Maine: Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park

Make your own arrangements for travel to Bar Harbor. If you’re flying to Maine, Bangor International Airport is the closest airport. For suggestions on traveling to Bar Harbor, please refer to your VBT Handbook.

As you begin biking Acadia National Park, you’ll meet your Local host and any other VBT guests arriving on the same day in the lobby of the Bar Harbor Inn in the lovely seaport town of Bar Harbor. At 1:00 p.m., join your VBT Local host for a Welcome Orientation and head out on a ride.

Today’s Ride Choices

Bar Harbor to Schooner Head — 8.3 miles

What to Expect:

Ride to Schooner Head Scenic Overlook along paved roads and enjoy the lovely ocean views before returning the way you came.

After breakfast, catch a morning bike ferry (45 minutes, tickets not included in tour price) across Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Peninsula, the only section of the park on the mainland (for guests traveling with their own E-bike, please note that E-bikes currently are not allowed on this ferry, please see alternative rides from Bar Harbor in Ride with GPS Experience or this itinerary). This less-trafficked area is a favorite for locals. You’ll ride along the shoreline through classic Down East fishing villages, enjoying the sights and sounds of sea birds, crashing surf, and working lobster boats as you ride to wherever you choose to stop for lunch. Enjoy the peace and serenity of Schoodic Point before riding back to Winter Harbor for the return ferry (45 minutes) to Bar Harbor where you’ll find several delightful options for dinner.

Today’s Ride Choices

Schoodic Loop — 13.4 miles | Schoodic Loop and Corea — 24 miles | Grindstone Neck Loop — 5.4 miles | Witch Hole Pond loop (ride for E-bike riders with their own E-bike) — 8.7 miles

What to Expect:

Schoodic Loop

Begin your day with a 45-minute ferry from Bar Harbor across Frenchmen Bay to Winter Harbor, on the Schoodic Peninsula. Here, you will experience rural riding on the mainland while remaining in Acadia National Park. After leaving Winter Harbor, at just over a half mile you turn due south on the peninsula, reaching the southernmost Schoodic Point at about 6 miles. You then follow the east side of the coast, and loop back toward Winter Harbor at 11 miles, then under 3 miles back to the ferry.

Schoodic Loop and Corea

Begin your day with a 45-minute ferry from Bar Harbor across Frenchmen Bay to Winter Harbor, on the Schoodic Peninsula. Here, you will experience rural riding on the mainland while remaining in Acadia National Park. After leaving Winter Harbor, at just over a half mile you turn due south on the peninsula, reaching the southernmost Schoodic Point at about 6 miles. You then follow the east side of the coast and reach Corea at 16.5 miles, where you may choose to have lunch. The return route is due west, 8 miles directly across the peninsula back to Winter Harbor.

Grindstone Neck Loop

Begin your day with a 45-minute ferry from Bar Harbor across Frenchmen Bay to Winter Harbor, on the Schoodic Peninsula. Here, you will experience rural riding on the mainland while remaining in Acadia National Park. This short loop takes you from the ferry through Winter Harbor and down to Grindstone Point for lovely views of Mt. Desert Narrows and back through Winter Harbor. Add it on to one of the Schoodic Point loops or as a standalone ride.

Witch Hole Pond loop

Depart the Bar Harbor Inn skirting the edge of town and joining the Carriage Roads at the Duck Brook Carriage Road trailhead. A counterclockwise loop provides views of Witch Hole Pond and surrounding wetlands with an option to stop at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center before returning to Bar Harbor.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today’s route biking Acadia National Park passes Compass Harbor, site of George Dorr’s Old Farm ruins. If you wish, a short hike (one-mile roundtrip) takes you to Dorr Point with views of Compass Harbor and the Porcupine Islands. Continue on the Park Loop to Sand Beach, where you can relax on the shore. After the Fabbri Memorial Picnic Area, you may cycle back to Bar Harbor or, for additional miles, continue on the Park Loop Road past Cadillac Mountain Summit Road. If you’re feeling strong and want to bike to the summit, the road is a steady ascent of 1,000 feet in 3.5 miles but the view from the top is worth the effort. Be forewarned that unless you go early in the morning, the road may be busy with cars. This afternoon, you may choose among several activities (at your own expense) including sea kayaking in Frenchman Bay or a sunset cruise on the schooner Margaret Todd. You may also decide to spend time browsing Bar Harbor’s charming gift shops and boutiques.

Today’s Ride Choices

Park Loop Road to Sand Beach short option — 14.4 miles | Park Loop Road base of Cadillac Mountain long option — 22.6 miles | Long Option with out-and-back ascent of Cadillac Mountain Road — 29.6 miles

What to Expect:

Today features a nice ride along the Park Loop Road to Sand Beach where you can spend time on the sand or hike along the cliffs. You’ll return to your cycling route on Park Loop Road and visit Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs and Fabbri Memorial.

The long option continues past the Fabbri Memorial Picnic Area on the Park Loop Road passing Bubble Rock and the Cadillac Mountain Summit Road, back to Bar Harbor.

Long option plus Cadillac Mountain Ascent: If you love to climb, at mile 18.1, you can add a seven-mile roundtrip pedal up and back down Cadillac Mountain Road for an elevation gain of 1,000 feet and spectacular views.

Included Meals: Breakfast

This morning, you can choose to ride the carriage trails one last time for a loop around Eagle Lake or a shorter option around Witch Hole Pond from your hotel in Bar Harbor.

For suggestions on traveling from Bar Harbor, please refer to your VBT Handbook. If you arrange for private transportation to Bangor International Airport, travel time from Bar Harbor is approximately 1.25 hours. For this reason, we suggest leaving a minimum of three hours before any flight departure.

Today’s Ride Choices

Witch Hole Pond loop — 8.7 miles | Carriage Roads to Eagle Lake — 15.9 miles

What to Expect:

Witch Hole Pond loop

In Ride with GPS Experience, select “D2 Witch Hole Pond Loop”. Depart the Bar Harbor Inn skirting the edge of town and joining the Carriage Roads at the Duck Brook Carriage Road trailhead. A counterclockwise loop provides views of Witch Hole Pond and surrounding wetlands with an option to stop at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center before returning to Bar Harbor.

Carriage Roads to Eagle Lake

Depart the Bar Harbor Inn skirting the edge of town and at 3.4 miles, you’ll merge with the carriage roads of Acadia National Park joining a loop around Eagle Lake that brings you back along the carriage roads and past Breakneck Ponds and back to Bar Harbor.

Included Meals: Breakfast