Bar Harbor on July 4 wknd

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44LLM

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Posts
22
Location
Oshawa, Ontario Canada
When we first got our motorhome we would go to Nascar races. Since we are still working, a trip would be just for an extended weekend. Drive non stop to the track, enjoy the races, and then drive non stop to get home. We were never able to enjoy the journey.
The races started to get a little boring and expensive so last year we tried something different. We took a relaxing tour around Lake Huron. We stayed a few days in Sault St Marie and took the train tour. Then a couple of days in Mackinaw City with a day on the island. Then we took US 23 towards Detroit and back across the border to visit family in Windsor.
We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the driving much so more.

This year we will be going to Bar Harbor. We plan to leave June 30. Will be taking a leisurely route thru Vermont. Going to pick up a base plate on the way so we can tow in the future. We will be staying at Hadleys point from the 1st to 5th. We plan to take Ollie's Trolley. I think we will take both 1 and 2 hour tours. There will be a Lighthouse boat tour and maybe rent scooters for an afternoon to tour the loop road on our own. It looks like Bar Harbor has a lot of activities to celebrate the 4th.
We leave on July 5th to spend a few days in Lake George, NY staying at Lake George RV Park.

Now the questions. What else is there to do in Bar Harbor? Any suggestions. Also Lake George. Bear in mind that we will not have a car.

Thanks
Dale
 
The obvious answer for Bar Harbor is Acadia National Park. Not sure about trolley transportation into the park, but the hiking trails range from easy to very difficult. An early morning hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain will reward you with unforgettable views. There are extensive carriage trails in the park, with horse-drawn carriage rides available, or you can rent bikes and cycle the trails.
 
Thank you for the reply. Trolley will go thru most of the park on the 2.5 hr tour and goes to Cadillac Mountain on the 1 hour tour. Thw wife has mobility issues,so, hiking will not be possible
 
44LLM said:
Going to pick up a base plate on the way so we can tow in the future.

Have you thought about picking up a base plate and tow bar before then so you can tow now?  You'll have a lot more flexibility if you have your own vehicle.  However, I believe the Island Explorer bus will take you to a lot of places within Bar Harbor the park.

BTW, we will be overlapping with you in Acadia.  We will be there from 6/27-7/2, but we are staying around the bay in the Schoodic Woods campground.  Never been before so can't offer a whole lot of tips.  We plan to do a lot of hiking in the park.
 
The free local bus service is excellent, though like any bus the numerous stops make it rather slow means to travel. It covers the entire island, including access to the Park.  In fact, the Park welcome center is a major switching point for the system. However, there is no tour bus that climbs Cadillac Mtn from the Welcome Center. You have to catch a private tour bus from downtown Bar Harbor to get a ride to Cadillac. The free Island Explorer is not a tour service - you just take it from point to point and you are on your own when you get there. It runs often enough and reliably enough that you can get off and do your thing and hop on a return or continuing route later.

There is also a private local tour service called Ollie's Trolley that provides narrated tours instead of just a bus ride.

http://www.exploreacadia.com/explore.htm
http://www.exploreacadia.com/routefinder.htm

Frankly we avoided  Bar Harbor on the 4th weekend when we used to spend our summer's there. It's just mobbed. Crowded buses, long waits ar restuarants, busy stores, etc. But July and early August are extremely crowded anyway, so maybe doesn't make much difference.

Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor are pleasant (quaint) little towns with boutiques and restaurants and we enjoy visiting them.

Have some Gifford's ice cream while in Maine - it's a real treat!!! Rich & flavorful.

Elsworth and Trenton Maine have excellent restaurants and classic local "lobster pounds", but without a car you probably can't take advantage of them. Maybe make friends with a fellow camper who has a car?
 
All good tips. Thank you. We plan to use the Island Explorer to get from the campground to town. Then its just a short walk to where we want to go. Ollie's trolley have guided tours of both the park and mountain. I didn't realize how busy it would be. I'll make sure everything is booked well ahead of time.

Scott. In hind sight I should have got the base plate a long time ago. The tow bar was given to us by friends that couldn't use it. Now it is very expensive on this side of the border and shipping would be huge if I were to order it online. I plan to order it ahead of time and pick it up on the way.

Thanks all

Dale
 
Yeah, you can (and must, due to lack of parking!) walk everywhere in Bar Harbor village. It's the rest of Mt Desert Island that you need transport for. But you can take the Explorer to Southwest and Northeast Harbors and then walk those as well. They are all small villages and worth visiting if you have the time.

