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 details, see your VBT Handbook.

Guests driving to the tour may leave their car in the Bar Harbor Inn’s parking lot for the duration of the tour at no charge.

As you begin biking Acadia National Park, you’ll meet your local host and any other VBT guests arriving on the same day at 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 short ride.

The Welcome orientation with your VBT local host includes:
• An overview of the itinerary
• Bike fitting and equipment familiarization
• Review of the Ride with GPS navigation app
• Important contact information in case you need to reach your VBT local host
• Safety briefing
• Local suggestions (restaurants, things to do, etc.)

Enjoy one of Bar Harbor’s many fine restaurants for dinner tonight.

Today’s Ride:
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.

Accommodation: Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor
Included Meals: N/A

After breakfast, catch a morning bike ferry (45 minutes) across Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Peninsula, the only section of the park on the mainland. 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:
Schoodic Loop Road: 24 miles

What to Expect: 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.

Accommodation: Bar Harbor Inn, 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 Rides:
Short Option
Park Loop Road to Sand Beach short option: 14 miles

Long Option
Park Loop Road to 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 round trip pedal up and back down Cadillac Mountain Road for an elevation gain of 1,000 feet and spectacular views.

Accommodation: Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor
Included Meals: Breakfast

Today, the tranquility of biking Acadia National Park is evident as you cycle the famed car-free carriage roads which were established by John D. Rockefeller. Your loop takes you around Eagle Lake to Jordan Pond where you can enjoy a picnic lunch or a stop at Jordan Pond House for some elegant fare, including their famous lobster stew and golden, lighter-than-air popovers. This afternoon you may bike on the Carriage Trails to your inn. In Northeast Harbor, you’ll find attractive boutiques, galleries, gardens, and eateries. Your hotel overlooks a beautiful protected harbor full of sailboats and yachts. Take advantage of the inn’s amenities, which include a clay tennis court and outdoor swimming pool, and dine at a local restaurant.

Today’s Ride:
Carriage Roads to Jordan Pond to Northeast Harbor: 24 miles

What to Expect: Today you bid farewell to Bar Harbor and head to beautiful Northeast Harbor. After 3.4 miles, you’ll merge with the carriage roads of Acadia National Park and enjoy miles of car-free riding, passing Eagle Lake and Aunt Betty’s Pond on the way to Jordan Pond, which has a delightful restaurant for lunch with fabulous views. Continue cycling on the carriage roads and a section of the main road on your way to the inn.

Accommodation: Asticou Inn, Northeast Harbor
Included Meals: Breakfast

You may choose to leave your bike behind as you explore the Down East landscape by boat and on foot today.

After breakfast at the inn, you may enjoy a visit to the Azalea and Thuya Gardens. You can consult the schedule to catch the mail boat from Northeast Harbor’s port to Little Cranberry Island. This pristine hamlet hosts a year-round community of lobstermen, boat builders, and craftsmen. While on the island, you may want to visit the Islesford Historical Museum before boarding the mail boat back to Northeast Harbor (a 30-minute ride).

Those craving more time in the saddle may enjoy a nice out-and-back ride along the waters of Somes Sound to Suminsby Park. Enjoy a lobster dinner in town or at your classic Maine inn.

Today’s Ride:
Non-biking options: Optional visits to the Azalea and Thuya Gardens, Little Cranberry Island, and Isleford.

What to Expect: Take the scheduled mail boat from Northeast Harbor to Little Cranberry Island and Islesford. Explore the quaint community that lives on this compact 200-acre island. In Northeast Harbor, be sure to visit the Azalea and Thuya Gardens on Northeast Harbor and to peruse the bookstores, antique stores and museum.

Biking:
Sargent Drive: 11 miles

What to Expect: An easy out-and-back ride takes you along the water in Northeast Harbor, rounding the point at Gilpatrick Cove and then north along Somes Sound. Your turn-around point is at Suminsby Park, where you return the way you came, perhaps stopping at the Somes Sound Lookout.

Accommodation: Asticou Inn, Northeast Harbor
Included Meals: Breakfast

This morning, you will bike to Acadia National Park and cruise along the carriage trails one last time, enjoying the views of Eagle Lake and Bubble Pond on your way back to Bar Harbor.

The innkeepers of the Bar Harbor Inn ask that you depart by 1:00 p.m., so VBT has arranged for showering and changing facilities between noon and 1:00 p.m. If you arrange for a private transfer to Bangor International Airport, travel time from Bar Harbor is approximately one hour and 15 minutes. For this reason, we suggest leaving a minimum of three hours before any flight departure.

Today’s Ride:
Northeast Harbor to Cadillac Mountain to Bar Harbor: 13 miles
OR
Northeast Harbor to Bar Harbor: 19 miles

What to Expect: After breakfast, cycle to Acadia National Park, entering the carriage roads one last time, enjoying the views along the east side of Jordan Pond on your way back to Bar Harbor Inn. The 13-mile option is a more direct route on the Park Loop Road and back to the inn from the south side of town. The 19-mile option stays close to the shores of Eagle Lake and does a loop around Witch Hole Pond before entering Bar Harbor at its north end.

Accommodation: N/A
Included Meals: Breakfast