Yes. It stops right in front of the Bar Harbor Motel every 15 minutes from the end of June until the middle of October and takes you to downtown Bar Harbor. If your destination is downtown, brilliant, you’re there. If you wish to go further afield other buses available downtown can take you all over Mount Desert Island and into Acadia National Park. Here is the link to the bus routes and schedule: Island Explore Website
Category: Acadia National Park
Frequently asked questions about Acadia National Park
Where can I buy a National Park Pass for Acadia National Park?
For your convenience, Acadia National Park Passes available for purchase at the front desk.
In addition, Acadia National Park provides 3 ways to purchase a pass, automated Fee Machines, Purchase and Print online, or In-Person Sales locations.
Automated Fee Machines
Three types of weekly passes (Vehicle, Motorcycle, Individual) may be purchased by credit card from automated fee machines available year round 24 hours a day.
One is located at a pavilion in the parking lot the Hulls Cove Visitor Center.
Another is available inside a gatehouse at the entrance to the Schoodic Institute on the Schoodic Peninsula.
A variety of other annual and lifetime passes can be purchased online or at in-person sales locations listed below.
Online: Purchase and Print
Enjoy the convenience of purchasing your pass before you arrive. Once you have printed your pass, you can head directly to a trailhead or parking lot and leave the printed pass on your dashboard.
Note: Entrance passes must be printed before you arrive at the park, so they can be displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard. If you have a Cadilac Summit Vehicle Reservation, download or screen capture your QR (square confirmation) code to display at the check station. Cell service in Acadia is extremely limited, and you may not be able to retrieve your reservation once in the park.
Acadia Passes
Head to recreation.gov for Acadia-specific passes, permits, and fees; including camping, Cadillac Mountain vehicle reservations, and group climbing.
Note: If arriving by rental car, please select “Rental Vehicle” in the Vehicle Type drop-down menu.
Mobile App: Use the Recreation.gov App to reserve a campsite, buy a Cadillac Summit Vehicle Reservation, or purchase an entrance pass.
National Parks and Federal Lands Passes
Go here to learn more about federal lands passes and to get your own.
In Person Sales Locations
The complete variety of park entrance passes are available for purchase in person at these five park locations:
A fee station along the Park Loop Road at Schooner Head Road (open year round)
Hulls Cove Visitor Center
Blackwoods Campground
Schoodic Woods Campground
Seawall Campground
Acadia entrance passes are also available for purchase in-person at third-party sellers. These locations are not operated by the National Park Service and do not offer federal lands passes.
Jordan Pond Gift Shop
Acadia Regional Chamber of Commerce at Thompson Island
Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Cottage Street
Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce
Mount Desert Chamber of Commerce
Southwest Harbor/Tremont Chamber of Commerce
What are the most popular tours in Bar Harbor / Acadia National Park?
Lulu Lobster Boat Rides
- Watch local lobster fisherman pull up their lobster traps and talk about the historic fisherman lifestyle. Keep a lookout for seal sightings on this 2 hour tour around Frenchman’s Bay
Acadian Boat Tours
- Eden Star Tour covers visits to Puffin Colonies, local Lighthouses and seal hangouts
- Sightseeing & Nature Tours covers visits to Egg Rock lighthouse and nearby seals hangouts, Acadia National Park Coastline, Coastal Mansions, local Bald Eagles nest sites
- Frenchman Bay Sunset cruise is a wonderful 2 hour evening tour that ends at sundown – sights to behold: Egg Rock Lighthouse, the Porcupines, local eagle nests, seal sightings, coastal mansions and coastal Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor Whale Watching Company
- Whale watching cruise – featuring possible sightings of Humpback, Finback & Minke whales. Also keep a lookout for harbor porpoise, white-sided dolphins, basking sharks, ocean sunfish, grey seals, harbor seals
- Nature Cruise – join a professional guide and naturalist who will point out natural and historic landmarks as well as wildlife such as eagles, seals, seabirds
- Lobster Fishing – Watch fisherman pull up their lobster traps and talk about the life of a local lobsterman. Look for seals and seabirds and other wildlife.
