Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor Self-Guided Driving & Walking Tour
Overview
Experience beautiful, historic Maine with this combo of Acadia and Bar Harbor tours. Drive through the untouched wilderness of Acadia and learn the legends of the Native tribes who called that land home. Then stroll along the oceanside as you dive into Bar Harbor’s surprising Gilded Age history. These tours offer the perfect combination of natural beauty and rich culture so you can get the very most out of your visit to this incredible state.
After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/wifi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.
This is not an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
No expiration — The tour comes with lifetime validity!
After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/wifi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.
This is not an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
No expiration — The tour comes with lifetime validity!
Inclusions
- App on your phone: A link to download the Tour Guide App by Action and Password for your tours.
- Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Travel over multiple days or on next trip. Never expires.
- Good value: Buy just one per car. Don’t pay for each person. Save money compared to a bus tour.
- Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat, or Email.
- Private tour in your/rental car: No group. Take breaks for photos/ snacks/hikes. Go at your own pace
- Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
- Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated, videos, text, hidden gems.
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Hulls Cove Visitor Center, 25 Visitor Center Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
We enter Maine's famous Acadia National Park at the Hull's Cove Visitor Center. As we begin to explore this beautiful natural preserve, we'll learn about the rich forests and why the foliage here is so vibrant in the fall.
Pass By: Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our self-guided driving tour enters the famous Park Loop Road of Acadia. We'll follow this loop all around the park, ending at the summit of Cadillac mountain.
Pass By: The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
We'll then pass the beautiful Beaver Pond, where we'll catch a glimpse of some beavers and their dams if we're lucky. We'll also see Jackson Labs on the other side, and we'll learn about its impact on Bar Harbor.
Pass By: Precipice Trail, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
As our tour continues, we'll pass the Precipice Trail. This is a great hike for those in the mood for a little physical detour. It's also home to the endangered peregrine falcon! These birds tend to build their nests on high rocky ledges, where non-flying animals can’t reach the eggs. The steep face of this mountain is perfect for that!
Pass By: Egg Rock Overlook, Park Loop Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
This spot looks out over Bar Harbor’s Frenchman Bay. You might be able to spot a little island in the bay. This is the home of Egg Rock Lighthouse.
Pass By: Ocean Path, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Here we've got a second option for a detour: Ocean Path Trail. If the steep inclines of Pecipice Trail weren't your style, the gentle, winding path here is a great alternative.
Pass By: Sand Beach, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609
Next up: Sandy Beach! At just 290 yards long, the beach is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in fascinating natural history. You might notice a slight greenish tint to the sand. That’s because of the sea urchins!
Stop At: Old Soaker, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
As we continue driving through Acadia, we'll pass Old Soaker. The waves crash against the vertical face of the rock, shooting water up into the air.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
We'll also see Thunder Hole, a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom.
Pass By: Monument Cove, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609
Monument Cove is another example of the seemingly miraculous force of nature. Water and time have worn away at the granite over the centuries, leaving behind a twenty-foot tall pillar of rock that looks like a man-made sculpture.
Pass By: Gorham Mountain Trailhead, Park Loop Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
As our tour continues through Acadia's Park Loop Road, Gorham Mountain rises to the right. The steep trail up this mountain features a false summit, where it appears to plateau before continuing up further. But both the false and real summit offers a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape!
Pass By: Otter Cliff, On the east side of the Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Next up as we drive as the stunning Otter Cliff and Otter Cove. At the top of Otter Cliff, it’s a steep 110-foot drop down to the chilly Atlantic.
Pass By: Bubbles Divide Trail, Mt Desert, ME 04660, USA
If this rock seems like it doesn’t belong here, that’s because it doesn’t. The same glacier that coasted over Jordan Pond also dragged this massive rock across the land and deposited it here.
Pass By: Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our self-guided tour brings us to Jordan Pond next. We'd highly recommend pausing here to appreciate the views and the restaurant. Jordan Pond was carved out of the earth twenty thousand years ago by a massive glacier.
Pass By: Bubble Pond, Park Loop Road Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
Bubble Pond is another glacial remnant, hollowed out of the ground tens of thousands of years ago by a massive ice sheet descending on the island from the Arctic.
