Acadia National Park

[gsuders86]

Wife, daughter (shes 4 years old) and I are planning on a trip to Acadia National Park mid to late August this year. Will be traveling from Frederick, MD in a Class C 25' motorhome. Might stop at Wells beach in Maine to break up the drive some. Plan on doing some hiking once at Acadia National Park. Any recommendations on places to stop, stay, hike, etc. Will I have any issues driving the motorhome in Acadia National Park and parking and such?

[Paul_D]

We traveled from Annapolis to Acadia a few years back. We divided it up into 2 travel days to get there stopping in Northern PA and NH, before Acadia.


Good thing you asked -- Definitely plan ahead
From the NPS website

Height Restrictions

The Park Loop Road is closed to vehicles taller than 12’0" from Fabbri Picnic Area to Wildwoods Stables.
The Route 3 bridge over the Park Loop Road near Blackwoods Campground is 11’8" in the right lane and 12’0" in the left lane. Vehicles over 11’8" must drive in the left lane while passing beneath this overpass; please use caution.

The Park Loop Road is closed to vehicles taller than 12’2" from Sieur de Monts to the entrance station.

Stanley Brook Road is closed to vehicles taller than 10’4".
Fish House Road is closed to vehicles taller than 11’6".
Duck Brook Road is closed to vehicles taller than 12’4".

Length Restrictions
Bass Harbor Head Road is closed to buses longer than 20 feet and to trailers.
The southern end of Schooner Head Road is closed to trailers and vehicles longer than 20 feet.
Buses are prohibited on Sargent Drive (Town of Mount Desert regulation).


We took out Class C but also towed the Honda Fit We're at 11"4", but I'm not willing to risk anything below 12' 4"

Try for reservations for Cadillac Mountain at sunrise. It's a timed entry reservation.

Vehicle reservations are required for Cadillac Summit Road from Wed May 21 through Sun Oct 26, 2025. Reservations for 2025 will open April 15th.
30 percent of the Cadillac Summit Road Sunrise and Daytime vehicle reservations will be available for purchase at 10 am (ET) 90 days in advance of the reservation date.
70 percent of the Cadillac Summit Road Sunrise and Daytime vehicle reservations will be available for purchase at 10 am (ET) two days in advance of the reservation date.

[burgmark]

I typically use All Trails or just Google "best hikes in Acadia." We stayed at Hadley's Point campground but we also had a Jeep in tow to drive around the park. Sunrise at Cadillac mountain was nice, but over-rated in my opinion. We liked the Beehive hike, but the most popular "hike" is to just walk the trail along the loop road, starting around Sand Beach. As a photographer, we also were at Bass Harbor Head Light Station for sunset (probably most photographed lighthouse in the area). We also enjoyed a lighthouse boat cruise from Bar Harbor. Along Bar Harbor road is Mount Deserts Homemade Pies, best blueberry pie I've ever had, we bought six of them and froze 5. Here is a link to my photos if you're interested.

https://markburgess.zenfolio.com/p447078772

[PanJH]

We spend July just outside Acadia for the past 16 yrs. Driving in the park with your RV has a few restrictions as indicated in the above post. What is a pain is parking. With the Class C you will have a hard time. But---- there is a free bus service called the Island Explorer that goes all thru the park and the island. It stops at most campgrounds and places of interest .

With a 4 yr old, you might want to check out Old Orchard Beach as a stop on your way up. They have a cool old amusement park right on the beach. Bailey's RV park would be a good option there as there are lots of kid friendly things going on there.

Up in Acadia, there are many RV parks.... we stay at Narrows Too as it's big rig friendly. You'll have many more options with the Class C.

For an introductory hike to see how the little one does, I suggest you check out Wonderland and then Ship Harbor. Both are rated easy trails and have nice scenery and are almost adjacent to each other.

PM me if you have any specific questions about the park, Bar Harbor or the general area. .

[StevefromPA]

We have stayed at Timberland twice. Close to Acadia and huge long spots.

[gsuders86]

Thanks for info and recommendations.