A lot of folks love Jordan Pond too, but I can't recommend it. They are famous for their popovers and seating on the lawn, but (in my opinion) it's not all that special. Figure a 40+ minute wait for a seat. The Explorer will drop you off there if you want.

The view from Cadillac Mtn (Acadia NP) is stupendous and highly recommended. Nothing up there except the view, though.

http://acadiajordanpondhouse.com/cadillac-mountain/
 
44LLM said:
Scott. In hind sight I should have got the base plate a long time ago. The tow bar was given to us by friends that couldn't use it. Now it is very expensive on this side of the border and shipping would be huge if I were to order it online. I plan to order it ahead of time and pick it up on the way.

Ah, that makes sense.  I missed the fact that you were in Canada.
 
We went ahead and ordered the baseplate. $700 Can. I installed it. My age is starting to show. It was a painful experience. Then had to get 7-6 wire from Blue ox. $106 Can. 6 inch drop receiver $102 Can. Ready Brake $640 Can. On a Civic the rear bumper has to be removed to access the lights. I decided to make a light bar to go in rear deck.  This free tow bar is getting expensive ,but, it's all done now.

We are leaving after work on the 29th. Going to spend the night in a parking lot somewhere in Kingston, On. We have booked a tour of Kingston Penitentiary the next morning. After the tour it's off to Gorham New Hampshire Walmart. We plan to drive up Mount Washington the next day and then continue to Maine. We will be able to tour the park on our own. We are considering either a whale or lighthouse cruise. Will enjoy the 4th with our southern neighbours and leave for Lake George on the 5th. Have not made any plans yet. May just relax for a few days.

Looking forward to this trip

Dale
 
Enjoy your trip! One if the more interesting trips out of Bar Harbor is a lobster boat trip that discusses lobstering and the sea life of Coastal Maine as well as a beautiful view of area.
 
Sounds great!  We will probably be leaving Acadia just as you are arriving.  Really looking forward to this trip.
 
We took the Lulu Lobster Boat tour out of Bar Harbor and recommend it.  The captain & crew are friendly and helpful and his spiel is both entertaining and informative.

http://lululobsterboat.com/
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
We took the Lulu Lobster Boat tour out of Bar Harbor and recommend it.  The captain & crew are friendly and helpful and his spiel is both entertaining and informative.

http://lululobsterboat.com/

Gary, based on your recommendation I think we might do that too.
 
Well if you get up really early and are on the top of Cadillac mountin, you can be the first person (with a few other hardy friends) to see the sun come up in America.
I was talking to a ranger about it and looking at the posted sun rise times. Well I was staying at a campground in Ellsworth. After looking at the time I would have to get up to do it. I decided to be the first to see LUNCH.
I think you will find having a car will add substantially to your enjoyment.
Lots of good places to eat in Bar Harbor. I liked Geddy's, Address: 19 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, Phone:(207) 288-5077, Menu: geddys.com. Look for the wire frame moose on the roof.
Don't miss the Northern part of the park, it is across the bay and many never see it.
Bill
 
Beals is in Southwest Harbor and the whole town is worth visiting. By all means, see the entire island and all its villages, and not just Bah Hahba itself.

Ice cream aficionados should be sure to have some Gifford's ice cream while in Maine. Quite a few places sell it, so just look around. Mt Desert Ice Cream company is another local favorite that became instantly famous when Prez Obama stopped there for a coconut ice cream.
 
I'm assuming that by the "northern part of the park across the bay" Bill is referring to the Schoodic Peninsula? (really more east) Or perhaps Southwest Harbor? (west)  We are staying at the new National Park CG on Schoodic Peninsula, so I will report back after the trip.
 
The NPS built a large, new campground that opened on a first come-first served basis right at the end of last camping season.  (I believe it was supposed to open at the beginning of the season, but had construction delays.)  They started taking reservations for this season and it appears to now be booked pretty solid for the tourist season.  Brand new roads and large sites with 50A and water.  New bathroom buildings, but like most all NPS CGs, no showers.  ::) 

It's new enough that there are no reviews yet on rvparkreviews.com, although there are a couple very positive reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor.  Allstays doesn't show it on the app yet at all.  Once I've stayed there, I'll submit it to rvparkreviews and do a review.
 
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