Bar Harbor is the perfect place to go if you have a family and also love to hike! It has the perfect mix of everything: some of the best food, hiking, a peaceful getaway, and a lot of family-friendly activities! Plus, Acadia National Park is right outside of Bar Harbor, and it is a great family and pet-friendly park!
Most hikes are under 4 miles, and it’s a great place to park and enjoy the view! I love that most hikes are 15 minutes from town and most hikes are family-friendly (with a few exceptions, which I will share below). We have gone twice now, one time before the kids and one time with Blake. Both of those times we took our dog Denver. Now, let’s get into the details!
When to go:
Summer and Fall! If I had to choose, my top choice would be to go in the fall. Mainly because of the autumn leaves, the lobster bisque (YUM), and all of the warm, cozy things!
Where we stayed:
The only downside of Bar Harbor is that hotel/Airbnb options are very limited, especially if you have a pet. I recommend booking ahead of time! The last time we went, we booked at the last minute, so we didn’t have many options. We chose to stay at the Holiday Inn, and it actually was great, especially for the price. It isn’t a 5-star resort, but it’s right on the ocean, clean, and it is in a great location. Blake was 8 weeks old when we went, so she slept in a pack and play in the same room as us.
If you are looking for an aesthetic getaway and don’t want to go out to eat at restaurants or do a lot of touristy things, I recommend the Claremont in the Southwest Harbor. It’s about 30-40 minutes away from Bar Harbor but it a very peaceful part of town! The hotel is stunning, and it has a cute coffee shop and restaurant inside! The only downside is the location, but they offer some things to do on site!
Where we ate:
Breakfast/ Coffee –
- Cafe This Way: I am not saying this lightly, these were top 3 pancakes I’ve ever had!! My followers on Instagram recommended this breakfast spot, and they did not lead us wrong. The pancakes were super thin and unique and had this crisp buttery rim. I dream about those pancakes, but I am not even a pancake person!! Go early or when it opens to avoid a long wait!
- Choco-Latte Cafe: This is my favorite coffee spot in Bar Habor! All bagels are made fresh daily and you can also get breakfast sandwiches to-go. We often would order ahead on mornings we wanted to hike and pick up on the way to Acadia National Park. You MUST try their famous choc-latte…It was delicious!
- Coffee Hound at the Stadium: This place is right downtown Bar Harbor and is probably the most popular spot. It is good but not as good as Choco-latte IMO. They also have cherry popovers, which are delicious!
Lunch/Dinner –
- Side Street Cafe: Probably one of my favorite places to eat for lunch and dinner. The lobster bisque is incredible!
- Geddy’s: Geddy’s and Galyn’s are two more popular restaurants for lobster. I would say I like the food better at Geddy’s. If you are not into touristy things, this may be overwhelming for you because it can get packed! I would recommend getting there right at 5 to avoid a long wait. We were able to get seated right away, whereas the night before, they were completely booked for the night at 6.
- Galyn’s: I would say go to Galyn’s if Geddy’s is packed. Honestly, I would almost eat at Side Street Cafe over these two. They are good, but they remind me of a restaurant in Gatlinburg or Hilton Head. Not that it’s a bad thing, but they are more touristy. The food was delicious but pricey!
- Jordan Pond House: This is probably the most popular restaurant in the area, mainly because it is in Acadia National Park on Jordan Pond. Expect a long wait if you do not have reservations. We personally have never gone because it feels touristy, but I could be wrong!! What is nice about this location is that you can take a family hike around Jordan Pond after or before! They are known for their chowder and popovers!
- Downeast Deli: This is a great place to get a lobster roll or sandwich on the go! They also have soup as well!
- Little Fern at the Claremont in Southwest Harbor: We met up with friends at this restaurant, and it was delicious and stunning!! It is about 30-40 minutes away but in such a beautiful area! This is somewhat closer to the Bass Harbor lighthouse!
Things to do:
- Hike/explore Acadia National Park!! (see below for trail recommendations)
- Eat lobster, lobster rolls, popovers, anything blueberry, and Lobster bisque.. A MUST!!!
