Acadia National Park 2022

Acadia National Park was meant to be our first annual friend group trip. What better way to kickstart our tradition than watch the first sunrise in America. Maine is such a good state to visit. I loved this trip and would love to go back again. I am writing this a couple of years after going so I don’t have specifics of our itinerary but I will do my best to highlight as much as I can.

We chose to go in July because that gave us the best chance to see the first sunrise in America. It was busy at times because that’s one of the best times to go, but the weather was beautiful and it wasn’t like roasting hot because we were pretty far north. I’ve heard the fall is pretty too.

Thursday

We left on Wednesday night and arrived in Portland, Maine early Thursday morning. We went straight to our Airbnb and slept for the remainder of the morning. When we got up, we went to Bayside American Cafe for breakfast. I got their signature cinnamon bun pancake. It was really good.

Next, we went to the Portland harbor and got on a boat to go to Peak’s island. We mainly wanted to go to Peak’s island to ride bikes. Honestly, Peak’s island was nothing special. I envisioned it would be like riding bikes around Mackinaw Island but it ended up being not as nice. I think you can skip Peak’s Island unless you have some time to kill in Portland.

When we got back we went to Porthole Restaurant and Pub. I liked this place, it was nice getting to sit outside on the pier and I thought the lobster was good. Gretta and I split the twin lobster dinner that came with two lobsters, corn on the cob, steamed potatoes and drawn butter. It tasted so fresh and good. I am glad I tried this but I prefer my lobster prepared rather than doing it myself lol. It’s a lot of work to get the gross stuff off of the meat.

After our day in Portland, we drove up the coast about 3 hours to Milbridge where our Airbnb was. We settled in and went to sleep!

Friday

Our goal was to spend two whole days in Acadia National Park. We stayed at an Airbnb in Milbridge which is about an hour outside of Bar Harbor. It’s really expensive to stay in the town so we opted to save some money and use our time instead.

We did the Beehive trail in the morning because we knew it was going to be warm in the afternoon. It is 1.5 miles with an elevation gain of 500 feet. It’s labeled hard on All Trails only because there are ladders you have to climb up. The ladders are sturdy and not hard to climb at all. I liked this hike, we got some good views and it was fun to use the ladders. It was not hard to get up it.

*We really wanted to do Precipice Loop but it was closed when we were there due to the nesting of falcons. It’s basically like Beehive except twice the distance and elevation with ladders.

After finishing the loop, we set out to Jordan Pond. The drive is so beautiful and we even stopped a couple of times along the way for pictures and to admire the scenery. The boys even jumped off a bridge into a lake. The water was like turquoise, it was so beautiful.

We did the Jordan Pond path which is about 3 miles around Jordan Pond. It’s literally a flat path but it was cute walking around it. I mainly wanted to go here for their popovers. They have a really good popover sundae. We didn’t get the food so I am not sure if it’s good or not.

From there we headed to downtown Bar Harbor. We walked around and did some shopping before going to Stewman’s Lobster Pound for dinner. I wanted to get all the different forms of lobster haha. For this meal, I got the lobster rolls and they were delicious. I think this is a solid restaurant in Bar Harbor.

We of course needed to get ice cream for the second time that day. We went to CJ’s Big Dipper which is known for their blueberry soft serve which was absolutely divine. I mean anything blueberry in Maine is going to be amazing.

After ice cream, we opted to head home to go to bed early. I tried falling asleep around 8pm lol and got up around 12:30am to get ready to head to the trail.

Saturday

Cadillac North Ridge Trail is one of my favorite hikes! We were told to get to the lookout 30-45 minutes before the sun rises to get to see all of the colors. It’s 4 miles and about 1,100 feet elevation gain. We did it in a little less than 2 hours with minimal stops for breaks. We started hiking at 2:30am, got to the lookout a little before 4:30am and the sun was supposed to rise at 5am. It was fun and rewarding to actually hike it. You can book a parking spot online by entering into a lottery so you just have to drive to the lookout. I’ve heard they are hard to come by so I would suggest doing the hike because you won’t regret it!

*Bring a headlamp, flash lights also work.

We refueled at Cafe This Way in downtown Bar Harbor. It tasted so good after our hike. No matter what you get you need to add blueberry pancakes because that is what they are known for! I don’t have any pictures but trust me you should go.

We were feeling pretty tired after our morning adventures that we opted to go to Sand Beach and nap. It felt soooo nice and it was a beautiful day. I think we slept for like three hours haha.

We wanted to get one more hike in before leaving so we opted for Man O War Trail which is 2.7 miles with an elevation gain of 700 feet. This was not difficult especially after getting up so early and completing Cadillac Mountain. The views were decent and could be worth it if you have time but I would explore other trails.

Beal’s Lobster Place was close to the trail and on the water so it was a great place to hit up. I remember it being decent, but nothing crazy.

Before heading out, we stopped at Bass Harbor Lighthouse. It’s basically just a lookout but it’s really pretty so if you’re in the area it’s a good spot to checkout!

For the second half of our trip, we went to Mount Vernon. Isaac and Derek have a good family friend who moved out there to be closer to her grandma so we stayed at her friend’s place that was on a lake. It’s a cute town and we did a decent amount of things. If you’re looking for a quiet lake life, it could be a good place but it’s not like an absolute necessity to go there.

Sunday

This was a really good day filled with blueberry picking, swimming in the lake and a good sunset. I am unsure where Remi took us to pick wild blueberries but it was so fun. These ones were tiny but tasted amazing. It was super hot so we tried to go early in the morning.

They had some canoe’s so in the afternoon the boys took them out to fish and we sat on the dock and read. We ended up swimming because it was so hot but it was a chill afternoon.

Maine is known for their red colored hot dogs so of course we had to try. They were delicious! They made them red to distinguish them from others so if you have a chance to try them, you should!

For our last activity of the day we went back to the blueberry field for sunset. It was like the perfect ending to a great day!

We went back to our place and played games. If you want more information about Mount Vernon, let me know and I can try getting in contact with Remi!

Monday

Our last full day in Maine :( We started off the morning with fresh blueberry pancakes that we picked. I know I keep saying how good the blueberries are but just trust me you need to eat them any chance they get.

We packed up and left for Portland in the afternoon. It was a gross day filled with clouds and rain so we honestly didn’t do much. We went into town for dinner at J’s Oyster. The boys really wanted to go because some guy told them to go while they were fishing lol. That guy lead them on because it really wasn’t that good haha. Don’t bother going.

We ended the day with Dutch Blitz in our hostel! We stayed at Portland East Bayside hostel. I enjoyed it, we really just needed a place to sleep and we got a private room and bathroom so it worked out!

Tuesday

Nothing too eventful happened on this day. We went to Holy Donuts for breakfast which was great. They serve potato donuts and it’s a Portland classic!

Overall, Maine is a great place to visit and I highly recommend it! It’s perfect for people who want chill hikes but great views and food. It’s a great family spot. If you want intense hikes, you’ll probably be disappointed.