Pass By: Eagle Lake Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our drive brings us past Eagle Lake, which serves as the water source for Bar Harbor. It’s also a food source for local birds.
Stop At: Cadillac Mountain Summit Trail, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Finally, we begin the drive up to the summit of Acadia's crown jewel: Cadillac Mountain. The views from the top are unmatched!
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 56 Mount Desert St, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609-1324
Next up are two churches. They’ll both leave an impression — but in totally different ways!
Pass By: St. Saviour's Episcopal Church, 41 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
You can’t miss the church because the most unique thing about it is its design. Or rather… lack of design! In fact, the building looks like it's made of several mismatched parts. Each one represents a different historical era.
Pass By: Jesup Memorial Library, 34 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
This little library's history goes all the way back to 1875. It all began with a casual conversation among some of Bar Harbor's wealthy summer residents. A public library would establish Bar Harbor as a REAL town. They pitched the idea to the town.
Pass By: Abbe Museum, 26 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Pause here again, just past the School Street intersection. Look at the Abbe Museum on your right.
Pass By: Village Green, 9 Firefly Ln, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Bar Harbor's Village Green has some star power behind it… the layout and landscaping were done by Beatrix Farrand, the woman who designed the White House's Rose Garden. Her design still remains intact to this day. You can't mess with perfection!
Pass By: Frenchman Bay, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
You're walking along the coast of Frenchman Bay. Wait — why is it named for the French?
Simple! It's because of all the French expeditions that took place here in the 1500s. Long before the land could be settled by European colonists, it had to be charted, mapped and evaluated. France’s Samuel de Champlain did just that. While Spain’s conquistadors looked for gold in South America, the French focused on the fur trade in the North.
Pass By: Balance Rock Inn, 21 Albert Meadow, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
If this rock looks out of place here… that's because it is! Balance Rock is a glacial erratic. That means that a glacier pulled this boulder from a granite deposit up north and deposited it here.
Pass By: Grant Park, 21 Albert Meadow, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Grant Park marks the site of a building that no longer stands. See the grassy area you're looking at right now? This was once a personal tennis court!
Pass By: Bar Harbor Inn & Spa, 1 Newport Dr, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Right next to Grant Park, on your left, you can't miss the sprawling seaside resort, Bar Harbor Inn.
In 1887, this building started out as the Mount Desert Reading Room: a place for the well-educated wealthy summer residents of Bar Harbor to meet and discuss literature. Back in the days before movie theaters and malls, this was one of the biggest social hubs in town!
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Hulls Cove Visitor Center, 25 Visitor Center Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
We enter Maine's famous Acadia National Park at the Hull's Cove Visitor Center. As we begin to explore this beautiful natural preserve, we'll learn about the rich forests and why the foliage here is so vibrant in the fall.
Pass By: Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our self-guided driving tour enters the famous Park Loop Road of Acadia. We'll follow this loop all around the park, ending at the summit of Cadillac mountain.
Pass By: The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
We'll then pass the beautiful Beaver Pond, where we'll catch a glimpse of some beavers and their dams if we're lucky. We'll also see Jackson Labs on the other side, and we'll learn about its impact on Bar Harbor.
Pass By: Precipice Trail, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
As our tour continues, we'll pass the Precipice Trail. This is a great hike for those in the mood for a little physical detour. It's also home to the endangered peregrine falcon! These birds tend to build their nests on high rocky ledges, where non-flying animals can’t reach the eggs. The steep face of this mountain is perfect for that!
Pass By: Egg Rock Overlook, Park Loop Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
This spot looks out over Bar Harbor’s Frenchman Bay. You might be able to spot a little island in the bay. This is the home of Egg Rock Lighthouse.
Pass By: Ocean Path, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Here we've got a second option for a detour: Ocean Path Trail. If the steep inclines of Pecipice Trail weren't your style, the gentle, winding path here is a great alternative.
Pass By: Sand Beach, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609
Next up: Sandy Beach! At just 290 yards long, the beach is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in fascinating natural history. You might notice a slight greenish tint to the sand. That’s because of the sea urchins!
