The Way Life Should Be: 4-hr, Private Guided Tour of Acadia NP.

This tour is so much more than a few stops or stories for us to check off a list. I will create an experience you’ll cherish as we explore Acadia and the many hidden gems just outside of the national park. No rush, no crowded bus. Just your group, riding in comfort, with a guide who never gets bored of sharing this island.
When you let me handle the driving, you are free to really enjoy the scenery. I know all the secret ways to escape the press of crowded areas, while ensuring you don’t miss a thing. I thrive on being able to find and share the places and information most meaningful to you. Our tour is fully customizable.
A great tour leaves you full of the magic of this amazing place. Sure, there are stories, tour guide puns, pictures to take, names and dates you might forget… but mainly, the feeling of really experiencing this place in a special way. You will leave, knowing you saw and felt more, with less stress, than anyone choosing to explore without a local expert.

We will briefly tour Bar Harbor, making sure to see some of the “cottages” left from the Gilded Age summer residents who made such a lasting impact on this island. Much of old Millionaire’s Row burned when fire swept the island in 1947, but the fire stopped before destroying the town. Many of today’s most picturesque inns and hotels, once served as vacation homes for high society families from further down the coast.

Acadia National Park is really just a few minutes’ drive from the center of Bar Harbor. Let me show you some of the reasons they once called this area, Eden.

There are many long, deep lakes across Mount Desert Island. Eagle Lake, which we will see as we head toward Cadillac Mountain, is one of the most picturesque.

The highest point on the island. The first place a new dawn touches the United States for much of the year. Cadillac Mountain provides sweeping views of nearly the entire outline of MDI. We can see Bar Harbor and the cruise ships in Frenchman Bay from one side, and a beautiful view of the open ocean and many of the small islands that dot the coastline between here and Portland. After taking some time to explore the summit, I’ll point out a few of the landmarks we are about to investigate from closer up as we continue our journey around the Park Loop roads.

One of the oldest sections of the park, the first area to change color the past few years in autumn, and a beautiful place to begin a hike up Dorr Mountain, or to take a leisurely stroll along the lovely Jessup Path boardwalk. With the ocean waiting just around the next mountain, we won’t be able to spend hours here, but I’ll be sure to tell you why I return here so often and give you reasons to come explore further on your own if you can.

I will point out the trailhead for the famous (and harrowing) Precipice and Beehive trails. Then, show you one of the only sandy beaches for miles. From here, groups eager to get a few steps in, can walk along the gorgeous Ocean Path, stepping out whenever you like onto the great slabs of granite which slope down into the restless waves. If you choose to walk, I will let you enjoy some time by the ocean without me, while I find a place to pull over further down the road near Thunder Hole, then meet you along the path to point out some of my favorite places.

Grand, sweeping views of the ocean, and the chance to walk along one of Acadia’s most beautiful coastal trails. You will have the option to walk part of the Ocean Path, or to drive and stop a few times for photos at the best overlooks. This is often one of the busier parts of Acadia National Park, but I know the hidden pathways where we can see the best views and enjoy the ocean without tripping over tourists.

A unique rock formation where the waves can crash with a thunderous boom when the conditions are right. Even at times when the thunder is lacking, this area, lined with harbor roses, asters, and other small, lovely things which peek out from among the harsh granite, is such a breathtaking example of all that is best about Maine’s dramatic coastline.

The Ocean Path runs from Sand Beach, past Thunder Hole, and all the way to Otter Cliffs and beyond. The entire way boasts some of the most amazing coastline, and lovely sections of pine forest with incredible moss and lichen. Otter Cliff is one of my favorite places to return to in the evenings. Especially to watch a moon rise from the ocean. We will pass the castle-like section of roadway, enjoy the view that so often fools travelers into thinking they’ve seen a whale, and hear how it surprised the very first visitors who came across the Atlantic to explore this island.

This longer tour has the option to stop here. I love the way the trail winds through the woods just before opening onto one of the best ocean views in Acadia.

Winter storms have damaged the path leading down to the beach. I will still do my best to show what I can of this cove where the rocks add their own music to each crashing wave.

Jordan “Pond” is a very deep, very clear, glacially carved lake. You have probably already seen photos of the iconic bubbe hills or the “Bubble Rock” which seems to balance so precariously from the side of one of them.
We will decide, as we finish enjoying the Ocean, whether to complete the last bit of the Park Loop Road and stop by Jordan Pond, or, if we will drive to one of my favorite Rockefeller bridges, then out along the edge of the Park to explore upscale neighborhoods of our modern summer residents, to see gardens and an extended scenic drive along Sommes Sound before wrapping up the tour at one of my favorite out of the way places where nature and history meet in a peaceful setting. Either way, you won’t be disappointed with your choice.

A lovely drive along a winding road and a stop to enjoy one of the most impressive and lovely of the Rockefeller bridges. If we choose to head this way, rather than visiting Jordan Pond, we will continue out of the park to see some of the larger summer homes in affluent areas along the edges of Acadia. Perhaps a stop at a beautiful garden, or a part of the Rockefeller’s old estate, before driving along the only fjord on the eastern seaboard of the United States.

We have the option to explore a place that still echoes with the history of the family who did so much to build Acadia as we know it. A beautiful pond, with paths to explore, wildflowers, and the sound of Loons calling.

This is one of many stops your guide might choose to include, time permitting.

For a short time in summer, so many pleasure craft, fancy yachts, and a few lobster boats standing out like workmen at a garden party, fill the harbor, one might almost skip right across from one to another. In Fall, as the summer residents flee south for warmer weather, this town, and the busy harbor, begin to empty. I like to stop here for a clean washroom if anyone needs. It’s also a pretty place to take a short stroll, photograph a picturesque harbor, and to take a look at a few lobster traps which make for a great show and tell moment to talk about our hard-working lobstermen.

A lovely garden we can walk through. There is a deep history to this place and even a storied past to some of the plants here. Sometimes though, it is best enjoyed without a guide filling the air with stories. Just a quiet stroll and some pictures together with gorgeous blooms all around.

This is one of many stops your guide might choose to include, time permitting.

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Folding Wheelchairs and other mobility aids which fit into a minivan are welcome.
• There will be opportunities to walk or hike short distances, but none of those are required. Acadia’s roads were purpose built to showcase the views without leaving your vehicle.

• The Way Life Should Be: 4-hr, Private Guided Tour of Acadia NP.
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  Pickup included

• Cadillac Mountain entrance pass
• Free pick-up and drop-off
• National Park Passes

• Stress over missing anything amazing.

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• This Tour is Provided by Acadia Driving Tours.
• Tour Timezone & Starts at America/New_York.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 10 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 6 Travelers is accepted for booking.