2026-08-22 Acadia-002 Acadia National Park

<<< Summary >>>

Come join the like-minded adventurers for a weeklong exploration of Acadia National Park. It is located along the rocky coastline of Maine, occupying most of the 108-square mile island of Mount Desert Island and several neighboring smaller islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Mount Desert Island's appeal is the combination of majestic rounded mountain vistas with the nearby ocean and the beautiful forested valleys, streams, and lakes in between.

One of the must do’s when exploring Acadia is to enjoy fresh lobster, clam chowder, and blueberry pie at one of the roadside lobster pounds or restaurants in the area.

This trip will explore Acadia National Park in 8 days and 7 nights. These carefully evaluated and selected daily outings are all among various top 10 lists published in the media for Acadia National Park.

More photos of Acadia National Park

More info of Acadia National Park

<<< Logistics >>>

We’ll meet every morning from Day 2 to Day 7.

The meeting place and meeting time will be provided to the trip participants.

<<< Itinerary >>>

Day 1: 2026-08-22 Saturday.

Arrive at Acadia National Park in Maine; and check in lodging. This is a good day spending some time explore downtown Bar Harbor shops and attractions; or driving the famous 27 miles Park Loop Road to get an overview.

Day 2: (8 miles)

Cadillac Mountain. The summit of Cadillac Mountain is one of the "must see" spots in Acadia. It’s the highest point on the North Atlantic seaboard.

We'll take the South Ridge Trail to the summit. We’ll check out the summit loop trail and find a good spot for lunch. We’ll take a restful break there and fully enjoy the surrounding vista. We'll then hike the North Ridge Trail back to our cars.

This will be a point-to-point one way route. We’ll take 2 routes of free Island Explorer bus (Island Loop/#4 and Blackwoods/#10) to get to the starting point. We must be on time. If we miss the bus, then we'll have to wait for 1 more hour for the next bus.

Day 3: (13 miles)

Precipice Loop Trail is a very popular hike in the park, so we have to start early to have better chance of getting parking space.

Precipice Trail (3.2 mile/ 1000 feet ascent); rated strenuous with iron rungs. According to the Nation Park Service, this trail is not recommended for people with a fear of heights. It is perfectly okay if you want to skip this morning hike. There is more info at this link Hike_Precipice_Loop

We’ll have free time after the morning hike to eat breakfast. We’ll meet again later in the morning for another hike.

Acadia Mountain/ Flying Mountain/ St Sauveur Mountain Loop Trail (6 miles); we’ll find a good spot for our lunch break.

We'll hike Wonderland Trail (1.5 miles) and Ship Harbor Trail (1.5 miles) in the afternoon.

Dinner at Thurston’s Lobster Pound at address: 9 Thurston Rd, Bernard, ME 04612.

After dinner: Bass Harbor Lighthouse Trail (1.5 miles) to enjoy the famous sunset at 7:23 pm. This is one of the iconic light houses in Maine.

Day 4: (18 miles)

Carriage Roads 18 miles: Witch Hole Pond, Eagle Lake, and Jordan Pond Loop.

We have 2 options today: biking or hiking. Bicycle rental shops are available in Bar Harbor, and they can deliver to any starting point.

Carriage Roads are wide and nicely graveled for us to explore. No cars are allowed on them. It’s a great way to visit park’s major sites from Carriage Roads network.

Jordan Pond House, rated one of the best restaurants in any national park, is conveniently located on the south side of the pond and offers up excellent views of the Bubbles (South Bubble Mountain and North Bubble Mountain) across the water. We’ll make lunch reservation for our group.

Day 5: (9 miles)

We’ll meet very early to watch sunrise. Make sure to bring headlamp, some hot drinks, and dress warmly.

Catching the sunrise is the absolute must do this week. On a morning with interesting clouds in the sky, the view is spectacular!

It’s the first place to see the sunrise in America for much of the year. We’ll need to bundle up in warm jacket to watch lights break over Frenchman Bay.

After watching sunrise we’ll have free time to eat breakfast and self-touring. We’ll meet again later in the morning.

We’ll hike Beehive Trail (1.6 miles rated strenuous with iron rungs), Great Head Trail, Ocean Path Trail, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, and Gorham Mountain trails.

