Where to Stay at Acadia National Park in Downeast Maine

I often mention that lodging in Maine is more expensive than other destinations, and that’s certainly true when it comes to where to stay at Acadia National Park. Luckily for visitors, there are several towns around the Park, including Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor. I think you’ll find that staying NEAR Acadia NP is just as good as staying IN the Park or on Mount Desert Island. Don’t worry, we’ll help you get it all sorted for your trip.

Where to stay at Acadia National Park depends on what your plan is. If you’re visiting for the day, then anywhere from MidCoast Maine to Bangor, or directly on Mount Desert Island is a good choice, but if you’re doing a 3 day Acadia National Park itinerary, you’ll want to stay very near the park for your daily outings. Let’s make a plan! And if you have any additional questions or would like to provide your own suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more.

Where to Stay at Acadia National Park

While you could do a day trip to Acadia National Park, multiple days are recommended since the park is so large and spread out. There are quite a few towns both on Mount Desert Island and just north on the mainland. You won’t be hard pressed to find a town to stay in, but if you don’t plan it properly, you may have a tough time finding affordable accommodations. Check out our ideas for glamping near Acadia NP and around Maine!

Where to stay at Acadia NP isn’t that complicated if you are a planner. If you’re thinking you may want to try to put together a nearby stay on short notice, that’s not the best way to go about it. For hotels you’ll need advance reservations for an okay rate and for camping, all the National Park Service campgrounds require reservations. There are options though. We’ll help you figure out where to stay at Acadia.

Hotels and B&Bs in Bar Harbor

Acadia National Park doesn’t have its own lodge, like Sequoia NP or Yosemite National Park does, but it is located directly next to the beautiful town of Bar Harbor, one of the prettiest places in Maine. Here you’ll find everything from international travel brands like Holiday Inn or Best Western, to small bed and breakfasts or vintage motels. Bar Harbor has about 5500 year round residents with about 18,000 in summer, so there are plenty of options for where to stay near Acadia National Park.

Some people like to be luxe for their trip to Acadia NP, even if they’ll be hiking and biking every day. For a really nice stay in Bay Harbor there are two wonderful options: the Harborside Hotel and West Street Hotel. Both of these are a part of the Opal Collection, which also manages the Samoset Resort in Rockport in MidCoast Maine. You’ll have some great options.

More Towns Near Acadia to Overnight

Southwest Harbor, Seawall and Asticou are all very near the lower part of the main visitation area of Acadia National Park, and each has more than a few options for where to stay. What’s nice about choosing one of these smaller towns is that you’ll be in an independently owned inn or B&B, so you’ll putting money directly back into that town. I would pick Southwest Harbor if I were to choose one of these three for where to stay at Acadia NP, as there are walkable dining options here too, which is a bonus. Whichever works with your schedule and budget, you’ll enjoy your time.

Camping at Acadia NPS

When it comes to camping at Acadia, there are actually quite a few options. Within the National Park there are 3 campgrounds that can accommodate both tent camping and RVs. Just outside of the Park’s boundaries there are both private campgrounds and State Park sites. They even have campfire programs! Here are just a few options for camping near and in Acadia National Park:

• Blackwoods Campground – Acadia NP
• Schoodic Woods Campground – Acadia NP
• Seawall Campground – Acadia NP

For each of the above campgrounds, you’ll need to reserve your camping in advance. While you can sometimes score a campsite on the same day, the chances of that are not great and you’re best to plan in advance. If camping is the plan for where to stay at Acadia, be smart about it so you won’t be disappointed.

Outside of Acadia NP, there are quite a few privately managed campgrounds that are great options, particularly if you are heading DownEast with a camper or RV. These campgrounds tend to follow the seasonality of the National Park Service campgrounds, so inquire with each as to any shoulder season camping options.

• Mount Desert Campground
• Bar Harbor / Acadia KOA
• Somes Sound View Campground
• Lamoine State Park
• Bass Harbor Campground

How Many Days Needed for Acadia NPS?

We’re talking about where to stay at Acadia National Park which to me means staying very near the main visitor areas, so you’re probably wondering just how many days do you need to do Acadia NPS. It’s a great question, and before we ever visited it seemed like a 1-day National Park. While you could do some of Acadia in a day, we recommend a three day stay to get the full experience, and even then you won’t cover all of the hiking and paddling you can do at the Park.

Here’s what we recommend for planning three days on your Acadia National Park itinerary:

• 1 day for hiking, Cadillac Mountain and the main sites of the park
• 1 day for the Schoodic Peninsula
• 1 day for visiting Isle au Haut via boat and hiking it
• Bonus day for Bass Harbor Lighthouse, the western side of the park, and having time to explore towns like Southwest Harbor and Mount Desert

If you’re strapped for time, cut out one of the days, but whatever activities and sights you do plan, be sure they are in the same part of the park. The scenic drive on the Park Loop Road is beautiful, but it takes a long time and you’ll end up hurrying your plans due to traffic and distance. Making a one-day plan is a good way to integrate Acadia NP into your Maine summer road trip, but even then you’ll want to stay near the park.

Is just one day at Acadia NP worth it?

Yes, that’s the easy answer. If you’re limited to having just one day at Acadia National Park, that’s fine, but hopefully you’ll be staying someplace nearby, or at least as close as Bangor or Camden. The drive from Portland is more than 3 hours, so if you’re staying in Portland and planning to have just a one day visit to Acadia NP, you’ll need to leave very early and plan and getting back very late. I think knowing where to stay at Acadia is important if you’re visiting from Portland in case you change your mind and want another day.

For visitors who come to Acadia in the summer, it can be very busy, which unfortunately means traffic. If you’re not willing to deal with the traffic for your day, you can either do the park shuttle from the Visitor Center or you can rent bikes in either Bar Harbor or Seal Harbor to explore. With either of those options, for you one day if the park is busy, you’ll be limited or face traffic issues.

If you aren’t planning on staying at Acadia National Park, don’t write it off your plans just yet. Be sure to set aside time to get to the park early, to have lunch at Jordan Pond or in Bar Harbor, and then to enjoy sunset from Mount Desert Island (where Acadia is located). I don’t want you to feel like you got short changed with just one day. I think three days is absolutely best so you can see the whole park, but you’ll fall in love with just the short trip and you’ll want to plan another longer visit in the future.