The magic of Bar Harbor...romance, adventure, the rock-bound coast and soaring granite cliffs. From the stonewall-lined and tree-covered road leading you into our village, to the sweeping vistas from atop Cadillac Mountain, there is a special mystique to Bar Harbor. Nestled on the east side of Mt. Desert Island, surrounded by Acadia National Park, we have welcomed visitors for over a hundred years. And now we welcome you, too! Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park have a wide variety of offerings for visitors. There truly is something for everyone.

We offer a wide array of activities from the most relaxed to the most rigorous, dining for all tastes and budgets and shopping in our unique shops and galleries. As you go through our guide, you will notice how much we have to see and do here. Be sure to plan enough time to enjoy our area and consider using us as a base of operations to see all of Downeast Maine. We are only a short distance to other famous attractions such as Campobello Island, Franklin Roosevelt's summer home, the Schoodic Peninsula, the mainland part of Acadia National Park, and other islands, coastal attractions and nature based attractions. Once the summer playground of wealthy and famous Americans, Bar Harbor was celebrated throughout the world as a quiet, beautiful resort village, worlds away from the hustle and bustle of New York, Boston, and Paris. Today, the "summer people" still come to our island paradise, but many visitors also arrive for the brilliant fall foliage. And more and more, people are coming to experience our winter wonderland and the surprises of spring.

Acadia National Park

Located on the rugged coast of Maine, Acadia National Park encompasses over 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. Such diverse habitats create striking scenery and make the park a haven for wildlife and plants.
Entwined with the natural diversity of Acadia is the story of people. Evidence suggests native people first lived here at least 5,000 years ago. Subsequent centuries brought explorers from far lands, settlers of European descent, and, arising directly from the beauty of the landscape, tourism and preservation.

Acadia National Park is a land of contrast and diversity. Comprised of a cluster of islands on the Maine coast, Acadia is positioned within the broad transition zone between eastern deciduous and northern coniferous forests, and hosts several species and plant communities at the edge of their geographic range. Steep slopes rise above the rocky shore, including Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast. While surrounded by the ocean, the entire fabric of Acadia is interwoven with a wide variety of freshwater, estuarine, forest, and intertidal resources, many of which contain plant and animal species of international, national and state significance.

Otter Cliffs

Otter Cliffs are located on the edge of the ocean. It is considered a top roping area, though you can rappel down and lead some of the climbs and there are better places to lead in the park. The climbing area is located off of the loop road which is one way, so you need to be careful not to miss the parking area.

At the top of Otter cliffs, there are several fixed anchors that can be used to top rope several of the climbs on one side. The anchors are long bars that several parties may be anchored in to at one time. This area has trees that are roped off to protect them from further harm, so please do not use these trees for anchors.

In the area of the anchors, there are several climbs, including an easy corner and some challenging cracks. Remember that you actually have to complete the climb to go home, there is no simple path to hike around to the top.

Sand Beach

Acadia National Park has two lifeguarded beaches: Sand Beach, located off Park Loop Road, offers ocean swimming. The water temperature rarely exceeds 55 degrees. Echo Lake Beach offers a somewhat warmer, freshwater swimming experience on the west side of the island. Other than Echo Lake, freshwater lakes located in the park serve as drinking water reservoirs and are off-limits to swimming and wading.