Maine is a favorite among visitors to New England. There’s the beautiful coastline, Acadia National Park, delicious food, cute small towns, and so much more. While you could easily spend several weeks exploring every nook and cranny of this state, many don’t have that time. On my most recent trip to Maine, I had a long weekend so I had to be efficient with my sightseeing.
I’ve taken knowledge, along with the experience from a previous New England road trip, and put it together into a great itinerary for five days in Maine. There’s a big focus on Acadia National Park, both because I love visiting US national parks and because it’s one of my favorite parts of Maine.
Five Days in Maine
Of course this is not the only way to spend five days in Maine, but this is what I would recommend to anyone who’s looking for a long weekend and an introduction to this beautiful state.
Day 1 – Hello, Maine
Your goal today is to arrive in Maine and make your way to Bar Harbor. Yes, there is an airport in Bar Harbor, but you aren’t required to use it. Later this in this article, I’ll lay out all of your different options for arriving in Maine. For now, let’s just focus on getting to Maine and getting to Bar Harbor.
Depending on when you arrive and where you arrive, you might be able to start exploring today. I didn’t have that luxury, so I’m not putting it into this itinerary as something mandatory. That said, if you do find yourself with some time today, explore Bar Harbor. It’s so easy to come to this area and focus solely on Acadia National Park (I’m definitely guilty of this), but Bar Harbor is a bustling tourist town with plenty of shops and good restaurants.
Enjoy your evening and get ready for your first day at Acadia National Park.
Sleep: Bar Harbor (see Budgeting Tips for more information)
Day 2 – Acadia National Park
Today is the first of two days at Acadia National Park and I recommend focusing your time around Park Loop Road. This one way road loops through Acadia National Park and has some of the highlights just off the main road.
Start your morning at the Beehive Trail. This is an adventurous trail with metal rungs and ladders drilled into the side of the mountain and brings you up to an incredible viewpoint above the park. From here you’ll see the tops of the forest, other mountains, and the ocean. The Beehive Trail is incredibly popular so don’t be surprised to share the trail with lots of other hikers. That’s why I recommend getting an early start to your day. Hopefully there will be fewer people here earlier in the day than later in the day.
After the Beehive Trail, take a break from hiking and enjoy some of the stops on Park Loop Road. While Schooner Head is behind you (and Park Loop Road is one way), it’s still one of my favorite stops and it’s worth backtracking at some point during the day. Thunder Hole is also great, but try to time it with high tide to get the full experience. The Otter Cliffs area is also full of some great views. And don’t miss Sand Cove, which is right near the Beehive Trail trailhead. It’s one of the few places along the coast that offers a sand beach.
Eventually you want to make your way to Jordan Pond where you’ll have more hiking opportunities. The exact hike you choose is up to you but you have options from easy to difficult hikes. For those wanting an easy hike, walk around Jordan Pond to get different views of the water and the surrounding mountains. For a great view, combine your loop around Jordan Pond with a trip up the South Bubble where you’ll be able to look out to the surrounding area. To make it an even more challenging hike, add in the Jordan Cliffs which includes plenty of rock scrambling that’s sure to give you a great quad workout.
Continue on Park Loop Road and head back to Bar Harbor for a late lunch/early dinner and some time to explore the town. Don’t stay up too late though. Tomorrow is what will hopefully be one of the best sunrises in the United States.
Sleep: Bar Harbor
Day 3 – Acadia National Park
For your second day at Acadia National Park, leave Park Loop Road behind and explore some of the other areas of the park. There’s a lot of options, but I’m going to give recommendations for what I did. There’s more hiking, but nothing strenuous (though you could change things up entirely and go for some more difficult hikes—Acadia is full of them).
First though, start with sunrise on Cadillac Mountain. You’ll need a reservation, but this allows you to pass through the gates and head up the mountain.
You’ll drive up in the dark and find a parking spot. Then, head out onto the path to try to find a good spot for sunrise. You’re sure to share it with plenty of other people, but on a good day the sunrise is supposed to be one of the best. I was unlucky and fog rolled in and covered the mountain about 20 minutes before sunrise so I couldn’t see much of anything. Hopefully you’re luckier than I was.
After sunrise, head down the mountain, stopping at a few of the overlooks for even more views. Then its on to some other areas of Acadia National Park. There’s lots of places you can explore, but I went in search of easier hikes away from Park Loop Road.
I recommend hiking to the fire tower at Beech Mountain which offers not only great mountain views but also some really nice views of Long Pond. Nearby is the Valley View Trail which is nice, but I think only becomes worth it if you are willing to add on the Beech Cliffs. The Beech Cliffs take the trail from easy to moderate, but offer the best views of the trail.
At Flying Mountain, you can hike to the top of the mountain, but for me, the highlight was the time spent at Valley Cove as I looped back to the trailhead. This remote beach is beautiful and if you can get it to yourself, it makes a great place to just sit and enjoy the view.
Down near Bass Harbor, you’ll find the Wonderland Trail and the Ship Harbor Trail. Both trails are nice and take you out to rocky coastlines, but if I had to choose, the Ship Harbor Trail is my favorite because it has just a little more variety. Nearby you’ll also have the Bass Harbor Lighthouse which is just ok. There are better lighthouses in Maine, so don’t stress if you can’t make it out here, but if you’re in the area, include a quick stop.