Oli’s Trolley
- Bar Harbor Downtown tour – tour historic Bar Harbor on this 30 minute fully narrated tour
- Acadia National Park Tour – 2.5 hours, a narrated tour of the history of Acadia National Park with stops for walks and photos
- Acadia National Park Tour – 4 hours, a comprehensive narrated tour complete with several stops for walks and photos in the following areas: Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond & Sieur de Monts springs area
Acadia National Park Tour
- Tour Acadia National Park with narrated emphasis on the history of the area, the geology, wildlife, and much more! Tour stops include Cadillac Mountain summit, Thunder Hole, Sieur de Monts Spring in this 2.5 hour. Restrooms available at all stops.
What range of activities are there in Bar Harbor / Acadia National Park?
- Shopping
- Drinking & Dining
- Movies
- Live Music
- Hiking
- Walking
- Running
- Rock Climbing
- Biking
- Fishing
- Bird watching
- Sailing & Boat tours
- Photography / Night Photography
Best way to get around Bar Harbor & Mount Desert Island?
Bar Harbor is quite small, with very little public parking – so the best way to get around town is to walk or bike.
Mount Desert Island on the other hand is quite big, so it’s best to take you car to distant places. Unless you are up for riding your bike long distances. Mind the hills!
From June 23rd until October 10th there are Island Explorer shuttles that will take you around Mount Desert Island & Acadia National Park on various scheduled routes. Simply speak to the front desk to pick up a schedule map at the front desk or go to www.exploreacadia.com for viewing on your phone
Halloween in Bar Harbor: A Ghostly Guide to October Fun
Bar Harbor in October is hauntingly beautiful, with the trees painted in vibrant reds, oranges and yellows, and residents’ houses decked out with jack-o-lanterns and spooky décor. Here on Mount Desert Island, we take our holidays seriously, especially for their opportunities to gather and connect as a community—just take our 4th of July or Christmas celebrations for example. And Halloween in Bar Harbor is no exception. We lean on the rich history of our town to bring spooky stories to life and plan lots of activities that get us out into the beautiful, crisp October air.
If you’re a fan of eerie thrills or just happen to be visiting our island this time of year, read on to find 4 things to do in Bar Harbor in October that encompass the magic of Halloween.
Exploring the Haunted Side of Bar Harbor
The Wabanaki, Maine’s native people, have inhabited the area in and around Bar Harbor for 12,000 years and the land is steeped in indigenous spirit tales, burial grounds and more. In addition, our town is full of grand summer estates dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries that are ripe for paranormal activity. The Ledgelawn Inn, for example, was built in 1904 and is largely considered the most haunted building on the island, visited by the ghost of Mary Margaret. For those brave enough, there are two options for delving into the chilling mysteries of Bar Harbor.
Bar Harbor Ghost Tours is a 100% Native American Owned and family operated tour company that offers four different ways to explore the spooky stories of our town. Each tour is thoroughly researched and led by experienced, local storytellers. The historically dressed guides guide the way with their eery blue lanterns through Bar Harbor’s ghostly hot spots, telling tales of spirited encounters and even giving you the chance to listen to an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) of a resident spirit. Cameras are encouraged to capture evidence of orbs, apparitions and other things that go bump in the night. Tours are typically 90 minutes, set just after sunset and cover varying distances.
The Bar Harbor Ghost Walk is run by American Ghost Walks and focuses on the history of Ledgelawn Inn and the jilted bride who wanders its halls. Tour guests will learn about 3 major types of ghosts: residual manifestations, intelligent hauntings, and poltergeists on their walk through Bar Harbor. Trailing along the shore path at night, with more stories of strange goings-on at the Balance Rock Inn and the legendary Bar Harbor Club, this is true spine-tingling activity.
