Acadia National Park
We visited Acadia National Park as a part of our New England Road Trip in June of 2026. Everyone I have known that has visited has raved about Acadia and I was super excited to visit, but will say it was our least favorite stop on our trip. Part of that was because we had some really amazing stops, but also because it wasn’t a remote as some of the other National Park that we’ve visited. I’m used to driving into the gates of the park and then being JUST in the National Park. Acadia is spread out throughout Mount Desert Island with shops, restaurants, grocery store etc. mixed in. I think this made the park feel very busy and not as outdoorsy/isolated as I would have liked. With that said, we did make some cool stops and did still enjoy our time- if we had more time we would have driven over to Schoodic Peninsula where i’ve read it’s a lot quieter. But it was an hour drive from where we were at and we had previously been doing a lot of driving.
We hit all the highlights (Cadillac Mountain Sunrise, Jordan Pond, Lobster Rolls, Bar Island Tidepooling…) but I think that’s why we felt like Acadia was so busy- we did the most popular things. If we went back I would make a conscious effort to find the most off the beaten path and least talked about hikes. Acadia is one of the most dog friendly National Parks with over 100 miles of trails and 45 miles of carriage roads that are dog friendly! The only restrictions are some of the beaches/swimming areas, the Duck Harbor Campground, and a few hiking trails (like Beehive Trail which requires climbing ladders and rungs to get to the top).
Entrance Free is $35 per vehicle and it’s valid for 7 days or $70 for an Annual Pass. America the Beautiful pass is accepted. I suggest at least two full days of visiting to give yourself enough time to see some sunrises and go to some of the more remote areas of the park.
Cadillac Mountain
Cadillac Mountain at sunrise is most popular things to do in Acadia. In addition to your National Park Pass you will need a reservation from Recreation.gov. 30% go on sale 90 days in advanced and the other 70% go on sale 2 days in advance. Make sure you get there at least 30 minutes in advance to park and walk down to where you want to watch the sunrise (a lot of people stop right at the top by the parking area, but the further down you walk the more space/less people there will be).
Gorham Mountain
The Gorham Mountain Loop Trail is a 3.1 mile loop that will give you gorgeous cliff side views. We hike this trail right after our sunrise at Cadillac Mountain and had it mostly to ourselves (only passing one or two groups).
Bar Island Trail
At low tide each day, for 1.5 hour the water recedes and allows you to walk across to Bar Island. If you walk across along the trail it’s 1.9 miles round trip. But most people stop along the bar to go tide pooling- looking for crabs, snails, starfish, shells etc.
Jordan Pond Path
A 3.3 mile loop all the way around Jordan Pond. We walked part of the way then turned around so we could go set up camp, but almost the whole section we were on has these this boardwalks. There were areas every so often where you could step off to let others pass, but if you have a reactive dog this might be a hard path to navivate. We were walking later in the day and still passed quite a few people and dogs.
Jordan Pond House Restaurant
The outdoor seating at the restaurant is dog friendly, and is a great place to grab some lunch. They’re famous for their popovers (which are an eggy-style pastry that they pair with jam).
Where to Stay: We stayed at Quarry Ledge Campground which was the only “RV Campground” that we stayed at on this trip. It was centrally located, had clean bathhouses, and was quiet but it wasn’t anything special. There’s a TON of campgrounds around to choose from on Mount Desert Island. We didn’t stay at any of the National Park Campground because there were no showers and you would have to go out of the park/campground to shower which didn’t seem worth it (fine if you’re traveling with an RV with its own bathroom).
What to Eat: Abel’s Lobster- we knew we needed to try a Lobster Roll and I ended up choose Abel’s because it was more than just road-side stop with a long line. We stopped and waited only about 10 minutes for a table (and only because they were cleaning off a table so we could sit in the shade). You pay a little more for a Lobster Roll here versus some of the other spots (but they’re not cheap no matter what). We split a chilled Lobster Roll, corn on the cob (which they grilled right next to us at their outdoor grill/steamer), and some iced tea which was all so refreshing on a hot summer day!
Axel’s Pup Tip: Get out early and look for some unique hikes/stops to avoid the crowds.
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Must Do Hikes: Gorham Mountain Loop, Jordan Pond Path
