Anyone know realistically speaking how long it would take to drive from Bar Harbor to Saint John, NB? We will be traveling in late July. Mapquest.com estimates 5 1/2 hours, but that sounds a bit extreme for a 180 mile drive. Thanks for the help!!

ttt for Brondon

Ok, give this a shot, I used to drive to Calais from Bar Harbor all the time and this is the way I went. Calais is about 1 1/2 hrs to Saint John. I could make it to Calais from Bar Harbor (via Ellsworth) in about 3 hrs. Calais, ME is the border crossing that you take to get into Saint Stephen, NB. So, all in all, about 4.5 - 5 hrs tops. I don't know how many stops you make for drinks or bathroom, but if you drove straight, 4.5 hrs is definately do-able. This is how I would go - Rte.3 from Bar Harbor to Ellsworth, get on 1A through Ellsworth until you see the sign for Rte. 179/180, continue on Rte. 179 until you get to Rte. 9. Follow Rte. 9 North East until it ends and you take a right on Rte. 1 to the border in Calais, ME. Cross the border into New Brunswick, take Highway 1 North, straight to Saint John. Good luck.

Oh yeah, if you took Rte. 1 North the whole way, it's a lot farther, and slower!!!

The flaw with driving from Bar Harbor to St. John in around five hours is that you don't get to see the great places in between.

Are you sure you want to hurry?

BAK

Well, yes, Route 1 is more scenic, but going that other route that I suggested, will take you through a lakes region and some beautiful areas along Rte. 9 (the Airline). It's totally up to them. All locals would take Rte. 9 if they headed up to Saint John, via Calais.