Camping in Acadia National Park

Hi guys! I’m back to discuss all the things about my Acadia camping trip. Camping in Acadia National Park was quite the adventure. From exploring downtown to hiking on exposed cliffs, I truly had a great vacation and am sad to be back in the daily work routine. I first want to start off with a disclaimer – I am by NO means a camping expert. In fact, I freak out if I don’t have my overpriced (but amazing) shampoo to use. And I hate spiders and feeling dirty. I enjoy being unplugged, but not to the extent that I can’t use my phone to call my loved ones. You can read about another camping experience I had in Shenandoah Valley here. However, despite all of those things, I enjoy camping because it changes my mindset. I go from worrying about how I’m going to word a work email to wondering if my shower will have hot enough water for my liking. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Well, keep reading on and I’ll explain why camping is actually a really joyful experience for me. I’ll also share more about what we did, where we stayed, and recommendations I have for the next trip!

The Camping Mindset

They say misery loves company, right? I think that’s totally true, especially when traveling. It’s always better to be roughing it out on a long drive with a buddy than by yourself. Even though you might be uncomfortable, tired, hungry, dirty, etc., it’s more enjoyable when you can joke about your misery with a friend. That’s how camping feels to me; it can be miserable if you aren’t a true outdoorsman, yet it’s a great bonding experience and it sets you free from your daily stress. As I mentioned before, camping completely changes my mindset. I never feel stressed, even when I don’t feel clean or when I’m exhausted. Instead, I only focus on the necessities to survive – such as what to eat, where to bathe, when I’m going to sleep, etc. And when I come back to my regular life after camping, all of those minute details that are part of my everyday routine feel so irrelevant. It’s nice to come back with a refreshed mindset and the ability to prioritize what’s truly important. It also makes me really appreciate my bed and a hot shower, haha!

Where We Stayed

I’ve camped loads of times before, but never in an RV. This was me and the group’s first RV camping experience. My dad found a really nice camper from a great guy, Norm, on this site called RVShare. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s like AirBnb’s but for RV’s. We drove up to New Hampshire, picked up the RV, and continued on to our destination. We really appreciated how well stocked the RV was. Norm thought of everything! He had marshmallow skews with rubber protectors for safety, a broom to sweep out the dirt out of the camper, extra camping chairs, towels, a grill…he had it equipped with just about everything except WiFi. We truly had such a pleasant experience all because of him. Thanks, Norm!

We stayed in the Blackwoods campground in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor. It was a beautiful place! The campsites were a bit too close together, however since we were out for most of the days so it didn’t bother us that much. There were no showers in the campground so we had to drive outside of the park for a lukewarm shower. (Note to anyone who is planning or wants to plan a camping trip – bring PLENTY of quarters for the shower. We had to pay $2 in quarters for a 4 minute shower…which wasn’t quite long enough).

Related: Camping in Shenandoah Valley

What We Did

Explored Bar Harbor – It rained all day during our first day in Acadia, so we left the campsite to explore the town of Bar Harbor. It’s a small and really cute town! Just beware of the influx of tourists from the cruise ships that dock. Luckily, we didn’t have any on Saturday however a few cruise ships did dock the next day. The town of Bar Harbor is filled with classic touristy shops as well as some really unique locally made products. After the rain died down we visited the Bass Harbor lighthouse (pics are above) – which was perhaps the shortest lighthouse I’ve ever seen. It was still pretty though!

Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain – We started off day two by watching the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain. It’s the first place to see the sunrise between October and March in the US. It was a STUNNING sunrise and definitely worth the early morning wakeup call! We opted out of the hike to the top and just drove up to the summit. It was nice and chilly (almost a bit too chilly) and the views were really gorgeous.

The Beehive and Jordan Pond – Later that day we hiked The Beehive Loop Trail, which is an open-faced cliff hike with iron rails for support. It was definitely a thrilling hike, but if you’re afraid of heights I wouldn’t recommend it. (There is an alternative, much more tame route to the top if you still want to see the views). We really wanted to check out Jordan Pond, another famous site in Acadia, but ran out of energy. Instead we ate these delicious things called popovers at the Jordan Pond House which overlooked part of the pond. They’re basically a larger, more hollowed out croissant. Later that night my sister and her husband joined us from Boston and we went out for lobster and blueberry pie. It was…fairly delicious. I’m not a big lobster fan (I know, unpopular opinion), but I did enjoy my lobster roll more than I thought I would. The blueberry pie was AMAZING!

The Carriage Roads – The last activity we did was ride our bikes along the carriage roads in Acadia. The carriage roads were paved by John D. Rockefeller a while back so he and his guests could enjoy scenic carriage rides around the surrounding lakes and ponds. The views were just as you’d expect – stunning and full of mountains and water. I found this great website that describes the carriage roads in more detail. The history of them is actually pretty neat.

Related: Fall Road Trip

What I Learned

Every time I travel somewhere, I make a note of things I wish I had packed or had done differently. I then go back after the trip and see if I still feel that way. Usually, it’s a 100% yes. For this camping trip in Acadia National Park, I really wish I had packed some warmer sweatpants – I’ve been eyeing these pants and might get them for my next outdoors trip. I also wish I packed a toiletry bag with a hanger (I’ve seen this one a bunch and it looks perfect), along with a great notebook to document my thoughts during the trip. I love writing and wish I had some pen and paper to jot down random thoughts and memorable experiences!

A few things I did pack that really came in handy included this Patagonia fleece and these LL Bean slippers. They were perfect for walking around the campsite and going to/from the showers. It was nice being able to just slip these on instead of lacing up sneakers or boots.

I also learned that I really love the vegetation in Maine. I was in awe of the trees, which I just learned are white birch, balsam fir, red spruce, and white spruce along the coastlines. It’s something you don’t think much of, but trees really do change the landscape and make an average place ten times prettier.

To Sum It Up

To sum things up, the trip was a blast. We shared lots of laughs, drank some delicious beer, ate some fantastic blueberry pie, and enjoyed some gorgeous views. Camping in Acadia National Park is an experience I highly recommend. It’s a long drive but it’s so worth it. There’s something so wonderful about living a completely different lifestyle, even if it’s just for a few days. I’m already thinking about local hikes and other camping trips I can plan in the future. If you enjoyed reading this post, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive new post updates straight to your inbox! And if you’ve been to Acadia or are planning to go, let me know what you thought of it!