Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor Self-Guided Driving & Walking Tour

Duration5h

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

Experience beautiful, historic Maine with this combo of Acadia and Bar Harbor tours. Drive through the untouched wilderness of Acadia and learn the legends of the Native tribes who called that land home. Then stroll along the oceanside as you dive into Bar Harbor’s surprising Gilded Age history. These tours offer the perfect combination of natural beauty and rich culture so you can get the very most out of your visit to this incredible state.

After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

What's included

Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

What to expect

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We enter Maine's famous Acadia National Park at the Hull's Cove Visitor Center. As we begin to explore this beautiful natural preserve, we'll learn about the rich forests and why the foliage here is so vibrant in the fall.

Note: The tour is over 20+ miles long per tour, with more than 30+ audio stories per tour, and takes about 2-3 hours per tour to complete.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Park Loop Road
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Our self-guided driving tour enters the famous Park Loop Road of Acadia. We'll follow this loop all around the park, ending at the summit of Cadillac mountain.
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We'll then pass the beautiful Beaver Pond, where we'll catch a glimpse of some beavers and their dams if we're lucky. We'll also see Jackson Labs on the other side, and we'll learn about its impact on Bar Harbor.
Precipice Trail
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As our tour continues, we'll pass the Precipice Trail. This is a great hike for those in the mood for a little physical detour. It's also home to the endangered peregrine falcon! These birds tend to build their nests on high rocky ledges, where non-flying animals can’t reach the eggs. The steep face of this mountain is perfect for that!
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This spot looks out over Bar Harbor’s Frenchman Bay. You might be able to spot a little island in the bay. This is the home of Egg Rock Lighthouse.
Ocean Path
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Here we've got a second option for a detour: Ocean Path Trail. If the steep inclines of Pecipice Trail weren't your style, the gentle, winding path here is a great alternative.
Sand Beach
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Next up: Sandy Beach! At just 290 yards long, the beach is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in fascinating natural history. You might notice a slight greenish tint to the sand. That’s because of the sea urchins!
1h

As we continue driving through Acadia, we'll pass Old Soaker. The waves crash against the vertical face of the rock, shooting water up into the air.
Thunder Hole
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We'll also see Thunder Hole, a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom.
Monument Cove
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Monument Cove is another example of the seemingly miraculous force of nature. Water and time have worn away at the granite over the centuries, leaving behind a twenty-foot tall pillar of rock that looks like a man-made sculpture.
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As our tour continues through Acadia's Park Loop Road, Gorham Mountain rises to the right. The steep trail up this mountain features a false summit, where it appears to plateau before continuing up further. But both the false and real summit offers a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape!
Otter Cliff
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Next up as we drive as the stunning Otter Cliff and Otter Cove. At the top of Otter Cliff, it’s a steep 110-foot drop down to the chilly Atlantic.
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If this rock seems like it doesn’t belong here, that’s because it doesn’t. The same glacier that coasted over Jordan Pond also dragged this massive rock across the land and deposited it here.
Jordan Pond
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Our self-guided tour brings us to Jordan Pond next. We'd highly recommend pausing here to appreciate the views and the restaurant. Jordan Pond was carved out of the earth twenty thousand years ago by a massive glacier.
Bubble Pond
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Bubble Pond is another glacial remnant, hollowed out of the ground tens of thousands of years ago by a massive ice sheet descending on the island from the Arctic.
Eagle Lake Acadia National Park
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Our drive brings us past Eagle Lake, which serves as the water source for Bar Harbor. It’s also a food source for local birds.
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Finally, we begin the drive up to the summit of Acadia's crown jewel: Cadillac Mountain. The views from the top are unmatched!
Transfiguration Parish
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Next up are two churches. They’ll both leave an impression — but in totally different ways!
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You can’t miss the church because the most unique thing about it is its design. Or rather… lack of design! In fact, the building looks like it's made of several mismatched parts. Each one represents a different historical era.
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This little library's history goes all the way back to 1875. It all began with a casual conversation among some of Bar Harbor's wealthy summer residents. A public library would establish Bar Harbor as a REAL town. They pitched the idea to the town.
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Pause here again, just past the School Street intersection. Look at the Abbe Museum on your right.
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Bar Harbor's Village Green has some star power behind it… the layout and landscaping were done by Beatrix Farrand, the woman who designed the White House's Rose Garden. Her design still remains intact to this day. You can't mess with perfection!
Frenchman Bay
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You're walking along the coast of Frenchman Bay. Wait — why is it named for the French?

Simple! It's because of all the French expeditions that took place here in the 1500s. Long before the land could be settled by European colonists, it had to be charted, mapped and evaluated. France’s Samuel de Champlain did just that. While Spain’s conquistadors looked for gold in South America, the French focused on the fur trade in the North.
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If this rock looks out of place here… that's because it is! Balance Rock is a glacial erratic. That means that a glacier pulled this boulder from a granite deposit up north and deposited it here.
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Grant Park marks the site of a building that no longer stands. See the grassy area you're looking at right now? This was once a personal tennis court!
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Right next to Grant Park, on your left, you can't miss the sprawling seaside resort, Bar Harbor Inn.

In 1887, this building started out as the Mount Desert Reading Room: a place for the well-educated wealthy summer residents of Bar Harbor to meet and discuss literature. Back in the days before movie theaters and malls, this was one of the biggest social hubs in town!

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Start at the Cadillac Mountain Summit parking lot, 707 Cadillac Summit Rd. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with nearby businesses. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

Meeting point

he starting address for the winter tour.

Meeting point

Start at John B. Ells Pier, 23 Ells Pier, Bar Harbor. Look for the Bar Harbor Port Security Building on your right and Ellis Park with a gazebo ahead. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with nearby businesses. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

Meeting point

Start at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center parking lot, 25 Visitor Center Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with the visitor center. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

End point

Start at the Cadillac Mountain Summit parking lot, 707 Cadillac Summit Rd. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with nearby businesses. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

End point

he starting address for the winter tour.

End point

Start at John B. Ells Pier, 23 Ells Pier, Bar Harbor. Look for the Bar Harbor Port Security Building on your right and Ellis Park with a gazebo ahead. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with nearby businesses. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

End point

Start at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center parking lot, 25 Visitor Center Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with the visitor center. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

Additional information

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.
Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.
Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.
Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.
The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.
For walking portions, we recommend using headphones or earbuds for clearer audio and to avoid disturbing others nearby.

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Reviews

4.3 (71)