We'll be arriving in Bangor around 9:00 p.m., and then heading to Bar Harbor for a few days. Will we need to spend the night in Bangor first, or is it reasonable to think that we can drive to Bar Harbor that night?

Six of one half dozen of another. You can do the drive easily, but in the morning it is a very nice, scenic drive. Worth unpacking and packing a suitcase for? I dunno.

we just did that trip this summer. Where are you staying in BH? When are you going. You can do the trip. Probably better to wake up where you want to be.

It might depend on how you feel about small, windy, unfamiliar roads at night.

~Liz

you can walk from the terminal, through a glass bridge over the driveway in front of the airport doors, directly into the sheraton hotel. i would def do this.
i just called and they do room service til 10:45.
the drive down to bar harbor takes about 1 1/2 hours and is lovely but as elberko pointed out part of the way is an old, windy, with close trees.

Thanks everyone. It sounds like it would be best to spend the night in Bangor, and then be able to enjoy the drive the next day.

Agree with driving to Bar Harbor - it's only an hour drive - it would probably take you that long to get to a hotel in Bangor, check in, unpack.

Better to wake up in Bar Harbor.

On the other hand, depending upon your dates, prices will be far lower for spending the night in Bangor than Bar Harbor...

Specifically the hotel at the aiport in Bangor is the Four Points by Sheraton. We stayed there one time when we got snowed in a couldn't pick up our rental car until the next day. Although you certainly can make the drive that night, if your flight is delayed in Boston or New York or wherever you are connecting from it might be a very late night. The roads are very dark and rural, so I guess I would recommend staying in Bangor. But it really is a toss up and depends on how much of a night owl you are.