Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor Self-Guided Driving & Walking Tour
- 5 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Experience beautiful, historic Maine with this combo of Acadia and Bar Harbor tours. Drive through the untouched wilderness of Acadia and learn the legends of the Native tribes who called that land home. Then stroll along the oceanside as you dive into Bar Harbor’s surprising Gilded Age history. These tours offer the perfect combination of natural beauty and rich culture so you can get the very most out of your visit to this incredible state. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
Inclusions
What's included
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
What's not
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Itinerary
We enter Maine's famous Acadia National Park at the Hull's Cove Visitor Center. As we begin to explore this beautiful natural preserve, we'll learn about the rich forests and why the foliage here is so vibrant in the fall. Note: The tour is over 20+ miles long per tour, with more than 30+ audio stories per tour, and takes about 2-3 hours per tour to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Our self-guided driving tour enters the famous Park Loop Road of Acadia. We'll follow this loop all around the park, ending at the summit of Cadillac mountain.
We'll then pass the beautiful Beaver Pond, where we'll catch a glimpse of some beavers and their dams if we're lucky. We'll also see Jackson Labs on the other side, and we'll learn about its impact on Bar Harbor.
As our tour continues, we'll pass the Precipice Trail. This is a great hike for those in the mood for a little physical detour. It's also home to the endangered peregrine falcon! These birds tend to build their nests on high rocky ledges, where non-flying animals can’t reach the eggs. The steep face of this mountain is perfect for that!
This spot looks out over Bar Harbor’s Frenchman Bay. You might be able to spot a little island in the bay. This is the home of Egg Rock Lighthouse.
Here we've got a second option for a detour: Ocean Path Trail. If the steep inclines of Pecipice Trail weren't your style, the gentle, winding path here is a great alternative.
Next up: Sandy Beach! At just 290 yards long, the beach is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in fascinating natural history. You might notice a slight greenish tint to the sand. That’s because of the sea urchins!
As we continue driving through Acadia, we'll pass Old Soaker. The waves crash against the vertical face of the rock, shooting water up into the air.
We'll also see Thunder Hole, a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom.
Monument Cove is another example of the seemingly miraculous force of nature. Water and time have worn away at the granite over the centuries, leaving behind a twenty-foot tall pillar of rock that looks like a man-made sculpture.
As our tour continues through Acadia's Park Loop Road, Gorham Mountain rises to the right. The steep trail up this mountain features a false summit, where it appears to plateau before continuing up further. But both the false and real summit offers a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape!
Next up as we drive as the stunning Otter Cliff and Otter Cove. At the top of Otter Cliff, it’s a steep 110-foot drop down to the chilly Atlantic.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.3
- 544
- 413
- 34
- 23
- 15
Ratings come from 69 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Start at the Cadillac Mountain Summit parking lot, 707 Cadillac Summit Rd. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with nearby businesses. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Adventures with Action
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
- At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
- Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
- More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
How it compares in Bar Harbor
- Its from-price is 97% below the median of the 12 day trips we list in Bar Harbor.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 12.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Bar Harbor
Bar Harbor is a coastal town on Mount Desert Island in Maine and the gateway to Acadia National Park, with granite peaks, rocky shores and lobster boats.
Bar Harbor sits on the north-east shore of Mount Desert Island on the coast of Maine, facing Frenchman Bay and a scatter of small islands. It grew as a summer retreat in the nineteenth century, when wealthy families built large seaside cottages here, and a fire in 1947 destroyed many of those houses. The Shore Path runs along the waterfront, and at low tide a sandbar leads out to Bar Island.
Top-ranked sights in Bar Harbor: Acadia National Park, Village Green, Criterion Theater.
Special offers in Bar Harbor
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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