Maine with Kids - 2 days in Acadia National Park

 

Maine was the perfect road trip destination for us so far!  Lots of beaches, open areas to explore, good food and the weather was been amazing.  We wore masks and social distanced but for photos or outside and away from others we pulled them down.  

We planned for just two days in Acadia before heading back to NY.  The power was restored so we needed to go back to clean up the mess.  I was able to do laundry at our hotel before heading out to Acadia so that was a bonus!

Acadia National Park is large and two days wasn’t enough.  We chose a few quick kid friendly destinations  and plan to return to explore this park in more in depth.

First was Bar Island Park in the morning during low tide so we could walk out to Bar Island.  Parking along the street was easy to find and we paid $2/hour at the pay station.  It was a short flat walk along the beach with lots of little shells and pebbles lining it.  Once on the island there is a trail up to a viewpoint and the hike was easy with a slight incline and about 1 mile.   

The visitors center for Acadia National Park was up a set of stairs and the pass office only allowed 1 person in at a time.  We got a new parks pass.  The fee is waived for active duty military.  The park rangers had tents set up outside where I picked up a park map and junior ranger booklets.  

Sand beach was a bit crowded and the parking lot was full.  There was designated street parking along the right side of the road.  There are restrooms and a slicker to rinse your feet.  The beach is clean but small and the sand rough.  The kids did not care for all the seaweed in the water so we did not stay too long.  

Bubble hike was difficult.  The hike itself is not long but mostly uphill and my 4 year old found it to be challenging.  There are a few parts where you have to step on uneven rocks which was challenging for my husband and I as we were carrying our 23 month old and 3 month old.  The view is completely worth it!  There are two - southern bubble and northern bubble.

Cadillac mountain was an easy stop for us because we opted to drive up it to watch the sunset.  There is a small parking lot up top so we got there 30 minutes before the sun was estimated to set.  The view was beautiful and it was a lovely place to watch the sun set and think back on our incredible day!