this was our first trip to Bar Harbor, or to Maine for that matter, we knew we wanted to take advantage of some day trips! On this trip, a friend recommended we head to Camden, Maine. While researching Camden, we realized that we could hit a few fun stops along the way.
First, we stopped at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. Right out of the gate, this bridge is IMPRESSIVE! The bridge is 2,120 feet long across the Penobscot River. The bridge design has been heralded for its innovative design and construction. Uniquely, the bridge houses the Penobscot Narrows Observatory. Not only is this the first bridge observation tower in the United States, it is also the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.
The fast elevator ride whisking you to the top of the Observatory barely prepares you for the awe-inspiring views you encounter when you step into the tower. Towering 420 feet into the air, visitors enjoy breathtaking views of the Penobscot River and Bay as well as distant western mountains. Providing 360 degree views over 100 miles in any direction, you can fairly easily see from the Camden Hills all the way to Mount Katahdin. We spent what seemed like ages and also no time at all simultaneously at the top of the tower trying to take in every square inch of that majestic view.
The great thing about the Observatory is that it sits adjacent to the Fort Knox Historic Site. For incredibly reasonable prices, you can purchase combined admission tickets to both the Observatory and the Fort. We have some serious history aficionados in our crew who jumped at the opportunity to explore this incredibly well-preserved military forts. Built between 1844 and 1869, Fort Knox protected the Penobscot River Valley against potential British naval attack. Though the Fort never actually engaged in battle, it was manned at times during both the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. After the Spanish-American War, only one man remained to maintain the Fort.
Touring the Fort, in its impeccably preserved state, our entire family learned so much about its history but also the broader history of what it was like to live in that time period. Nearly all of the Fort is accessible to visitors. The Fort even displays some of the weapons, including cannons, that would have been used during that era. We really enjoyed exploring the grounds and learning the history of the Fort. It also provided a great picnic area for our packed lunches.
After leaving the Fort, we traveled to Camden Hills State Park where we drove to the top of Mount Battie. Our friend specifically recommended the view from this vista, and his recommendation was spot on! The park boasts over 30 miles of hiking trails of varying difficulties. I wish we would have had more time to explore the park, and it is on our list to do for our next trip to this area. But, if you have limited time, as we did, I still recommend driving to the top of Mt. Battie for its spectacular view. We luckily went on a clear day and were able to see what seemed like endless skies from Penobscot Bay and Camden Harbor all the way to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia. Also atop Mt. Battie sits a 26-foot tall stone tower built in memorial to the soldiers that fought in World War I.
After our too-quick stop at Camden Hills State Park, we headed down into the adorably quaint and charming town of Camden. We watched the boats coming in and sailing out of the harbor. Though we had limited time to spend in this super cute coastal town, we explored as many shops and boutiques as we could before needing to head back toward Bar Harbor. Again, we earmarked this as a spot we’d like to explore more on our next visit.
One of our favorite things to do when traveling is to find off the beaten path places to experience. As we drove back toward Bar Harbor from Camden, we stumbled across Carrier’s Mainely Lobster. We found this family owned hole-in-the-wall in Bucksport, Maine. It was a walk-up window where you order and pick-up your food. They serve burgers, chicken, hot dogs, and pulled pork. But, where they really shined (at least for us) had to be the seafood. The lobster rolls, crab and fish tasted like it had been caught that morning (there’s a distinct possibility of that actually being true).
You enjoy your meal sitting outside at picnic tables. From what we can tell, since our visit, they have even built a covered pavilion with fans, which is a nice touch. The kids enjoyed the play area and greenspace to run around in while we waited for our food. Our food was absolutely delicious. Not a single complaint from any of the kids – super rare feat! To be fair, that may have been because not only does Carrier’s serve fantastic food, but they also serve soft serve and hand-scooped ice cream, sundaes, and root beer floats. This is a tough ask, but pace yourself when at Carrier’s. There’s so much yumminess to choose from, and you’ll want to try as much as possible!
If you are like us and enjoy exploring a little more of the periphery of your destination, we highly recommend this day trip. We enjoyed it so much that we intend to take it again on our next visit and see if we can explore even more in these areas! You can really pack in a lot in the 1 1/2 hour one-way drive from Bar Harbor to Camden. And, we barely scratched the surface. On our next trip to Bar Harbor, we will probably take this exact same day trip but try to spend a little more time in Camden.
The first few days of our trip to Bar Harbor did not disappoint. And we aren’t even halfway through. Over the next two posts, we will continue to guide you through our trip. We will conclude with a summary of our itinerary, including our must-do’s, what we’d do again on our next Bar Harbor trip, and what we think we missed. Check out all of our Maine posts here. Or to read about the rest of our adventures, click here. Stay tuned to see our “Where To Next?”
