Camping in Acadia National Park


We spent a week camping in Acadia National Park with my parents, and it was an incredible trip. It was my first time in Maine, and it exceeded all expectations. With its coastal location, the views were breathtaking. The campground also surpassed my expectations. It was more secluded than anticipated, which offered a perfect view of the stars at night.

A few important details to know about the park before reading the itinerary. 

  • Mount Desert Island is the island that majority of the park is on.
  • Bar Harbor is the town located on Mount Desert
  • Schoodic Peninsula is part of Acadia National park, but not located on Mount Desert
    • You can get to the Schoodic Peninsula from Mount Desert by car or by ferry
      • By car - depending on where you're at, its 1 to 1.5 hours
      • By ferry
        • Departs Winter Harbor (Schoodic Peninsula): 10am, 12pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, and 6:30pm
        • Departs Bar Harbor: 9am, 11am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, amd 5:30pm
        • Cost: $20 roundtrip
          • Bring your bike for an extra $5!
        • Length: 45 minutes
        • If you're taking the ferry from Winter Harbor, once you get to Bar Harbor you'll have to catch a shuttle to the Park
        • Purchase ferry tickets

CAMPING AT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

  • There are 4 campgrounds in the park
    • Blackwoods - Located on the east side of Mount Desert Island
    • Seawall - Located on the west side of Mount Desert Island
    • Schoodic Woods - Located on Schoodic Peninsula
    • Duck Harbor - Located on Isle au Haut and only accessible by mailboat from the mainland
  • Most of the campgrounds are available to make reservations 6 months in advance. Things fill FAST. I was online trying to reserve my campsite exactly six months before my trip, and I was not alone. 
  • We opted for the Schoodic Woods campground because it was the only campground that offered electric and water
    • Loop A - Electric only
    • Loop B - Electric and water 

DAY 1 - LEAVE/ DRIVE HALFWAY

Saturday

We live in Maryland, about 12 hours from the park, so it made the most sense to break the drive up into 2 days.

9AM - Leave the house

We booked a campsite about 8 hours away in Massachusetts 

  • Spacious Skies Campground - Minute Man
    • 264 Ayer Rd, Littleton, MA

Coming from the eastern shore of Maryland, we had to drive through New York City.. with a camper. We learned very quickly that campers are not allowed on certain roads. Do your research before you leave!

Let's just say I was terrified and it was a good thing I was not driving!

 

DAY 2 - DRIVE TO SCHOODIC PENINSULA

Sunday

Schoodic Campground is 4hrs and 45mins away

  • Check in at 12PM
    • Campsite: A11
      • Unfortunately, the is not the site we are staying at majority of the time. The campsite that is next to my parents was booked the first night. We ended up booking a site in a different part of the campground for a night, then switching to the site next to my parents the following day.

EXPLORE SCHOODIC WOODS

  • Schoodic Bike Trail 
    • Distance: 8.3 miles
  • Explore the campground!
    • We love looking at everyone else's set up. It was especially cool to look at the walk in campsites. 

DAY 3 - SCHOODIC PENINSULA

Monday

SWITCH CAMPGROUNDS

  • Check out of A11 at 10am
  • Check into B04 at 12pm
    • They were very strict about the check in time which was slightly annoying. We were hoping that we could do an "early check in", but they do not allow you to go to your campsite a minute before noon. We ended up parking at the visitors center and then walking to my parent's campsite.

EXPLORE SCHOODIC WOODS

  • Because we had to tear down one campsite, move, and then put up another, we ended up staying on Schoodic for the day. It was so nice! Schoodic is way less populated, yet still has some amazing views

HIKE

  • Sundew Trail
    • Distance: 1.8 miles (loop)
    • Length: 40 minutes
    • Description: This trail offers a little bit of everything. It has wooded sections and view of the coast. It is gravel in some areas and dirt in others. If it has rained recently, it can be muddy. This is a simple hike, but it does have exposed roots and rocks. Overall, I think it is an easy hike for all ages and abilities.

  • Buck Cove Trail
    • Distance: 6.1 miles (out and back)
    • Length: 3 hours
    • Description: This hike starts near the campsite and runs through a wooded area. Towards the end, it offers coastal views. I really enjoyed the wooded portion of this hike. The coastal views are nice, but you can get better views elsewhere. I would say this was more of a convenience hike because it was right next to the campground.

DAY 4 - MOUNT DESERT

Tuesday

Take ferry over to Mount Desert, then take shuttle to trailhead

HIKE

  • Beehive Trail
    • Distance: 1.4 miles
    • Length: 1-2 hours
    • Description: This trail is a tamer, easier, version of the Precipice Trail. The Beehive Trail features sections of cliff edges and metal rugs like the Precipice, but it is with less elevation gain and less exposure. It is a good option if you want a thrilling hike, but aren't quite sure you can handle Precipice. We opted for this hike because my hiking partner does not like heights. It was still a very cool hike with some minor thrills!
      • This turned out to be one of my favorite days because when we got to the top of Beehive, Aaron proposed to me! It was incredibly special.

