Idiot’s Guides: RV Vacations

Acadia National Park, one of America’s top 10 most visited national parks, offers the grandeur of the mountains and the sea. The area around the park boasts excellent campgrounds with options at nearly every price point.

Bundle up and bring your camera to watch the East Coast’s earliest sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain.

Feast on fresh lobster at one of Acadia’s many famous lobster pounds with water views.

Enjoy a romantic sunset kayak tour around the rocky coast of Mount Desert Island.

Summertime in Acadia is heavenly, but to avoid crowds, visit in the early fall. Skip the spring, when the black fly is abundant.

With more than 3,500 feet (1,067m) of shoreline, this campground is the perfect choice for RVers who love kayaking, fishing, tide pools, and spectacular sunsets. The playground, train rides, and crafts delights kids, while on-site lobster dinners and live music around the community campfire entertain couples.

Book early for the highly desirable waterfront sites, and keep your eyes peeled for seals. Although a bit on the pricey side, this KOA serves as the perfect base camp for your Acadian adventure.

409 State Highway 3, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. thebarharborcampground.com; 207-288-5185. 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. $38 to $44. Camp store, playground, shuttle service, heated pool.

This affordable family favorite is the closest campground to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It offers beautiful ocean views without direct water access. Many of the sites are large and wooded.

Be warned: bring cash because credit cards are not accepted. You also can’t make advance reservations. Guests simply show up and pick an available campsite. (Checkout time is noon, so showing up before then would give you a good shot at claiming a spot as people leave.) Return campers insist you can always find a spot, with the exception of the busiest holiday weekends.

33 Hadley Point Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. hadleyspoint.com; 207-288-4808. 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. $37 to $42. Camp store, playground, shuttle service, heated pool, shuffleboard, basketball courts.

Nestled in a quiet, wooded location, this campground is only 4 miles (6.5km) from the Acadia National Park visitor center. The same family has owned it since 1969.

Although it has no water views or direct water access, a 5-minute walk takes you to a pretty saltwater beach. The campground hosts a weekly Sunday church service with crafts and story time for young kids.

Park Loop Road, Seal Harbor, ME 04675. acadiajordanpondhouse.com; 207-276-3316. Lunch 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.; dinner 5 P.M. to close. $11 to $32. American.

The Jordan Pond House is packed during the summer season, but the afternoon tea with popovers is definitely worth the wait. The traditional light and puffy muffins are served with local strawberry jam and butter. Years later, you’ll crave these treats when remembering your trip to Acadia. The crab cakes and seafood chowder are also delicious, and a prix fixe menu is available if you’re looking to keep costs down. Make a reservation ahead of time, and ask to sit outside so you can enjoy one of the most delightful views Acadia has to offer. After your meal, stretch your legs on the Jordan Pond Path.

Whether you visit for lunch, dinner, or high tea, eating at the Jordan Pond House is not just a meal. It’s an event.

9 Thurston Road, Bernard, ME 04612. thurstonslobster.com; 207-244-7600. 11 A.M. to 8 P.M. Market prices. Seafood.

No trip to Acadia is complete without a visit to a local lobster pound, and Thurston’s is one of the best. The waterfront views of Mount Desert Island’s busiest working harbor are picture-perfect. Add locally sourced lobster followed by homemade blueberry cake, and you have the quintessential lobster dinner.

To avoid the crowds, enjoy a late lunch after visiting the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. Order a lobster roll with a beer, and enjoy the local flavors while sitting on the screened-in dock.

36 Roddick Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. lompoccafe.com; info@lompoccafe.com; 207-288-9392. 4:30 P.M. to 1 A.M. $8 to $14. New American.

When it comes to food, Bar Harbor is filled with tourist traps. But if you want to eat with the locals, head to the Lompoc Cafe, where you can enjoy music, drinks, and even bocce ball. Offering comfort foods like pulled pork and fresh salads full of local ingredients, the menu here is fun and affordable.

Eat outside on the covered patio, and enjoy a competitive game of bocce ball after dinner. Then indulge in another draft from the beer garden. You are on vacation, after all.

Acadia National Park Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Bar Harbor, ME. nps.gov/acad; 207-288-3338. April 15 to October 31. Entrance fees May to October: 7-day vehicle pass $25; 7-day individual pass $12.

This 27-mile (43.5km) stretch of road seduces with the best views Acadia National Park has to offer. The drive takes you past Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliff, where you can enjoy the view from your car or park and take a stroll to soak it all in. The Park Loop also gives you access to Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain.

The Park Loop Road is best experienced early in the morning before the crowds and shuttle buses arrive. The parking lot at Sand Beach is often packed by 10:30 A.M. If you start your drive by 9 A.M., you should have no problem parking and enjoying the views. Then you can finish your tour with lunch at Jordan Pond.

Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, 2 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor, ME. barharborinfo.com; 800-345-4617. Metered parking.

If you want great shopping, the collection of stores in downtown Bar Harbor offering local art, beautiful pottery, handmade toys, and endless Acadian souvenirs is for you. The downtown area offers so much more, too. You can rent bikes to tour the carriage roads, or you can take a guided kayak tour, whale-watching tour, or tall-ship cruise. During low tide, walk across the land bridge to hike on Bar Island. Just be sure you come back before the tide comes in!

Start off by visiting the Chamber of Commerce office in the heart of downtown on Cottage Street. The staff there can give you information on tour availability, times, and prices.

Acadia National Park, ME 04660. nps.gov/acad; 207-288-3338. April 15 to October 31; lifeguard on duty Memorial Day to Labor Day. Park admission required.

This is one of the only two places to swim in Acadia; Sand Beach, where water is frigid year round, is the other. Freshwater Echo Lake isn’t located on the Park Loop, so it tends to be less crowded. The beach is staffed by lifeguards during the summer, and the local Island Express Shuttle has a pickup and drop-off location in the parking lot.

If you’re up for a challenge, take the Beech Mountain Trail from the parking lot to the summit of Beech Mountain for spectacular views of Echo Lake and the southwestern part of Mount Desert Island. Climb back down to enjoy a refreshing swim.

ITINERARIES

If you have 1 week …

Visit Hulls Cove Visitor Center, schedule a Ranger Program, and drive the Park Loop Road. Hike Gorham Mountain Trail and the Great Head Trail. Shop downtown Bar Harbor, take a sunset kayak tour, and swim at Echo Lake. Eat at Jordan Pond House and Thurston’s Lobster Pound.

If you have 2 weeks …

All the above, plus visit the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, hike the Wonderland and Ship Harbor trails, and take a whale-watching tour or a boat cruise with Diver Ed. Rent bikes, and tour the carriage roads. Visit the Mount Desert Oceanarium, and eat at the Take A Break Cafe at the College of the Atlantic. Walk out to Bar Island on the land bridge during low tide.

If you have 3 weeks …

All the above, plus take a trek to visit the wild and beautiful Schoodic Peninsula, the only area of Acadia National Park located on the mainland of Maine. Watch the lumberjacks cross-cut saw at Timber Tina’s Great Maine Lumberjack Show. Challenge yourself by hiking the Beehive Trail, the Dorr Mountain Trail, or the Precipice Trail. Go shopping in Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor.