If You Have 1 Day
If you only have one day on Mount Desert Island, spend it in Acadia National Park, saving Bar Harbor for dinner at Side Street Cafe or Geddy’s. At Hulls Cove Visitor Center, get maps, information, and a park pass (if you don’t have one). Then drive Park Loop Road, stopping at scenic spots like Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliff; from late May to late October, a reservation is needed to drive up Cadillac Mountain. Save time to hike a trail, or to walk or bike the carriage roads—several converge at Jordan Pond on the loop road’s two-way section.
If You Have 3 Days
If you have three days on Mount Desert Island, stay in Bar Harbor. There’s lots to occupy you in the busy resort town on Day 1, from bustling boutiques to interesting museums to the Bar Harbor Shore Path (check for closures due to storm damage). On Day 2, head to Acadia National Park, stopping at Hulls Cove Visitor Center for maps, information, and a park pass (if you don’t have one). Drive Park Loop Road to get the lay of the land, leaving time for stops at scenic overlooks and renowned locales like Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. If you get a reservation (needed late May through late October), drive up Cadillac Mountain. On Day 3, rent a bike and explore the network of carriage roads that crisscross the park. Head to Jordan Pond for a hike or at least to enjoy the view from the observation deck of the Jordan Pond House restaurant, famous for its popovers. Other hiking options in this area of the park include The Bubbles, overlooking the lake, or for something more challenging, Penobscot Mountain. Or rent kayaks or take a guided kayak tour.
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If You Have 5 Days
Follow the three-day itinerary above. On Day 4, drive to Northeast Harbor, the summer home of many of the country’s wealthiest families. Their legacy lives on at the Land & Garden Preserve, which has three world-renowned public gardens (open seasonally) and trails and carriage roads (no bikes) at Little Long Pond Natural Lands. In Seal Harbor, stop at the beach right along Route 3, even if it’s just to savor the view. Northeast Harbor has a nice cluster of shops and galleries, a few restaurants, and a small maritime museum. On your last day, make the trip to iconic Bass Harbor Head Light below Southwest Harbor on the island’s “quiet side.” Next (or first), hop a whale-watch or scenic cruise; the latter depart from not only Bar Harbor but Bass Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor. Or soak up the views on a round-trip ferry ride—a good value—out of these locales.