 

  • Precipice Trail - Alternative hike
    • Distance: 2.5 miles
    • Length: 1.5 to 3 hours
    • Description: This trail is known as the most thrilling and most dangerous hike in Acadia National Park. With rock scrambling, several sections of cliff edges (some at very high elevation), and lots of exposure, you need to have a good head for heights in order to do this hike. 
  • Jordan's Pond Path
    • Distance: 3.3 miles
    • Length: 1.5 to 2 hours
    • Description: This hike does a full loop around Jordan Pond. It's easy and relatively flat, so it is great for all ages and ability levels. 
      • Add on - Jordan Cliffs Trail (additional .2 miles that is straight uphill)

MUST HAVES

  • BOOTS
    • These Columbia boots are my absolute favorite boots on long hikes. They are grippy in slippery situations and waterproof. They are also great in colder weather because I am able to wear thicker socks.
    • This is my second favorite pair of hiking boots. I like these on shorter hikes. They are also better when I know it's going to be extremely hot. These shoes are breathable yet waterproof. I have noticed I am not able to wear very thick socks with these, which is why I usually only wear these in the summer months. These are also grippy for slippery situations.
  • HAT
    • Hats are a must. I pretty much always have one in my backpack. Especially when you're high in altitude, you want to make sure your skin and face is protected.
  • BACKPACK
    • This one is pretty self explanatory. I carry everything I need for a long hike in here. Water, food, hat, hiking sticks, etc. An important thing to do when you buy a hiking pack pack, is to make sure you're not getting anything too heavy or bulky. You'll be carrying this on your pack for several hours.. you don't want anything weighing you down! Also, straps are very helpful! I didn't think they were a big deal, but once you've been hiking for several hours, it really helps relieve some pressure off your shoulders 
  • WATER
    • Making sure that you pack a lot of water when you go hiking can definitely make or break your trip. I have made the mistake of not packing enough water and I was pretty miserable the entire time. I also quickly learned that sticking 6 water bottles in your backpack will weigh you down and also make your trip miserable. I bought one of these a few years ago and they are amazing! You can buy a special backpack for them, but I find that sticking this in my regular hiking backpack works great. Plus, I still have room for snacks and other things I want to bring!
  • PANTS
    • The pants you wear are important on long hikes. You want to make sure you have something that will keep you warm if its cool, but also will let you breath. You will be working up a sweat even if it is cooler outside! Here are some of my favorite hiking pants and shorts:
  • Hiking Stick
    • I didn't really NEED my walking stick on this hike, but I did use it when I felt tired climbing up the mountain. It is always a handy thing to have on you, just in case!
  • Sandals
    • I wear these everywhere. They are such a good thing to have. Not only do I bring them on camping trips, but I wearing all the time when I am working outside around the house. They are waterproof and easy to slide on and off. You can thank me later

I earn a small commission if you use these links  I greatly appreciate your support!

DAY 5 - RAIN DAY/ SCHOODIC PENINSULA

Wednesday

Originally we were going to go back to Mount Desert to hike, however it ended up POURING majority of the day. It was actually so nice to have a lazy day. We went over to my parent's camper and played cards most of the day!

It worked out well because I had Thursday as and "open" day, so I just switched the two days on my itinerary. On longer trips, I like to leave a day open with no particular plans in case we missed something that we want to go back to check out.

After the rain finally let up, we took a drive to look at the rough ocean at Schoodic Point. Even though it was foggy, it was still stunning! 

DAY 6 - MOUNT DESERT

Thursday

Drive to Mount Desert

HIKE

  • Ocean Path Trail
    • Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
      • 2 miles roundtrip from Sand Beach to Thunder Hole 
    • Length: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
    • Description: This is an easy walk and one of Acadia's most popular walks. It's a flat walk and you have coastline views the entire time. One highlight is Thunder Hole. This is where the waves hit the rocks just right and it creates a thundering sound.

BIKE

  • Carriage Roads
    • Distance: 45 miles of roads!
      • We maybe did 15 miles
    • Description: This was definitely a highlight for me. The Carriage Roads run through the heart of the park and they weave around mountains and valleys. They also go under 17 historic bridges.
    • More about the Carriage Roads
    • Map of the Carriage Roads

DRIVE CADILLIAC SUMMIT ROAD

  • Permit is needed for this road 
  • This is a 3 mile drive to the top of the highest peak in the park. Along the way there are multiple pull outs so you can enjoy the view.

DAY 7 - PACK UP/ HEAD HOME

Friday

Check out of campground by 10am

  • Drive as far as we can
    • We ended up driving for 8-9 hours and stayed over at a Cracker Barrel
    • On longer trips with our camper, I normally don't book a campground on the way back. This is because I never know how far we will be willing to drive. I am alway the type of person that just wants to get home and not be on the road, so I like to drive as long as possible. We make sure to pack our generator so that we will have electricity when we stay over in parking lots. Cracker Barrel actually has a dedicated parking lot to RVs/ trucks, so I don't ever feel unsafe!

DAY 8 - CONTINUE HOME

Saturday

We only had about 4-5 more hours of driving this day. Of course, we had to eat at Cracker Barrel to pay our dues before we took off!

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.