After I spent a few days in Acadia National Park back in 2013, I’ve been dying to go back. With everything beginning to open back up, it was the perfect opportunity to take a road trip to Maine.

Spending the week before Memorial Day in the park meant avoiding the crowds one would typically expect. Getting out and around on Mount Desert Island and all the trails was much quieter without all the crowds. Here are my favorite things from the week in the park.

There are two big pieces of advice to make your trip the best it can be:

Get up early. The park gets busy after 10am - even in the off season. Be on the trails before 9am and you’ll have no trouble finding a parking space. Grab the best breakfast plate in town - The Country Breakfast - at Cafe This Way right when they open at 7am.
Let the sun set your schedule. Time your meals you be out doing things around sunrise and sunset. In the summer, this means getting up crazy early (3:00am) and going back to Bar Harbor for breakfast and a nap. Eat dinner on the early side and head back out into the park for sunset.

1//Jordon Pond and the Bubbles

One of the first things we visited is Jordan Pond. The hike around the lake is about 4.5 miles. Add in the hike up South Bubble to Bubble Rock and you wind up with a nearly 6 mile hike. Finish it off with popovers at Jordan Pond House and you’ve got great half day in the park. It’s a beautiful way to experience the wide variety of the landscapes in Acadia National Park - wooded trails, rocky cliffs, and scrambling up rocky outcrops.

Be careful when you attack the bubbles. Depending on your skill and comfort level, make sure you go in the right direction. There is an easy way and a hard way to approach the mountain. We took the Eagle Lake Carry from Jordan Pond up to the Bubbles Divide Trail rather than taking the much steeper route up the south side of South Bubble.

2// Bass Head Harbor Lighthouse

Bass Head Harbor Lighthouse is another one of those iconic places on Mount Desert Island. Its an amazing place to sit on the rocks and watch sunset. It takes a little effort to get the iconic view - you’ve got to scramble down over the rocks to the edge of the water. Depending on the tides, the rocks can be quite slippery.

The evening we were at the lighthouse, The sky exploded. With only a 15% sunset forecast, this was a bit of a gamble. The saving grace either way was the quality of the clouds in the sky. Even if the sunset had been a dud, the clouds would have made for a beautiful composition with the lighthouse.

3//Ocean Path

Ocean Path is the iconic landscape of Acadia. The rocky cliffs and pine trees create that iconic look. The 4.5 mile out and back trail hits some of the most popular spots in the park. Thunderhole, Monument Cove, and Boulder Beach are all immediately off the trail. The trails ends and turns around at Otter Point, the least impressive part of the trail in my opinion. We turned back not long after Boulder Beach, making the walk about 3 miles rather than 4.5

The Ocean Path is a great location for Sunrise. The east facing cliffs catch the sunlight durning morning golden hour and the rocks make for great foreground interest in your images. Boulder Beach (above) has some dramatically large, perfectly rounded rocks that make it a unique place in the park.

4//Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain

Any list of things to do would not be complete without Cadillac Mountain. The highest coastal mountain on the eastern coast of North American, this is the first point in the United States to see the sunrise for part of the year. Showing up at 3:30 in the morning can be rewarded with a dramatic panorama across the surrounding landscape. Views overlooking Bar Harbor make some dramatic vistas. Find those views with some foreground interest. It adds depth and detail to the photos and simply photographing a beautiful sunrise lacks.

Starting this year, the Park Service is starting a Reservation System on Recreation.gov to help control the crowds. You can only get one pass per 7 days and the passes open up 2 days before.

5//Great Head and Sand Beach

A short but interesting trail, the Great Head Loop connects to Sand Beach and provides some beautiful woodland and ocean views. This trail has a little bit of everything - woodland trails, a sandy beach, and scrambling over rocky outcrops. From the parking area, bear to the right to head down to the beach first to finish the trail going downhill.

6//Ship Harbor Trail

This flat and easy trail is perfect for a day after a bigger hike. One the quiet side of the island near Bass Head Harbor Lighthouse and Seawall Pond, walking along the ocean has some really beautiful views. The figure-eight trail has a woodland component and a seaside component, allowing you to understand the different ecosystems of the park.

7//Gorham Mountain and the Bowl

Starting just off the Ocean Path, the Gorham mountain trail provides an opportunity for a different view of many places already seen on the list. Gaining just over 500 feet in eight-tenths of a mile, this is a great trail to try if you aren’t sure of your skill level. Add in the hike up to the Bowl for a magical mountain lake view.

8//Sunset Cruise on the Margaret Todd

One of the best things about Bar Harbor and Acadia is the proximity to the ocean. There are numerous boat tours that will take you around the island. The Margaret Todd of Downeast Windjammer Tours will give you a unique experience to see a 4 masted schooner in action. Taking in the views as the sun goes down adds to the experience.