Explore Acadia

Getting to Know Acadia National Park
& the Bar Harbor Area

Exploring Acadia is not only fun... it's easy, especially when you begin with an auto tour of Acadia National Park and then move on to the towns near Acadia.

Photo credit: skycaptaintwo/Flickr

There are many ways to explore this park and many different levels on which to experience the park. You can drive through on the Park Loop Road and never see any more of it than that. Or, you can have an active, outdoor type Acadia vacation.

It's all up to you...

First, Let's Get Oriented

I always find maps help you understand the nature of a place at first. It's kind of like starting out with "the big picture."

You might also want to stop into the Acadia National Park Visitors Center at Hulls Cove and pick up a map of the park. In fact, I highly recommend you do so. Roads are well-marked, but still...

Take a Tour

Next, we highly recommend you spend the money and time to do the Acadia National Park auto tour. Absolutely, the best way to get to know Acadia is to take the auto tour, using an audio CD you can buy at the Acadia Visitor Center near the Hulls Cove entrance to the park. (Or you can also download the Chimani app for smartphones/iPads.)

Even though we know Acadia by heart now, we still do the auto tour the first day of every Acadia vacation. It's a great way both to get acquainted AND re-acquainted with the park.

• Intro to the Tour
• Tour the Coast
• Tour the "Blackwoods"
• Branch Out to the Western Side of the Island
• See the Distant Regions of the Park

Even More Ways to Explore

And there's more...

• Understand the Acadian flora and fauna. The unique combination of forest, rock, and Maine climate has conspired to foster a unique ecosystem as well. Learn more about what kind of plant life and animal citizens you may encounter.

• Get the scoop on getting around Acadia. There are several modes of transportation available for people taking Maine vacations... car, foot, bicycle, bus, and trolley. Oh yes, and horses too! Learn more about your options here.

It's Not All About Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor is what people think of when they think of Acadia, but the truth is, there are a large number of towns and villages you might want to explore if you have time. A few of them are covered in the auto tour pages linked above, but there are others as well.

Check out towns near Acadia

Or, you might want to take some time on the water...

Exploring the islands of downeast Maine

As you can see, there truly are many ways to explore Acadia, so how you do it is up to you. Just DO take time to explore!

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