Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.Bring your bikes or rent them, and ride around the perimeter of the park and then on the carriage paths. My wife and I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. They say that the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun strikes in the continental US. I have lights for my bike, so I figured I'd ride up and be the first guy in the US to see the sun rise. Picture below is what I saw as I approached the summit maybe 20 minutes before sunrise. (guess I wasn't the only guy with this idea)
View attachment 76516
I believe that is Mount Katahdin even though it is further west.They say that the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun strikes in the continental US.
It is. They used to offer horseback riding on the carriage trail, which was a blast. I believe it is now limited to just carriage riding. Still worth doing. There’s something about the monotonous sound of horses hooves on a trail that is very relaxing. it’s worth doing both in my opinion.Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.
1) Rent bikes.
2) Cadillac Mountain.
3) Country breakfast and pancakes at Cafe This Way.
4) Tap and Barrel for beer and lunch.
Dinner restaurants are all pretty good, but no real standouts. You’re pretty much fine wherever you go.
I had a really good time biking at the Schoodic Peninsula and then grabbing good bar food with locals at The Pickled Wrinkle. All in Winter Harbor. Havana is supposed to be a great farm to table restaurant in Bar Harbor. I haven’t been but I know the farmers who they get their stuff from and it’s the highest of quality.
Acadia National Park obviously....right there. Plenty to see and do to fill a day. I imagine it will be crowded over the holiday weekend so try and book Cadillac Mountain Summit Drive in advance. Jordan Pond House "tea & popovers" on the lawn is popular and you can bring the dog since outside...make a reservation if can otherwise will be a wait, trails around the pond as well.
This is a fun hike from dowtown Bar Harbor to Bar Island with the dog....just have to time it right with tides. Hike Bar Island Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
Southwest Harbor is cool town on quieter side of Mt Desert Island.
Atlantic Brewing
Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.
A friend of mine mentioned havana as a good spot too. Looks like the menu has some cool options. There's not lany nights I'll turn down a paella with local seafood in it!
I brought my own bike and had a rack. I have one rack that attaches to the trailer hitch on my car, and another that can attach to any car with a hatch or trunk. Whether you need one or not I guess depends on whether the vehicle you have could fit them inside, maybe even popping off the front tires.Do I need a rack on my car to rent them? The car we're taking doesn't have a hitch
Lol, probably the worst whale watching I’ve ever done was in Bar Harbor. My wife and I decided to go to the “environmentally responsible” company and so we were watching the whales from like 3 miles away. Meanwhile the “environmentally unresponsible” company was right in there with them. I could see them in the distance through binoculars. I think at one point they may have set up the tables and chairs on top of a whale and had lunch on it.Best whale watching iv ever done was in bar harbor. Might be a little early in the season - id just double check that.
I believe that is Mount Katahdin even though it is further west.
View attachment 76517 View attachment 76518
But you did use the qualifier “ they say”. You are right, it’s often said that Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun hits on the continental US because it is the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. Katahdin though is higher though and the sunrise hits it a couple of minutes earlier. That said, there’s no road to the top of Katahdin, and the weather there is often cloudy, so I guess you can argue that the first place a person could see the sunrise would be Cadillac Mountain.
This was news to me, but…Sunrise at Quoddy Head Maine is 6 minutes earlier than Mt Cadillac and 4 minutes earlier than Mt Katahdin.