It is worth the haul down to Bar Harbor, Maine, where Bubble Pond is bursting with beauty, Cadillac Mountain sores above the Atlantic and eagles, osprey and hawks come to dance for binocular-clad spectators.
We discovered there was an abundance of activity for families in and around Acadia National Park and we loved it so much, we’re going back again this summer.
Last August 2012 we packed up Tahloola and took two days and one night to travel to Bar Harbor, Maine from Halifax, Nova Scotia. We spent one night at Rockwood campground in Saint John, NB. It had a lovely little restaurant over-looking a lake and some pretty walks. I wasn’t overly busy when we were there and we didn’t see too many families.
We didn’t hang about as we were eager to get down to Bar Harbor and make camp along Maine’s fabulous rugged coast. We were incredibly lucky with our booking, as it was made last minute and we took advantage of a recent cancellation.
I highly recommend the power of persistence when it comes to booking a campsite. It’s great to do your research ahead of time and if you find you can’t get the site you want, or the grounds are booked…keep calling. There’s almost always a cancellation, as many great sites are booked a year in advance before campers know their travel schedules.
The site we secured has the tide lapping in at us every eight hours. It was beautiful. When the kids weren’t swimming in the ocean, they were tidal pooling for shells, crabs and snails.
Our campground of choice was the KOA Oceanside Bar Harbor but there are several campgrounds in the national park and around the island.
Some of our favorite things to do:
- Explore the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park and look for eagles, hawks and other amazing birds with the park rangers and their trusty binoculars.
- Hike around Bubble Pond followed by lunch at Jordan Pond House.
- Spending a day at the beach inside the park.
- Exploring Bar Harbor and finding little souvenirs for Tahloola (like her “Hi, I’m Mat” door mat!).
- Watching the beautiful red sunsets over Bar Harbor from our campsite.
East Coast Glamping 