- Drive and enjoy the scenery in Acadia National Park
- See Thunder Hole: This is a fun thing to see! Click on the link for details
- See the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain (the first spot in the USA to see the sunrise)
- You can either hike or drive to the peak. I would say 99% of people drive. Definitely wear layers as it can get very cold. The views are incredible, and the sunrise is a MUST!!! You can see all of Acadia from this point on, and it is the first spot in the USA to see the sun. This is probably the most popular thing to do while you are here. IMPORTANT: You must have a time entry reservation to go to the top. I would book them sooner than later and you can find more details here.
- See the sunrise (or sunset) at Bass Harbor Lighthouse: I recommend going to sunrise over sunset, even though sunset is more popular. We loved going at sunrise! I will say there is limited parking, so if you go around sunset or afternoon, be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes for a parking spot. More people are likely to go at sunset than wake up early and honestly going early was way less stressful! We got there at 6:15 am (sunrise is 6:30 am) and there were about half the spots left. Sunrise makes for better photos too because you aren’t backlit like you would be at sunset. Take the photos right before the sun peeks out for the perfect lighting! It’s in Southwest Harbor but worth the trip. The drive is BEAUTIFUL and it feels more “Maine” vibes. This lighthouse is on the Windows default desktop background. To get there, just take the stairs down to the rocks. Make sure you wear grippy shoes!
- Whale watch (during season)
- Go to the Sand Beach
- Walk to Bar Island: Probably one of the most unique hikes I’ve ever heard of! During low tide, there is a strip of land that you can hike to and from downtown Bar Harbor to Bar Island! Even if you don’t want to go to the island, it is still cool to walk on the sand bar! Make sure you check high and low tides!
- Walk the Bar Harbor shore path – 1.5 miles, paved, family-friendly
Where to Hike:
- The best view in Acadia, in my opinion!! Parking is limited, so either go early or keep looping back.
- Once you see South Bubble I recommend exploring the top and seeing North Bubble, the view is not as good but still worth seeing!
- This is such a fun, family-friendly hike! This is a flat trail that goes around Jordan Pond, and the views are great!
South Bubble to Jordan Pond (our personal favorite)
- IMPORTANT: A lot of trails connect to Jordan Pond, so you can truly spend an entire day hiking here! One route I recommend is connecting Jordan Pond to South Bubble. There are two ways to get to the peak. One of the ways is NOT family or pet-friendly. The other way is family and pet-friendly.
- The family/pet friendly route to South Bubble is taking the trail that is at the base/start of the Bubbles trail down the side to Jordan Pond. Use All trails to route it out!
- The challenging route is going straight up the mountain up South Bubble. We have done both. This is not pet-friendly if you do this! HERE is a link to the challenge route
- Here is a map that shows both routes. The yellow is the easier route to Jordan Pond, and the purple is the more challenging route. The purple starts at the peak of the South Bubble, and the yellow starts at the base of the South Bubble trail.
- I personally think this is the most difficult trail to hike in Acadia. Not pet or kid friendly and a lot of climbing. Especially vertical ladders! Make sure you are not afraid of heights. I personally LOVED it!!
- This is the most popular hike in Acadia. There are two routes to get to the top. One route is family-friendly, and the other route is difficult and requires climbing ladders.
- The entire trail is a loop, or if you choose to take the easier route, it is an out-and-back.
- If you want to take the easier route, you can climb up the back of the mountain, where you do not need to climb up ladders, and it’s a gradual incline to the top. My mom was able to take the easier route with no problem with a sore knee when she went! I don’t believe pets are allowed on this trail, regardless! You park at the Sand Beach parking lot, which can fill up fast! I recommend going first thing in the morning to avoid crowds.
- We saw a lot of families hike this trail! It has a great view too! Honestly, one of my favorite hikes, mainly because we were able to take Denver and Blake on it!!
Ocean Path (Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs)
- This is the path that runs along the entire coast of Acadia National Park! You can access a lot of hikes from this path. We took this trail to Otter Cliffs, and it was so fun!! Easy and family-friendly! A Lot of people start at Sand Beach and go to Otter Cliffs! The views are INCREDIBLE!!
- This isn’t really a hike but a must-see!! You can take the Ocean Path and get on Beehive from this parking lot.
