top 12 things to do in
top 12 things to do in
Bar Harbor is the kind of town that steals your heart as soon as you arrive. Everything from the charming downtown area and the porcupine islands in Frenchman Bay, to the rocky shorelines and beautiful hiking trails in Acadia National Park add to the magic of this dreamlike town.
That’s probably why, year after year, we find it difficult to stay away. Here’s a list of our Top 10 things we like to do when we’re visiting Bar Harbor.
1. Sunset at Cadillac Mountain
I vividly recall the first time I ever watched the sunset from the top of Cadillac Mountain. I felt like I was looking out at Neverland. It was so beautiful that it looked like a fake backdrop suspended in the distance.
You can see so far in every direction but the best view is probably the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay with the twinkling lights from town hugging the coast. It’s kind of surreal. Check it out for yourself.
2. Walk around downtown
Bar Harbor is the perfect postcard town lined with candy shops, ice cream parlors, local boutiques and endless restaurants.
We love walking around town and dropping into the art studios and clothing shops before grabbing some olive oil and vinegar from Fiore to take back home – my pantry is loaded with fun flavors! There’s also a great farmers market on Saturday mornings that you can easily walk to from town.
3. Shore Path
Shore Path is one of the first things we do whenever we arrive in Bar Harbor. It’s an easy little stroll along the water with beautiful views of the bay on one side and gorgeous dream-like houses on the other. My favorite time to do this walk is right at dusk when the twinkling lights from the houses have just been turned on.
4. Ocean Trail & Thunder Hole
It’s such a blast to hop along the rocky path of Ocean Trail. And I do mean “hop” as you often have to jump from one rock to another to progress along this trail which is not much more than a long stretch of boulders that line the coast. Still it’s a pretty easy journey and is kid and pet-friendly too.
This is a great way to fit in some light cardio while catching great views and meeting lots of cute doggies along the way! Make sure you follow the trail far enough to catch the ocean waves crash through the rocks at Thunder Hole. They say under the right conditions, you can hear this blowhole from town sounding like loud thunder in the distance – hence the name.
5. Visit Winter Harbor/Schoodic Peninsula
Take a ferry over to the Schoodic Peninsula and visit the cute town of Winter Harbor. This is a perfect town to rent a bicycle and spend the day riding around the park and through nature trails.
If you head out to Schoodic Point, you’ll be greeted by amazing views of Cadillac Mountain and incredible rocky coast made of dark basalt bursting through the granite. It’s really cool to see in person. Or you can spend some time shopping in town. One of my all time favorite ball caps is from a little clothing boutique in Winter Harbor!
6. Eagle Lake - hike/view
Eagle Lake is the largest freshwater lake on Mount Desert Island. There’s a carriage road going all the way around the lake and it’s a very easy walk or bike ride. You’re also allowed to kayak and canoe in the lake. There are even camping spots where you can set up overnight, if that’s your thing.
It’s a great place to take kids or pets and enjoy nature. Note: there is a hike called the Eagle Lake Trail which is not the same as the carriage roads that go around the lake. The trail extends off of the carriage roads and is a bit challenging. If you’re feeling up to it, we recommend exploring the Eagle Lake Trail for the great views along the way.
7. Chill in Agamont Park
Grab a blanket, a picnic basket, a bottle of wine and head over to Agamont park to watch the boats come into the harbor. This adorable park sits right on the coast overlooking Frenchman Bay and is feet away from the restaurants and shops in town. It’s a great way to relax while still feeling like you’re part of the action.
8. Boat Tour
One of the best ways to see and hear the history of Bar Harbor is to take a guided boat tour around the bay.
You can take a motor boat or kayak depending on what you’re into. You’ll be guided around the Porcupine Islands where the trained guides will tell you the history of Bar Harbor. They’ll point out wildlife and other points of interest including huge boulders that were dropped by glaciers thousands of years ago when this beautiful land was being shaped by the elements.
You’ll also see great mansions owned by the wealthy throughout history including the Vanderbilts, the family who owns Campbell’s Soup and a guy who built a house as a gift for his bride who was traveling on the Titanic but never made it over.
9. Jordan Pond
This is one of our favorite spots to hike whenever we’re in Bar Harbor. While you’re not allowed to swim in Jordan Pond because it’s a public water source, there’s a very easy hike along a wooden boardwalk that loops all the way around the pond.
