Travel Diary: Bar Harbor, Maine to Hike Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park
I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to recap our 2020 trip to Maine because Maine is one of my favorite states in the U.S. I grew up visiting my father's family in Island Falls during the summer, and during college I learned to snowboard at Sunday River ski resort in Newry.
My husband had never been to the state, though, and I was eager to take him. When I was scheduled to have a health procedure at the beginning of October 2020, we decided to schedule a New England road trip afterwards as a way to either cheer me up if it were bad news or to celebrate if it were good news. Luckily, the procedure had good results and so we were able to start our road trip on a high note!
On October 2, we drove from Virginia to Vermont --> New Hampshire --> Maine, and then we added a few days in Massachusetts last-minute to catch up with one of my college teammates. I think we were a few days too early for the foliage, but we still had the best time with all our hikes and lobster.
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tips and advice:
- First and foremost: Enjoy the lobster!!!
- Maine is famous for its blueberries, so you'll see plenty of menu options that include the tiny blue fruit -- including some options that seem unusual. Go ahead and try them out!
- Maine's Acadia Park is one of the United States' 63 national parks. If you're interested in visiting, here is helpful information on how to plan your visit. There are many hikes within the park, and the one we did (Precipice Trail) is considered the park's most thrilling trail because it is the most exposed. Here is a guide to hiking Precipice Trail.
- I always recommend taking any rings off for hikes, but I'd especially recommend it for Precipice Trail because you have to use your hands to scramble over the boulders.
itinerary:
Hotel: We stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort Bar Harbor - Acadia Natl Park. Because we got married at an IHG property in December 2019, we had so many points that they covered our hotels for the duration of our road trip. And the best part of our IHG membership is that our level includes complimentary upgrades if they're available.
I honestly can't speak very much to this hotel's amenities; because of the pandemic, we avoided enclosed or crowded spaces, spending our time either in our room or outside. However, it overlooked Frenchman Bay and had a pool and hot tub, which made us happy.
Day 1: We arrived from New Hampshire and ordered lobster rolls for dinner to eat in our hotel room.
Day 2: We wanted to start our morning at the Bar Harbor Inn's Terrace Grille for outdoor waterfront dining, but it was closed for a private event. We started walking around downtown Bar Harbor and saw Route 66, which had turned parking spaces on the street into outdoor eating areas with picnic tables, so we had lunch there. Afterwards we continued to explore the downtown area and meander in and out of shops until dinner at Side Street Cafe (which had the most incredible baked crab dip!!). We finished the night by grabbing a bottle of wine and sharing it in our hotel's hot tub.
Day 3: This was an early morning! We woke up in time to head to Acadia National Park to catch the sunrise. Multiple people had recommended catching the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain because it's the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., is accessible by car, and is the first sight of the sunrise in the U.S. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that beginning in 2020 reservations were required for part of October, so we stayed on Sand Beach to watch the sunrise instead. (Learn more about the reservation system here.)
Afterwards, we stayed in the park to hike Precipice Trail. This is a 2.3 mile hike that uses iron-rung railings as ladders or for ledges. I was very nervous about the hike but ended up loving it (though admittedly my husband and I both enjoy heights). We did see two groups give up, including at the very beginning of the trail, where there is a high boulder you have to pull yourself up over using iron rungs, which was tricky!
When we finished our hike and returned to the car, we took the long way around the park to take in all the views before heading to Cafe This Way for snacks and drinks. We wandered around Bar Harbor some more (including grabbing some ice cream to go from Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium) before having dinner at Havana.
Day 4: Left to start making our way back down the East Coast to Virginia! On the way, we stopped in Portland, Maine, for lobster rolls from Eventide Oyster Co. They were very good but I'm not sure good enough to justify the price or the long line. (Even the wait to order for pick-up was long!)
photo diary:
where to eat and drink:
- Route 66
- Terrace Grill
- Cafe This Way
- Side Street Cafe -- and order the baked crab dip!
- The Thirsty Whale
- Havana
- The Chart Room
- Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium
- Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park
what to do:
- Explore Acadia National Park! There are hundreds of trails with a variety of expertise level, but it's also accessible by car. You can also rent bikes for the carriages paths.
- Sail around Frenchman's Bay (you could take a boat tour or or try water sports -- and if the season is right, you could try whale watching!)
- Relax in Agamont Park (we took our ice cream from Ben and Bill's and ate it here)
- Visit Abbe Museum or the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History
- Take the Cranberry ferry from Southwest Harbor over to Little Cranberry Island
links I used or recommend:
- Ali on the Run: "36 Hours in Bar Harbor, Maine"
- As Told By Ash and Shelbs: "Bar Harbor, Maine | Travel Diary"
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