Sand Beach was a big hit with both our kids as they loved playing in the sand and running in and out of the water. The cove protects it from the powerful waves and summer currents, allowing the sand to build. Because of the secluded nature of Newport Cove, this beach is able to exist. Our first stop was Sand Beach on the east side of Mount Desert Island. The Park Loop Road is, hands down, one of the most beautiful drives in America. Over the course of the drive, you’ll pass many popular tourist destinations, mountains, rocky shorelines, dense forests and pristine lakes. We didn’t use either option because the convenience of having our own car with two young children was really nice.
Acadia national park tidal pools free#
You can also opt to do this loop as a guided bus tour or take the free Island Explorer shuttle. It can be done all at once or over the course of your visit. This loop is a twisty 27-mile drive located on the eastern half of Mount Desert Island. One of the first things that I would suggest doing is going on the Park Loop Road drive. You can also find free maps (including one with lodging options) available by National Parks Maps.ġ0 Fun Things To Do With Kids in Acadia 1. The author of my favorite Acadia travel book compiled a list of these options on his blog. If camping isn’t your thing, there are dozens of places to stay on Mount Desert Island. There are four other campgrounds located within the boundaries of Acadia National Park: Blackwoods Campground, Seawall Campground, Schoodic Woods Campground and Duck Harbor Campground. It ended up being our favorite campground during the whole 3.5-week adventure. While in Acadia, we stayed at a beautiful campground that was well-kept AND had clean bathrooms/showers called Mount Desert Campground. In addition to perusing websites and travel guides to help plan our trip, we also referred to Hike it Baby: 100 Awesome Outdoor Adventures with Babies and Toddlers to help us plan some kid-friendly hikes in Acadia. However, I must mention that the nights got pretty cold, so we did need to use a space heater in the camper as well as our down sleeping bags. In addition, the park and campgrounds weren’t as busy as they are during the peak season. The whole family loved traveling at this time of year because the trees were still beautiful and the weather was cooler. Since our travels in Acadia were driven by the timing of the layoff, we ended up visiting at the very end of September. From our experience, here are a few tips and a list of family-friendly things to do while visiting Acadia National Park.Ī few important things to consider when planning a trip to Acadia are what time of year you want to go and where you will be staying. That being said, we did look at a map before we left, making a list of places that we wanted to see, and we rented some travel books from the library to take with us. It frees you from a rigid, over-planned trip and allows you to live in the moment. If you haven’t tried traveling like this in the past, consider doing it someday.
We had a general idea of where we wanted to stop, but our “itinerary” was created as we went. Not only will you leave in awe of the beauty of Acadia, but you won’t be disappointed in the amount of family-friendly activities that the park has to offer.Īfter my husband was laid off at the end of August, we decided to buy a pop-up camper, throw our camping gear in the car, along with our two kids (ages 1.5 and 3.5 years) and head north, hitting several destinations, including Acadia National Park. The park offers a little bit of everything: hiking, camping, boat trips, carriage rides, scenic drives, swimming and much, much more. The abundance of habitats leads to a variety of sea and land-dwelling animals.
When visiting, you’ll find lakes, ponds, meadows and a mixture of coniferous and deciduous forests, in addition to mountains and cliffs that rise abruptly from the sea. The largest and most well-known part of Acadia is located on Mount Desert Island. The park includes land on 20 different islands, as well as the southwest tip of the Schoodic Peninsula. Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the Atlantic coastline of the United States.
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