Stop At: Old Soaker, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
As we continue driving through Acadia, we'll pass Old Soaker. The waves crash against the vertical face of the rock, shooting water up into the air.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
We'll also see Thunder Hole, a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom.
Pass By: Monument Cove, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609
Monument Cove is another example of the seemingly miraculous force of nature. Water and time have worn away at the granite over the centuries, leaving behind a twenty-foot tall pillar of rock that looks like a man-made sculpture.
Pass By: Gorham Mountain Trailhead, Park Loop Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
As our tour continues through Acadia's Park Loop Road, Gorham Mountain rises to the right. The steep trail up this mountain features a false summit, where it appears to plateau before continuing up further. But both the false and real summit offers a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape!
Pass By: Otter Cliff, On the east side of the Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Next up as we drive as the stunning Otter Cliff and Otter Cove. At the top of Otter Cliff, it’s a steep 110-foot drop down to the chilly Atlantic.
Pass By: Bubbles Divide Trail, Mt Desert, ME 04660, USA
If this rock seems like it doesn’t belong here, that’s because it doesn’t. The same glacier that coasted over Jordan Pond also dragged this massive rock across the land and deposited it here.
Pass By: Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our self-guided tour brings us to Jordan Pond next. We'd highly recommend pausing here to appreciate the views and the restaurant. Jordan Pond was carved out of the earth twenty thousand years ago by a massive glacier.
Pass By: Bubble Pond, Park Loop Road Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
Bubble Pond is another glacial remnant, hollowed out of the ground tens of thousands of years ago by a massive ice sheet descending on the island from the Arctic.
Pass By: Eagle Lake Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
Our drive brings us past Eagle Lake, which serves as the water source for Bar Harbor. It’s also a food source for local birds.
Stop At: Cadillac Mountain Summit Trail, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Finally, we begin the drive up to the summit of Acadia's crown jewel: Cadillac Mountain. The views from the top are unmatched!
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 56 Mount Desert St, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME 04609-1324
Next up are two churches. They’ll both leave an impression — but in totally different ways!
Pass By: St. Saviour's Episcopal Church, 41 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
You can’t miss the church because the most unique thing about it is its design. Or rather… lack of design! In fact, the building looks like it's made of several mismatched parts. Each one represents a different historical era.
Pass By: Jesup Memorial Library, 34 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
This little library's history goes all the way back to 1875. It all began with a casual conversation among some of Bar Harbor's wealthy summer residents. A public library would establish Bar Harbor as a REAL town. They pitched the idea to the town.
Pass By: Abbe Museum, 26 Mt Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Pause here again, just past the School Street intersection. Look at the Abbe Museum on your right.
Pass By: Village Green, 9 Firefly Ln, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Bar Harbor's Village Green has some star power behind it… the layout and landscaping were done by Beatrix Farrand, the woman who designed the White House's Rose Garden. Her design still remains intact to this day. You can't mess with perfection!
Pass By: Frenchman Bay, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME
You're walking along the coast of Frenchman Bay. Wait — why is it named for the French?
Simple! It's because of all the French expeditions that took place here in the 1500s. Long before the land could be settled by European colonists, it had to be charted, mapped and evaluated. France’s Samuel de Champlain did just that. While Spain’s conquistadors looked for gold in South America, the French focused on the fur trade in the North.
Pass By: Balance Rock Inn, 21 Albert Meadow, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
If this rock looks out of place here… that's because it is! Balance Rock is a glacial erratic. That means that a glacier pulled this boulder from a granite deposit up north and deposited it here.
Pass By: Grant Park, 21 Albert Meadow, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Grant Park marks the site of a building that no longer stands. See the grassy area you're looking at right now? This was once a personal tennis court!
Pass By: Bar Harbor Inn & Spa, 1 Newport Dr, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Right next to Grant Park, on your left, you can't miss the sprawling seaside resort, Bar Harbor Inn.
In 1887, this building started out as the Mount Desert Reading Room: a place for the well-educated wealthy summer residents of Bar Harbor to meet and discuss literature. Back in the days before movie theaters and malls, this was one of the biggest social hubs in town!
