Bar Harbor- Jordan Pond at Acadia?

Trying to decide on which trolley/tour bus to utilize to tour through and around Acadia nat'l park. The free shuttle- Island Explorer apparently doesn't go up to Cadillac mountain. So that leaves me with other options such as Oli's trolley etc. I would like to stop at Jordan Pond for tea or lunch but can't seem to figure out how to do that and go to the top of Cadillac mountain without overpaying for one of the excursion through HAL. Any thoughts from those that have been to Acadia? Thanks!

Usually due to time, you can't manage both.

Once on an Oli's Trolley, due to the fog, the driver decided to forego Cadillac Mountain (since the view would be lousy). We went to Jordan Pond instead. We still took the drive up the mountain, but had a shorter stay there.

I would guess that the HAL excursion has a set time for lunch, hence is able to do both.

If it were me, I'd favor Cadillac Mountain over lunch at Jordan Pond.

Trying to decide on which trolley/tour bus to utilize to tour through and around Acadia nat'l park. The free shuttle- Island Explorer apparently doesn't go up to Cadillac mountain. So that leaves me with other options such as Oli's trolley etc. I would like to stop at Jordan Pond for tea or lunch but can't seem to figure out how to do that and go to the top of Cadillac mountain without overpaying for one of the excursion through HAL. Any thoughts from those that have been to Acadia? Thanks!

Since I don't know the cruise line you are on (hint - join your roll call; read here first); and how long your stay is, here is a suggestion.

Sign up for the 10AM independent tour of Acadia National Park. When the tour ends, run up to the Village Green and board a route #5 bus, only, of the Island Explorer. The ride to Jordon House is 30 minutes each way; the bus runs every 30 minutes.

Now you have to figure, can I fit in a meal or tea at JP and still make the last tender back to the cruise ship.

SBtS

Thank you! We're on HAL Veendam. Think I'll skip Jordan pond and the popovers, although your plan would probably work, sounds like too much trolley/bus time for my family.

Thank you! We're on HAL Veendam. Think I'll skip Jordan pond and the popovers, although your plan would probably work, sounds like too much trolley/bus time for my family.

This is what we did. The first time we went to Bar Harbor we did the Ollies trolly long tour and really enjoyed the great overview.

The second time we took the island explorer which isn't narrated and did some hiking and had popovers at Jordon Pond house.

I don't think it is practical to do both and would suggest Ollie's Trolly for the first time as it was really nice.

If it is important to you and you have money to spare, you can do both Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain with a Taxi. Last time we went to Bar Harbor, we took the Island Explorer to the coast and walked a path along the coast in the morning. We then got on another bus to Jordan Pond for a late lunch. Then we hired a taxi to pick us up at Jordan Pond to take us up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, then back to Bar Harbor. The taxi was expensive, but we didn't have time to take the bus back to Bar Harbor and catch the last trolley tour to the Mountain. We decided to spring for a taxi since it was such a nice day and the view from the top would be nice.

If it wasn't so nice, we would have skipped Cadillac Mountain.

How much was the taxi?

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I don't remember exactly. It was either 100 or 150 for Jordan Pond pickup, drop-off at Cadillac (she waited for us to mill about for half an hour) then drop-off at Bar Harbor.

Check Trip Advisor for private tours. Maybe you can find someone who can help you see both. They're both special places but keep in mind, to fully enjoy Jordan Pond House area, you'll want to plan time for lunch/tea/popovers and some hiking around the pond. If you only have time for Cadillac or JPH, my recommendation (on a clear day) is Cadillac Mountain. Enjoy your visit to Maine :)

We grew up in eastern Maine, close to BH.

The best and most memorable, is to rent bikes for the day. There are almost 100 miles of carriage paths, most for beginners. They will take you to all the spots. Waterfalls, ponds, tidal pools......You will never forget.

We grew up in eastern Maine, close to BH.

 

The best and most memorable, is to rent bikes for the day. There are almost 100 miles of carriage paths, most for beginners. They will take you to all the spots. Waterfalls, ponds, tidal pools......You will never forget.

Great suggestion about renting bikes! I did that once when I lived in that area. The bike shop on Cottage St is an easy walk from the pier and, once on a bike, the carriage trails take you places you'd never see by bus. I'm pretty sure the carriage trails run right past Jordan Pond house. Unless you're a great athlete though, you won't make it up Cadillac on a bike though :p