After this trip to experience Acadia National Park, we drove into our neighborhood and approached home. My husband said, “this neighborhood looks weird.” After any travel, I find myself looking at home differently. Home doesn’t feel any less like home, but it just feels… different.
This trip leveled up what adventure is to me, what cold is, what seclusion feels like, and what a hiking trail is. This trip to Bar Harbor, Maine (we stayed outside of Bar Harbor in Trenton) filled my cup after a trying year.
Thanks to experiences like this one, this year was also nourishing to my soul, to my spark.
Where we stayed: Trenton, ME. We found a beautiful Airbnb that allowed dogs (did I mention we have a 15 year old pup?). It took 15 minutes to get to the Acadia itself, but about 30 minutes to get to the trailheads.
Notes on winter: Most of the park loop is closed after December 1, so the trailheads you can drive right up to are limited. I would love to go back in the winter when the kids are older so we can hike farther/tackle more technical trails. Everything was beautifully empty. With the exception of one trail (Jesup path), we saw zeeeero people on our actual hikes.
Be sure to pack a waterproof layer. Our kids were in snowsuits every time we went out, which was perfect for when they tripped into the snow, or decided to just throw themselves into it.
One trail we hiked (to Little Hunters Beach) had packed, sometimes slippery snow, which was doable at this point for us, but I imagine that in another couple weeks we’d want crampons or microspikes, and poles to assist.
On rationalizing this trip because it’s educational:
Go see the rangers at the visitor center: 100% visit the visitor center on your first day. Check the Acadia website for current information, but visitor center services can be obtained from rangers at the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. If you have kiddos in tow, they can get a Junior Ranger booklet, complete it, and return it to receive a junior ranger badge! We visited on the last day to stamp our passport, so are completing our booklets as part of our homeschool activities here at home.
The Tarn, on our way to the Jesup path. 
Little Hunters Beach 
Little Hunters Beach 
Little Hunters Beach 
Sand Beach 
Little Hunters Beach 
Sand Beach 
Little Hunters Beach
