First time visiting Acadia National Park - do a tour?

[Norovirus595]

Subject says it all.

[SailBadtheSinner]

Yes, do a tour. That is the only way to see ANP. I would suggest using an independent tour company, such as Oli's Trolley or Acadia National Park Tours.

 

You could hike or rent bikes but you would be limited at what you would see.

 

SBtS

[Norovirus595]

Thanks for the response. I'm not a hardcore hiker, but was looking forward to some quiet solitude in the park.

 

Is that possible with the tour option? I was a little concerned that there are only 3 fifteen minute stops in a 2.5 hour tour. Seems like that's more for people to snap some photos than to let you do any exploring on foot, right?

[SailBadtheSinner]

Thanks for the response. I'm not a hardcore hiker, but was looking forward to some quiet solitude in the park.

 

Is that possible with the tour option? I was a little concerned that there are only 3 fifteen minute stops in a 2.5 hour tour. Seems like that's more for people to snap some photos than to let you do any exploring on foot, right?

 

That's the problem with the tours, 15 minutes per stop does not give you enough time to do your own exploring. You can get a 4 hour.tour by Oli's that provides 30 minute per stop, better than 15 minutes but it still may not be what you want.

 

Not sure when your cruise is, but in season, there is a free public bus service (Island Explorer) which has routes that include ANP. It is HOHO with designated stops, and it runs frequently. The down side is that there is no tour guide providing commentary and you have to work the schedules for what you want to see.

 

SBtS

[lenquixote66]

Subject says it all.

 

 

We went on our own ,BIG mistake.

[Norovirus595]

We went on our own ,BIG mistake.

 

What happened?!

[Christinampl]

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 10:09 PM, lenquixote66 said:

Subject says it all.

We went on our own ,BIG mistake.

Why was it a mistake for you? We are considering renting a car so we can go as we please.

[Nitemare]

Yes.

 

Answer says it all.

 

I mean, since you aren't telling us what you are hoping to get out of a tour as opposed to what, a self drive?  Hike? Bike ride?

[Teacher_91]

When the Mr. and I visited Bar Harbor, we did both Oli's Trolley and the Island Explorer.  Granted we were staying in Bar Harbor, so we had more time.  I think if I wanted to spend time hiking on a cruise stop, I'd either rent a car or take the Island Explorer.  Both would give you flexibility with the car being the most flexible choice of all.  

 

Good luck with your planning.  :)  

[138east]

Be careful with the car rental.  There are no car rental locations in Bar Harbor.  They are all in Camden, Bangor or Ellsworth.

[chengkp75]

Closest rental is at the airport, half hour away.

[LynnKY]

If you haven't gone already, take a look at The Natural History Center.  Great tour and will be customized.

[CLCruzer]

On 10/4/2018 at 3:01 PM, Norovirus595 said:

Subject says it all.

I did a bicycle tour of Acadia National Park that was organized through the cruise ship and it was one of the highlights of  our Fall Colors cruise to New England & Canada.   The ride was long enough to be interesting but not too long to be exhausting.   Some pictures attached below.

Rich

[1bets1]

Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills?

[Mrcar09]

On 12/19/2018 at 2:20 PM, 1bets1 said:

Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills?

July and August are usually Maine's warmest weather with the least chance of rain. With that said, it can be humid at times and that can spark thunderstorms. Day time temperatures will likely range from 70-90 degrees. 

 

As for the bike ride, I'm not sure about that specific tour but in general the carriage trails are fairly flat. There will be some elevation change but nothing too crazy. I usually see family groups with everything ranging from young kids to senior citizens.

[1bets1]

Thank you. I still didn't book this yet!

[trivia addict]

Absolutely agree that you should not rent a car in Bar Harbor. Not only is the rental at the airport at least 1/2 hour away, but you will wait very long for the van to pick you up for the ride to the facility and then will wait again to return when you return the car. 

We did it 2 years ago, and it was a nightmare!

[antmaril]

We took an Oli’s Trolley tour to Acadia National Park.  I can highly recommend.  

[counsdr]

On 12/19/2018 at 2:20 PM, 1bets1 said:

Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills?

Are you still going in August 2019?

[1bets1]

We did not book it get.

 

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are booked on Ollie's Trolley for our October cruise.   Since my Photobook is my biggest souvenir of any cruise we are looking forward to some great photo opportunities and also some great fall colors.  The 4 hour tour looks like it will be perfect for our needs, but may not provide enough time for hikers.  If I wanted to get out there for some more physical activities the bike tour mentioned above through the ship would probably be my choice for the best balance of time in the activity in the limited time frame offered by a port stop - especially a tendered port stop.  While I love my cruise vacations, the very nature of cruising provides limits that you don't run into while on a land vacation.  An organized tour often helps minimize those limits, depending on what you want to do in each stop.