Day 6: (14 miles)

Jordan Pond Path, South Bubble, Eagle Lake, Corners Nubble, North Bubble Trails (7.5 miles).

We’ll have lunch at the famous Jordan Pond House. We’ll make lunch reservation for our group.

After lunch: Pemetic Mountain (6.5 miles) by Pemetic South Ridge Trail, Pemetic North Ridge Trail, and Carriage Roads.

Day 7: (12 miles)

Sargent Mountain and Penobscot Mountain (9 miles) including Cedar Swamp Mountain, The Amphitheater, Mitchell Hill, Penobscot Mountain, Sargent Mountain, Gilmore Peak, Parkman Mountain, and Bald Peak.

We’ll also visit Hemlock Bridge, Waterfall Bridge, Amphitheater Bridge, and Little Harbor Brook Bridge.

Hunters Beach Trail: A trip to Acadia National Park would not be complete without hiking to one of Mount Desert Island's cobblestone beaches. Located on the southern coast of the east side of the island, Hunters Beach is a beautiful cove covered with ocean-tumbled rocks and a babbling brook flowing through the rocks into the ocean.

Day 8:  Our group event ends today.

<<< Difficulty Level >>>

Our trip is rated at the AOC’s D5 difficulty levels. The continuous nature of daily outings requires all participants to be physically prepared and trained before taking this trip. It is okay if you want to skip an outing to rest, or explore some of the popular areas on your own.

<<< How to get there >>>

There are 4 different airports to choose to go to Acadia National Park.

1. Bangor, Maine. Driving time to Acadia NP is about 1 hour. Delta has direct flights from Atlanta.
2. Logan International airport, Boston MA. Driving time to Acadia NP is about 5 hours along the beautiful New England coastline.
3. Manchester, NH. Driving time to Acadia NP is about 4 hours.
4. Portland, Maine. Driving time to Acadia NP is about 3 hours.

<<< How to sign up >>>

This web page is designed so that you can only put yourself on the waiting list. Once you’re verified to be suitable for this trip, you will be moved to the participant list.

<<< How to qualify >>>

Group will be selected by:

Willingness to follow instructions from the trip leader

History of social compatibility in the AOC group setting

History of participation in the AOC events

You must have a recent D5, and you can comfortably finish a Kennesaw 10 hike in 4.5 hours; or personally I know your hiking ability and fitness condition is qualified.

You must have a rental car, or you’ll be disqualified to participate.

The payment of $25 only covers AOC Service Fee. All costs (transportation, lodging, meals & drinks, and etc.) are paid by members on their own.

Itinerary is subject to change at the discretion of the trip leader.

Transportation

Everyone is responsible for his/her own transportation the entire trip, i.e. flights and rental cars. Sharing rental car is a commitment to coordinating and staying together the entire trip including flight schedule. Please be thoughtful when making such commitment.

Lodging

We will stay in the area not too far from Acadia NP as our home base. The popular Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and Southwest Harbor have many choices. Plenty of options are available between Ellsworth and Trenton on the mainland.

VRBO, Airbnb, and Booking.com are popular sites among many others to compare, search, and book for lodging. There are also camping and lodging options inside the park provided by National Park Service.

I will set up a group chat in WhatsApp for our group conversation once our roster is set. You can use it to facilitate sharing lodging and rental car conversations.

Weather

There are numerous restaurants and grocery stores in the area to choose.

Walmart Supercenter: 17 Myrick St, Ellsworth, ME 04605

Hannaford Supermarket: 86 Cottage St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 

Our vacation trip is an AOC paid event.

There is a non-refundable AOC Service Fee $25 required to pay to AOC by yourself.

As far as I know this is the only reliable income source for our club that we all enjoy to be one of its members. I am in full support of this requirement.

Personally I see it as an opportunistic donation to support our club.

I hope everyone is very happy to contribute even if you had to cancel later on for whatever reason it may be.

When you login to your AOC account, there is a payment tag for you to make payment to AOC.

If you miss the payment date, you will be removed from the list.

There is no refund for cancellation.

The payment due date is October, 17, 2025.

If you miss the payment due date, you will be moved back to the waiting list.

There is no refund for cancellation.