Itinerary and inspiration for a dog and kid friendly trip to Acadia!
Acadia National Park is often referred to as the “Crown Jewel of Maine” and is one of our favorite summer destinations in New England. It has the perfect mix of beginner and advanced trails, beaches and great local brews and cuisines. And it’s all a short drive from Boston, MA – read on to craft your own perfect itinerary for Acadia!
Getting to Acadia National Park
The closest airports to Acadia are Bar Harbor Airport (BHB – approx. 9 miles) and the Bangor International Airport (BGR – approx. 46 miles). If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, I would highly recommend flying into Boston Logan and doing the ~4 hour drive, well like to stop in Portland, ME for a meal and donuts from Holy Donuts!
You will need a Park Pass to enter Acadia – $30 per vehicle or $15 on foot. If you plan on visiting more than one National Park this year, the annual pass is $80 and gives you unlimited access to all US National Parks (but note Acadia is the only one in the Northeast!). You can find more information about the annual pass here.
The best time to visit (despite the crowds) really is in the summer – July and August are our favorite months, the weather is consistent and the rain is at a minimum! Fall Foliage is also a great time to visit however it can get wet and rainy and in recent years the peak foliage tends to vary considerably – if you’re planning a Fall visit, be sure to check the foliage tracker here.
Where to stay while visiting Acadia National Park
Let me start off by saying I am NOT a camper – it’s never been my thing and I am even less inclined to do so with a toddler now. We are big fans of the Residence Inn in Bangor, ME. It has been recently remodeled and is a dog friendly hotel, and with the availability of a kitchen it works really well for toddler meal times! It’s about a 40 min drive to Acadia but even on peak summer days you hardly hit traffic and its a gorgeous drive. I have stayed in the past in Bar Harbor proper and as beautiful as it is, we have enjoyed staying a little farther away to avoid the summer crush of tourists. An added bonus is that you can see Stephen King’s house in Bangor a few blocks from the hotel and you’re walking distance to a giant statue of Paul Bunyan!
If you are looking to stay in Bar Harbor itself, here are a few options but please make sure to check that their pet policies haven’t changed since this post was published:
Make your Dog a BARK Ranger
One of the cutest things I have seen – Acadia National Park has an activity checklist you can complete with your dog and have them sworn in as a BARK Ranger. You can also purchase a collar tag at the visitor’s center and is a great keepsake of your trip!
Our Favorite Acadia Spots
Our trips have been with our dog Astrid and my husband carries our son in a hiking backpack; we stick to fairly easy trails and ones that my toddler could technically walk on if he gets sick of being in the backpack. That said, I have included at the bottom a few more challenging trails I have done pre-kid and dog!
Ocean Path Trail
About 4.5 miles round trip, this path is a must visit at Acadia. It is flat the whole way and goes right by the ocean so you can see the cliffs of Maine. You can access Thunder Hole and Otter Point along this trail as well to check off more of your Acadia list. Thunder Hole is an underwater sea cave that expel wave through its hole upto 40 ft in the air – the best time to visit is 2 hours before and after high tide. Otter Cliffs are the highest point of the trail with 110 ft cliffs
Be aware that Ocean Path Trail can get crowded with a constant stream of people in both directions so keep that in mind if your pup is not good around people.
Jordan Pond and Jordan Pond House
Another must do at Acadia is Jordan Pond – a 187 acre pond surrounded by trees and mountains it has a beautiful flat trail around the pond, approx. 3 miles. At the edge of Jordan Pond is the famous Jordan Pond House, a restaurant operating since the 1890s and most famous for their popovers and jam. The walk around Jordan Pond is really pretty with only a few spots of climbing over little bridges over the water and is one where our toddler likes to walk on his own. You can also branch out from Jordan Pond to one of the more challenging trails like the Bubbles (more on that later!).
Jordan Pond House is one of the few sit down places in the entire park and they do allow dogs but they get very packed, I typically make reservations a month in advance when their reservation system opens up. Note that the reservation only gets you to the top of the waitlist not a guaranteed spot but we’ve never waited longer than 20 min to get a table versus folks that come up to put their names down typically have an hour wait. Another thing to take note of is that parking is very limited in the area so you will be circling around looking for spots – if you hit up Jordan Pond in the morning it will likely be different as you’ll miss the lunch crown.
Carriage Roads
Acadia has 45 miles of Carriage Roads throughout the park: a gift from the Philanthropist John D Rockafeller Jr. & Family. The roads were built the hillside lines and maintain the scenic views while offering a motor free way of seeing Acadia and now are popular trails for the bikers that visit Acadia. It’s a great option for pedestrians as well to get scenic views and they tend to be more quiet than the more popular trails.
Ship Harbor & Wonderland Trail
We love to checkout the Southwest Harbor side of Acadia – there are fewer trails but then also fewer people though it is a farther drive than the main Acadia Park that is right next to Bar Harbor. The Ship Harbor and Wonderland Trails are right next to each other and a little over a mile each – you can reach the water and have your little ones see the tide pools.
When you’re driving back from this trails, make sure to stop at Rodick’s - a small restaurant on the side of the road with quintessential lobster rolls, fries and sandwiches!
Cadillac Mountain
No Acadia list is complete without Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the Eastern seaboard of the US. As one of the first places to see sunrise in the country, it is a very popular sunrise spot. Vehicle reservations are required May through October (purchased here) and they do sell out pretty quick so if sunrise is what you’re looking for, check weeks in advance of your trip. We opted to go later in the morning and were able to find day of reservations for the afternoon.
The drive up to Cadillac Mountain is 3.5 miles with switchbacks and it is a short walk from the parking to the summit views which are a nice <1 mile loop. It tends to be really windy so make sure to bring extra layers for the summit.
If you are looking for some more challenging trails, here are a few options:
- The Bubbles – one of my favorite hikes in Acadia, there is either the North or South loops but both are challenging and have some parts were you need to climb a ladder which makes it not great for dogs
- Beech Mountain West Ridge: Dog are allowed on this trail but there are steep sections that might make it challenging
Final Tips for your stay at Acadia
- Wear Layers: The weather can change rapidly at Acadia so bring layers; if you are going to go to the top of Cadillac Mountain consider bringing a hat and gloves as it tends to get windy and very chilly at the top even in the summer
- Beaches & Ponds: Dogs are not allowed on any of the beaches or ponds during the peak season (May through September) so remember that if you’re traveling with your pup. Ponds such as Jordan Pond are sources of water for the local area and so dogs (or humans) are never allowed
AvoGoodMeal 
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