Acadia in July 2009

Hi - We are a family of four and trying to pick our summer vacation. We have been to Maine and love it. Our cousins live in Maine and New Hampshire so have been to the Wells area many times. We love the Nubble, Wells Beach, Marginal Way. All so beautiful. We also went to Nova Scotia two years ago and that was incredible. We stayed for one week in the Lunenburg area and our whole family loved it. We have two kids age 11 and 7 so just looking for a vacation where we can spend a week. Does Acadia have enough to do for one week? Our kids are good troopers and pretty active so hiking would also be good as long as it is not too strenous. Thanks for any input? Also, what is a good site for cottage/house rentals.

Acadia in July 2009

You ask ';Does Acadia have enough to do for one week?';

That truly depends on what you like to do. When we first visited Bar Harbor/Acadia about 10 years ago, we felt three days was enough. As years have gone by our visits have gotten longer. The past couple of years, we%26#39;ve spent a full week there and longed for more. This year we are spending two weeks there in mid-June.

In addition to spending days in the park hiking, biking and generally just enjoying the scenery. There are some excellent ranger-led programs that you may want to consider. Some are tailored to people of all ages and some are for kids. We (two adults in our 50s) have done bird programs as well as one last year on mosses, lichens and fungi that was more interesting than it probably sounds. There are owl programs at night and stargazing programs on Sand Beach.

There are also some very nice boat trips out of Bar Harbor that you might want to look into. Bar Harbor Whale Watch has whale watching trips, nature cruises, and lighthouse cruises. We have, over the years, done them all and enjoyed them all. There is also a very highly regarded boat trip with Diver Ed. He takes you out and he dives in the bay and brings thing up out of the water for folks to see. It is supposed to be very good for kids. Alas Diver Ed%26#39;s boat was severely damaged in a recent storm and apparently is beyond repair. But rumor is he will be up and running again come summer. Keep an eye out for him.

You might want to consider a day on the Schoodic Peninsula part of Acadia. That is the next peninsula up from Mount Desert Island (Bar Harbor/Acadia). Schoodic has a rugged rocky coastline and is just a beautiful place to visit. You could drive there by heading back off of Mount Desert Island to Ellsworth, hanging a right on Rt 1 and taking it up to the next peninsula. I don%26#39;t remember how long the drive takes but lets say 90 minutes. Or you could take the ferry from Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor. From Winter Harbor (on Schoodic) you can bike if you have them or hop the Island Explorer bus (which also run on Mount Desert Island/Bar Harbor/Acadia) and visit various areas.

Another interesting day trip that we enjoyed was to drive over to Bass Harbor (also on Mount Desert Island) and take the car ferry over to Swans Island. Then you can drive around the island and among other things visit Burnt Coat Harbor lighthouse. It isn%26#39;t a lighthouse you can go into or anything but if you like lights, it is an interesting one.

There are other things to do but this should give you a start to answer the question is there enough to do in and around Acadia for a week.

Acadia in July 2009

Acadia absolutely has enough to do for a week. As a matter of fact at the end of a week you%26#39;ll probably be saying you need more time. Plenty of hikes/walks that are not too strenuous with kids. We%26#39;ve taken our daughter there every year since she was 6 months old and every year, since she could walk, we were able to find things for her to do that matched her abilities. There are lots of good trail/hiking maps that will give you infomation. In addition to hiking there are boat rides, whale watches, biking, miniature golf...just a ton of things to do as a family. If you enjoyed Nova Scotia you%26#39;ll love Acadia. Check out the Acadia postings and you%26#39;ll get an idea of what%26#39;s there. We now use LS Robinson when we book our rentals. They have a web site and you can view their weekly rentals. If you call for info they%26#39;re really good with the details. I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll be disappointed if you go.

Well, paflyfisher and mrsomes have pretty much covered it.

In addition to this forum, check out the Bar Harbor forum, which can provide more information on lodging and activities--a recent thread deals with house rentals.

A few more resources for your planning:

http://www.acadiamagic.com

provides information and links to Acadia National Park, lodging, activities, restaurants, etc.

http://www.nps.gov/acad

takes you directly to the ANP web site.

http://www.ouracadia.com

is a private web site developed by a frequent visitor; more information on things to do and places to eat.

http://www.exploreacadia.com

is the site for the Island Explorer shuttle bus system that paflyfisher mentioned.

www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp

provides weather history for the area---enter our zip code (04609) and the range of dates that interest you.

Thanks everyone - you have been very helpful. I know Acadia will be a place that we will love. I have been reading some posts about the mosquitos. Will it be that bad in July? Does it depend on where you are staying? Thanks again for all your help. I am now getting started on looking for rentals.

The good news is that by July, the black fly season is over. The bad news is that the mosquitoes will still be with us. You are correct---a lot will depend on where you are/where you stay. As with most other parts of the country, they are most prevalent in low-lying, sheltered areas, i.e., along streams and wetlands, in the deep woods. Other than that, they will hardly be noticeable.