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- How it works: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions. Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. To begin touring, go to the Starting Point and launch the app. The audio starts automatically. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience. Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
- Good value(Driving): Purchase only one tour for the entire vehicle instead of taking the bus and paying for each person. You will see a significant saving. Connect your phone to car speakers by a wire or bluetooth. Enjoy the tour by listening together as you drive.
- Flexible Schedule: Once the app/tour is on your phone, you can use it any day and at any time. You can use it over multiple days. And, also use it on your next trip here. This tour never expires.
- Preview the tour: You can use it before the trip at home (highly recommended), use it during the trip, and use it after you come back.
- Don't miss a thing: You will get everything with the app - a complete itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated audio stories, story script, images, videos, deep dives, hidden gems, exciting locations, recommendations for hikes, adventure, activities, treks, and stop-by-stop direction.
- Private tour: You can use it in your car or rental car. No worries about groups or crowds. Start the tour app on your phone. And it will direct you step by step. You can stop for as many breaks as you like. Take a break for Instagram photos, and take a break for lunch/snacks. Go on a hike. The tour will wait for you and start when you start again. You can even do the tour over multiple days. Go at your own pace.
- Easy to use: The stories play themselves as soon as the GPS is activated. It requires no use of your hands at all. You can get HELP by calling, chatting, or emailing any time of the day.
- Offline: There is no need for a cell signal or Wi-Fi while touring. App’s GPS map works offline.
- Expiration/go again: The tour will last for the rest of your life on your phone. It is available for use on any day of your next trip.
- Good value(Walking): Purchase one tour per person. If you are a couple and prefer to share, purchase one tour and remember to bring headphones you can split.
- Social media: Share clean (no crowd) images with friends/family.
- Devices supported include iPhones with iOS 13 & above, Android phones with version 9 & above and all cellular-enabled tablets & iPads.
- Use pictures for a photo book: Create a photo book using clean (no crowd) app images of each spot to make a memorable trip. All the photos and the correct sequence is ready in the app for you to use.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
karenwD770VB
October 2022
We enjoyed the automated step by step guided tours of A Acadia National Park. Each stop provided great information and tips for navigating photo spots.
We enjoyed the automated step by step guided tours of A Acadia National Park. Each stop provided great information and tips for navigating photo spots.Onntheroadagain
October 2022
Acadia is full of God’s beautiful creation! There was so much to see. Jordan Pond, Cadillac Mountain and sandy beach are all scenes you don’t want to miss. Cadillac and Sandy Beach have short trails that provide spectacular scenery! It is all just so spectacular! This self-guided tour is wel...
Acadia is full of God’s beautiful creation! There was so much to see. Jordan Pond, Cadillac Mountain and sandy beach are all scenes you don’t want to miss. Cadillac and Sandy Beach have short trails that provide spectacular scenery! It is all just so spectacular! This self-guided tour is well worth the money. I highly recommend.radenes
October 2023
Take your time to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Acadia. We used the driving tour app from Action Tour Guide and felt like the guide was riding with us. Traffic flowed smoothly for the most part. We enjoyed the short walks to scenic sites and the amazing view from Cadillac mountain.
Take your time to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Acadia. We used the driving tour app from Action Tour Guide and felt like the guide was riding with us. Traffic flowed smoothly for the most part. We enjoyed the short walks to scenic sites and the amazing view from Cadillac mountain.F9294FBsandrah
October 2023
Even though we were going the speed limit the tour monologue would all of a sudden stop and jump to the next one or repeat a previous talk. Not real impressed. But there was interesting information that we would not have known being on our own.
Even though we were going the speed limit the tour monologue would all of a sudden stop and jump to the next one or repeat a previous talk. Not real impressed. But there was interesting information that we would not have known being on our own.Jennifer_M
October 2023
Thunder hole. It was amazing. All the views were beautiful and the tour was spot on! Wish we could have got reservations to Cadillac Mountain .
Thunder hole. It was amazing. All the views were beautiful and the tour was spot on! Wish we could have got reservations to Cadillac Mountain .Dwight N
October 2023
Easy to follow, lot of interesting local and historical information. Never lost reception, better than sitting on a tour bus with strangers.
Easy to follow, lot of interesting local and historical information. Never lost reception, better than sitting on a tour bus with strangers.