Our Own Spooky Stories
Like much of Bar Harbor, some of Witham’s properties are also historical residences full of stories of residents and guests. The Willows, a historic estate on the grounds of the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel, is rumored to be haunted by a young girl. General Manager of the AO, Dede Daigle, shares that staff at the 1913 property have seen lights turn on suddenly in parlor, or doors close of their own accord. But to understand these wandering spirits you must go back to when the building was erected. Miss Charlotte Baker and Miss Clara B. Spence summered together each year in their Regency style seaside mansion. Together they adopted four children, perhaps the culprits of the strange sightings around the Willows today.
Originally built as a literary and social club, the Bar Harbor Inn, likewise has rich history. “Well, we have lots of stories…” said Jeremy Dougherty, Manager of the Bar Harbor Inn. The Reading Room, especially holds the stories—and spirits—of yachtsmen, US Naval officers, victims of the 1947 fire, and hotel guests past.
“There have been multiple times when I’ll be here by myself at the end of the season, everyone has gone home, the lights are off, there are no guests,” Jeremy begins. “I would come downstairs from my office above the dining room and as I walked through history hall, I would hear the sounds of people dining,” he said. Knives and forks scraping on plates, glasses clinking, and the muffled voices of diners. But then he would arrive at the restaurant, and no one would be there, the Reading Room blanketed in darkness. “And I’d think, that’s enough for today!” Let the ghosts have their dinner.
These haunting sounds were not the only inexplicable occurrence at the Inn. At the start of the season, staff have claimed to hear a woman’s voice calling sweetly, “Oh, you’re back.” In the winter, room 120 in the main hotel crackled with paranormal activity, the TV frequently turning on unbidden. Spend a few nights in the Inn and you may unknowingly bump shoulders with one of its spirits.
Trick or Treat in Bar Harbor
What would Halloween in Bar Harbor be without costumes and candy? To ensure the evening of traipsing is safe for all, the town of Bar Harbor closes Ledgelawn Ave. to vehicles between 3pm and 8:30pm. Groups of witches, monsters, fairy tale characters, and superheroes hustle from door to door, enticed by residents’ extravagant decorations and gossip of who has the king-sized candy bars. In fact, children from all around the island carpool to this stretch of downtown for some of the best trick or treat in Bar Harbor. Southwest Harbor also hosts their annual Trunk or Treat at the Southwest Harbor Congregational Church where residents post up with cars adorned in spooky décor to hand out candy, play games, and more!
Acadia Oktoberfest
If you’re looking for more fun things to do in Bar Harbor in October, the Acadia Oktoberfest is an event with something for everyone in the family. The festival is more than just beer—although there are 10 different craft brewing vendors in attendance. It also includes local food trucks, wine tastings, craft vendors, live music, and ale-themed games like stein hoisting and the keg toss. It’s a great way to sample local brews, chat with residents, and enjoy the “quietside” of Mount Desert Island. Tickets are $10-35 depending on the amount of tasting you plan to do!
While You’re Here, Enjoy Acadia in October
The national park gets in the holiday spirit too. Halloween in Bar Harbor happens to coincide with the end of peak leaf peeping season for our region of Maine’s coast. The forests of Acadia in October begin to shed their bright red and orange leaves and transform into spindly, spooky fingers reaching to the skies. October’s moon, the Hunter’s moon, will be waning by the end of the month, adding to the perfect Halloween backdrop. For an eerie adventure, visit the park at night to enjoy excellent stargazing. We especially love to bring a blanket and settle down at Seawall where you can get stellar views and the mesmerizing sound of ocean waves.
From spine-chilling ghost tours at the historic Ledgelawn Inn to vibrant community celebrations, Bar Harbor in October offers a unique blend of eerie tales and festive gatherings. Explore haunted histories and enjoy local traditions under a canopy of fiery fall foliage, making your visit a memorable blend of thrill and enchantment. Whether seeking ghostly adventures or festive fun, Bar Harbor invites you to experience its mystical charm firsthand. And if you have any spooky stories from your stay in Bar Harbor, feel free to email us and share them to add to our town’s Halloween lore.