Maine’s classic long weekend: sunrise from the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast, a scenic loop past pink-granite cliffs and a booming sea cave, popovers on the lawn at Jordan Pond, and a lobster pound lunch on the island’s quiet side — a 3-day loop around Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, with real inns, real drive times, and 2026 prices for every stop.
Day 1Bangor to Bar Harbor
Fly into Bangor, pick up a rental car, and drive the easy hour to Bar Harbor for a first look at the working harbor before Acadia’s trails start tomorrow.
🚗 Rental Car — Bangor International Airport
~5 minutes from the terminal · From $75 USD / day
Bangor International Airport (BGR) is the closest major airport to Acadia, with rental counters on-site — a car is essential for this trip, since most of Mount Desert Island’s best stops sit between towns.
Hertz — Bangor International Airport · +18006543131 · www.hertz.com/us/en/location/unitedstates/maine/bangor/bgrt21
🚙 Self-Drive — Bangor to Bar Harbor
~1 hour · via ME-3
Route 1A and ME-3 run southeast from Bangor through Ellsworth’s outlet shops before crossing onto Mount Desert Island — the last stretch offers the first glimpses of Frenchman Bay.
⚓ Bar Harbor Shore Path
~45 minutes, self-guided · Free
A flat, paved half-mile path along the harbor’s edge past century-old summer ‘cottages,’ with views out to the Porcupine Islands and the cruise ships that anchor offshore in summer.
🛎️ Check-In — Bar Harbor Inn
From $259-349 USD / night, for 2 people
A white-columned inn on the harbor’s edge that’s welcomed guests since 1887, with a private pier, a heated pool over the water, and the shortest walk to downtown of any hotel in Bar Harbor.
Bar Harbor Inn · +18448141668 · barharborinn.com
Day 2Cadillac Mountain, Park Loop Road & Jordan Pond
The full Acadia day: sunrise from the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, a loop past the park’s signature coastal stops, and popovers on the lawn at Jordan Pond.
🌄 Sunrise — Cadillac Mountain Summit
~1.5 hours round-trip, self-drive · $6 USD vehicle reservation + $35 USD park pass (per vehicle, 7 days)
At 1,530 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the tallest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast, and from early October to early March it’s the first place in the country to see the sunrise — a timed vehicle reservation through recreation.gov is required for the summit road for most of the year.
🌊 Park Loop Road — Sand Beach, Thunder Hole & Otter Cliff
~2.5 hours with stops, self-drive · Included with park pass
A 27-mile scenic drive hitting Acadia’s greatest hits in order: a rare pink-sand beach cold enough to shock most swimmers, a rock chasm that booms and sprays at the right tide, and 110-foot pink granite cliffs dropping straight into the Atlantic.
🥐 Popovers — Jordan Pond House
~1 hour · Popovers with tea or coffee, priced per order
A century-old Acadia institution serving oven-puffed popovers with butter and wild Maine blueberry jam on a lawn looking straight up Jordan Pond to the twin peaks of the Bubbles — reservations recommended in summer.
Jordan Pond House · +12078134342 · jordanpondhouse.com
🛎️ Overnight — Bar Harbor Inn
From $259-349 USD / night, for 2 people
A second night on the harbor before tomorrow’s drive to the island’s quieter western half.
Day 3The Quiet Side & Departure
A last morning on Mount Desert Island’s less-crowded ‘quiet side,’ with a classic lighthouse and a lobster pound lunch before the drive back to Bangor.
🚙 Self-Drive — Bar Harbor to Bass Harbor
~40 minutes · via ME-102 / ME-198
The drive across the island’s western half trades Bar Harbor’s crowds for fishing villages and blueberry barrens, with far fewer cars on the road even in August.
💡 Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
~30 minutes, self-guided · Free
An 1858 lighthouse on a granite ledge above the Atlantic, one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine — a short trail leads down to the rocks below for the classic angle looking up at the tower.
🦞 Lunch — Thurston’s Lobster Pound, Bernard
~1 hour · $25-45 USD / person, market price
A working lobster pound on Bass Harbor’s working waterfront, with steamed lobster dinners eaten at picnic tables over the water — order it whole and messy, the way the boat captains docking beside you do.
Thurston’s Lobster Pound · +12072447600
🚗 Self-Drive — Bass Harbor to Bangor International Airport
~1.5 hours · via ME-3 & I-395
The return drive retraces the route back through Ellsworth to Bangor — return the rental car with a full tank and allow extra time for July and August traffic.
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