We always take our time on this hike enjoying amazing views of Jordan Pond and North & South Bubble Mountains in the background. The water in Jordan Pond is crystal clear and sometimes looks like glass under the right weather conditions. Once you’ve finished hiking the loop, you can choose to grab a drink or bite to eat in The Jordan Pond House, if you’d like.
10. North & South Bubble
If you make the hike around Jordan Pond, you can’t help but notice North and South Bubble Mountains in the background or reflecting off the pristine water surface. If you’d like some incredible views of Jordan Pond and beyond, you can take trails that go to the summit of each of the two Bubble Mountains.
It’s worth it to hike up both mountains as they each offer unique views and feature different highlights along the way. For example, the North Bubble has a higher elevation which rewards your efforts with breathtaking views, while South Bubble has a really cool boulder known as Bubble Rock which appears to be just on the brink of crashing down the mountain at any moment. It was dropped off by glaciers that formed this terrain and has been balancing there ever since.
11. Gorham Mountain Trail
Gorham Mountains summit is 525 feet in the sky and sits very near the coast. As you can imagine, hiking to the summit will pay off with amazing views. The climb to the summit can be a little challenging depending on how good your cardio is. Josh can run right up to the top and look like he just got started while I’m dragging the entire way. But there are tons of spots to take a rest and enjoy some of the most amazing views.
Along the hike, there are also blueberry bushes that you can eat from and cairns that fellow hikers have left to mark the trail.
I vividly remember a time we were making this climb and a heavy fog rolled in from the ocean. It totally killed our view but it created such an eerie and otherworldly atmosphere that we still really enjoyed our hike.
Bonus: If you’re up for an extra challenge, there’s a cut-off along the path that leads to the Bowl which is a small but gorgeous pond. I’ve never taken the extra trail but Josh has and he says it took his breath away when he first stepped out from the trail and saw this pond in front of him.
12. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
Situated right on the coastal rocks and seemingly ready to tumble drop off into the ocean at any time, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is a charming little lighthouse and keeper’s house. While the location is not quite as precarious as it first appears from a distance, the light is pretty close to the cliff’s edge and makes for some really great photos.
The keeper’s house is currently used by the Coast Guard and is not open to the public, but the grounds are. There’s a nice little platform lookout next to the lighthouse that allows you to catch great views out to the ocean.
So there’s our list of the 12 Best Things to Do in Bar Harbor. We hope you visit Bar Harbor yourself and see why we love it so much! Let us know in the comment section below if we can help.
About Us
We love traveling together to see incredible places and eat as much delicious vegan food as possible. This site is our way of helping you plan your perfect trip based on our experiences.
MORE DESTINATIONS
Ready to Book a Trip to Bar Harbor?
Here are our favorite travel resources:
Flight
Accommodation
Travel Insurance
Need More Help?
Check out our Full Travel Resources Page for our full list of resources to help you find the best deals.
Book Your Trip to Bar Harbor Today!
Ready to book your next adventure? We’ve compiled a list of all of our favorite travel resources to help you book your trip.
Flight
Skyscanner is our go to site for finding the best flights based on prices, dates, times and flight length. It’s incredibly intuitive playing around with all of the airports and dates to find the best deal.
Accommodation
There are a ton of great hotel/motel sites out there, but we almost always find ourselves booking our next hotel through Booking.com. The site is very user friendly and they often have more properties like small local motels than the bigger sites.
Travel Insurance
Whether you’re concerned about flight issues, medical emergencies or stolen luggage World Nomads has your back. We’ve used them for many of our trips and highly recommend their trip insurance for anyone looking for that extra level of protection. The rates are very affordable and you’ll know that you’re totally covered.
Need More Help Finding a Great Deal?
Check out our Full Travel Resources Page for our full list of resources to help you find incredible flight deals, book ocean front houses for a steal, find the perfect activity for us and so much more.
Related Posts
Top 10 Things to do in Seattle
Nestled between Olympic National Park and Snoqualmie National Park, there’s an endless list of gorgeous sites to visit within a short drive of Seattle.
Top 10 Things to Do in Maui
We loved EVERY SINGLE MINUTE we spent in Hawaii. Honestly, our list of Top Things to Do in Maui could’ve easily been 400 items long. It was so tough to narrow it to just 10.
Top 10 Vegan Restaurants in LA
LA has some of the best vegan restaurants in the world. Check out this list of our Top 10 Vegan Restaurants in Los Angeles.
Newsletter Subscription
Never miss our exclusive travel tips! Get them delivered directly to your inbox.
