8 Incredible Sights in Acadia National Park You Need to Visit this Autumn

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This post is about Acadia National Park.

Looking for the perfect autumn getaway? Look no further! Acadia National Park is the trip you’ve been longing for! At least it definitely was the one for me.

After grinding out two years of college at an unusually fast pace, I was ready for some travel. (My college’s specialty was 20 months year-round of classes and then graduate with a bachelor’s degree). But then the big C hit, and all hopes of finding work and returning to travel were lost. Thankfully, time had passed and with it came covid tests and masks and quarantines. And small, safe travel become a possibility again.

My best friend and I being trapped at home with remote schooling and work took this opportunity and planned a trip. A road trip up to Maine would have to do. 

Acadia National Park is an amazing place to visit if you are ever traveling in the Northeast. I highly recommend going in the fall to see the magnificence that is Maine in autumn. There truly is nothing quite as magical as the foliage filled roads.

With this guide you will have no problem booking your trip to Acadia, Maine because I have it all written out for you. From hikes to hotels, you’ll have everything you need to have the perfect trip!

When to Go to Acadia:

Planning when to take the drive up to Maine was very important because we wanted to catch the fall foliage at its peak. After some research, we found that The Foliage Network gave the best update to what the “foliage forecast” would look like. You can sign up for weekly emails that keep you up to date on how close you are to peak season.

We decided to go a few days after peak to avoid the crowds. And it couldn’t have gone more perfectly! Although this did mean that we went out of season and there were some restaurants closed in the neighboring towns, we successfully missed all of the crowds.  

Where We Stayed Near Acadia:

We stayed at the lovely Acadia Hotel! This charming boutique hotel was the perfect place for our wanderings around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park which is just a ten-minute drive down the road. 

This hotel also came with free breakfast and bikes you could borrow to ride around town. This was by far my favorite thing about the hotel, and we had a lovely morning of biking out to the shore to watch the sunrise!

I could not recommend this place enough to anyone traveling to the area. Make sure to book in advance for the best prices and best rooms! I suggest looking for deals on Booking.com which is where we got the lowest prices for our stay.

If you are planning a trip to Acadia, then you must stay in Bar Harbor! Bar Harbor is the most adorable coastal town about ten minutes from Acadia National Park’s entrance. Here is where I recommend you not only stay but also eat. The town has so many restaurants to choose from, so you won’t have trouble finding places to eat.

Acadia National Park:

This park rivals the Tetons (read my blog post here!) and Zion for my favorite national park. Especially during the fall foliage, this park is an absolute dream!

There is so much to do within the park that you could spend weeks doing all the trails, but I’ve compiled a list of the places you must absolutely stop and see! You won’t want to miss a single place on this list.

Park Loop Road – Best Road in Acadia

This is the best advice I can give anyone adventuring around Acadia. 27 miles of foliage paradise! This road will also take you to all the trailheads, overlooks, and touristy spots in this main section of the park.

Cadillac Mountain – Best Sunset in Acadia

If you have the opportunity to do both sunrise and sunset at Cadillac Mountain Summit, I highly recommend this be at the top of your list! Every day we went into the park, we spent a portion of our time on the overlooks. We would do class and work up there with my hot spot, and even eat takeout up there. This was our favorite spot in the park for sure.

If you are going for sunrise or sunset, be warned to get there at least an hour early. People camp out as early as three hours before hand just to get a good spot. Sunrise was absolutely mobbed, and we had to park a literal mile away!

Jordan Pond Hike

The most family friendly trail is the Jordan Pond Hike! A 3.5-mile loop around the pond gives you wonderful views of the surrounding mountains including the Bubble Mountains. The entire trail is flat making it easily walkable for all ages!

We were planning to hike the bubble mountains that you see in the distance in the photo above; however, it was very cloudy on the day we planned to go. We decided it wouldn’t really be worth it to hike all that way and not be able to admire the view from the top because of the clouds.

The best part of this trail you ask? Stop by Jordan Pond House for some popovers! These popovers covered in jam were so delicious that we stopped here twice! The line usually gets pretty long, but they are well worth the wait!

Ship Harbor Trailhead

This 1.3-mile trail was positively serene! We had this entire hike to ourselves which made for an even better experience. Climbing around on the rocks by the ocean was the perfect fall aesthetic. This hike was an easy one but might not be accessible to all ages due to some rocky areas.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Want a beautiful view with no effort involved? Head over to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse! Park at the parking lot and walk down the short walkway to the viewing platform.

This is also a great spot for sunset if you have a second night, and you have already caught sunset on Cadillac Mountain. 

Great Head Trail Hike

A 1.4-mile loop trail rated as moderate for its semi rocky sections gives you great ocean and forest views! Best part is the view of Sand Beach. Since it was a bit overcast in October, we decided to forego a lounge on the beach and shot some photos from a far instead.

Thunder Hole – Favorite View of Acadia

A very popular spot among tourists, Thunder Hole is a little cove just off of Park Loop Road. The lure to this spot is that when the waves crash against the cove, it sounds like thunder roaring. You might have to listen carefully a couple of times before you can hear it, but nevertheless, it’s a great spot for photos!

Of course, if you are wandering on the rocky edges, be sure to watch for slippery spots. There is no guard rail, so you are free to climb around wherever you want. But be careful of those rough waves that come up to splash the rocks. You may just get wet.

Otter Cliff

Next, we’ve got another popular spot on Park Loop Road. A great spot to watch the ocean crash against the rocky shore. Careful not to get too close or you’ll get soaked! Not that it happened to me or anything.

A Weekend in Acadia

And that’s all of the best spots you need to see in Acadia National Park! There are literally countless trails and overlooks in this park, so it is easy to be overwhelmed by the number of things to see and do. 

With this guide, you’ll know exactly what is worth your time! I will say you could probably squeeze all of this into one day, but I highly recommend taking at least two days to adventure around. Acadia seriously cannot be missed, so don’t try to rush a single moment of it. Enjoy the magic.

Don’t miss my post on all things Bar Harbor which is the main town right outside of Acadia. Like I mentioned before, this is a great place to call homebase while adventuring in the park. I highly recommend at least stopping by if not making a day out of adventuring around this beautiful coastal town.

I also have a post on stops to add to your Maine road trip which is linked here. Most are right along scenic route one, so you won’t need to detour! Route One takes you through so many cute towns that it can feel impossible to decide which ones to stop in. My post will help you determine which ones are worth the pit stop.

And don’t forget to stop in the towns of Westerly and Mystic which I also have a post for! Mystic most famously known for being the backdrop of the Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza. And Westerly is an adorable beach town which is also home to Taylor Swift’s beach house! The beach house is the inspiration to her folklore song, Last Great American Dynasty.

This post is all about Acadia National Park.