When you’ve had your fill for the day, head back to Bar Harbor.
Sleep: Bar Harbor
Day 4 – Traveler’s Choice
Today is traveler’s choice on this Maine itinerary and that’s partly because your day will depend on where you fly home from. So here’s my options and recommendations. Choose which one works best with your itinerary.
Option 1 – Bar Harbor
If you’re flying out of Bar Harbor, it makes sense to stick around the area. Either spend more time in Bar Harbor if you haven’t had your fill of town or head back into Acadia National Park. Believe it or not, there are still even more areas of the park to explore. In Acadia, I’d recommend looking at Schoodic Point or Isle Au Haut.
Option 2 – Portland
If you’re flying out of Portland, you need to get here anyway, so head down early in the day and spend the afternoon exploring the area. I recommend taking a Mail Boat Cruise to see the islands and the great views. Nearby is Cape Elizabeth which features Porthead Lighthouse, which is not just picturesque but is also the most photographed lighthouse in the United States.
Option 3 – Coastal Maine
If you’re flying out of Portland, but don’t want to spend time in the city, take Highway 1 along the coast, stopping in some of the small towns along the way. You’ll pass through Camden, Rockland, Brunswick, Freeport, and even more. Many of these towns are small so you don’t need a lot of time, but with only one day, you’ll have to pick and choose to be strategic with your time.
I had really hoped to have more information about option 3 as this was my plan for my own trip to Maine. Things didn’t work out this way and I ended up popping a tire. My rental car didn’t have a spare tire so I spent several hours of my day dealing with tow trucks and rental car companies and my plans for driving along the coast had to be scrapped.
I did manage to get a little time in Freeport the next day which is a cute little town. There’s some fun shops, but the real draw for many is the LL Bean flagship store which is 22,000 square feet of every outdoor item you could ever want.
Sleep: Traveler’s Choice
Day 5 – Goodbye, Maine
This five day Maine itinerary is over. Head to the airport, return your rental car, and board your flight home.
With More Time
With more time, there’s no wrong way to spend it. While it could be tempting to give yourself more time in Acadia National Park, I would give yourself more time along coastal Maine. Spend one day (or more) driving along the coast and stopping at some of the cute towns along the way. Then spend a full day in Portland before flying home.
With Less Time
With less time, things get tricky. If you only have four days, I’d focus your time solely on Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. That also means that I’d look at flying in and out of Bar Harbor just to be most efficient with your time.
The piece of good news is that if you are only spending time in this area, you could technically have a car free vacation. LL Bean makes a massive donation to Acadia National Park each year and that donation pays for an 11 line bus service around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. While you might have to modify this itinerary slightly to be efficient with bus stops, you could get away without renting a car. And did I mention that the Acadia Shuttle, which even connects to the Bar Harbor airport, is free?
Which Airport Should You Use
Which airport you use will have a big impact on your itinerary, so let’s look at your options.
Bar Harbor (BHB) – This airport is the closest to Acadia National Park, so if you only plan to stay around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, this might be the best option for you. As I mentioned earlier (while talking about ways to shorten this itinerary), Acadia has a robust shuttle system that can help get you around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The biggest downside with using Bar Harbor is that it’s a small airport and flights are limited. While it’s true that all of the airports in Maine are small, Bar Harbor has the fewest connections.
Bangor (BGR) – Located an hour and a half away from Bar Harbor, this airport has slightly more connections than Bar Harbor. It’s still a small airport and you won’t find a ton of options, but it’s an airport that I looked into—especially because I spent two nights in Bangor.
Portland (PWM) – This is the airport I used for my five days in Maine. Yes, it is the furthest away, but it has the most connections. Once I factored in the cost of flights and rental cars, it made the most sense for me to use the Portland Airport. It added driving, but I don’t regret using it for my trip.
Augusta (AUG) – While I think it’s unlikely that you’ll use the Augusta airport, I do want to mention that it’s here and an option. It’s closer to Acadia than Portland, but further than Bangor and Bar Harbor. If you’re a budget conscious traveler though, it’s worth looking into all of your options to see what works best for you.
Budgeting Tips
Like with any area near a national park, you can expect high prices, especially in peak travel season. I often travel solo so those costs feel even extra painful since I can’t split the costs with another person. So, I always look for ways to cut down my expenses. For this trip, there’s two major things I looked into.
First, I priced out the cost of the airport and rental car for each airport in Maine. I did have to keep flight times and connections in mind, but I found that for my specific itinerary, using Portland would be best. Yes, there was extra gas driving to and from Acadia, but that was worth it for me. Note that when I first started planning for flights, I wasn’t aware of how extensive the Acadia shuttle is. Had I known that, I do believe it may have had an impact on my trip (though that’s no guarantee since the shuttle can’t get everywhere).
Second, I only spent one night in Bar Harbor. Hotels are expensive in Bar Harbor and I looked for ways to mitigate that expense. For me, the best way to save money was to limit my time in Bar Harbor. So instead of three nights in Bar Harbor, I spent one night in Bar Harbor and two nights in Bangor.
On Day 1, I drove from Portland to Bangor and spent the night. I got up early the next morning so I could arrive at Acadia National Park by 8:00 for my first hike. After a busy day, I spent the night in Bar Harbor since I had tickets for sunrise at Cadillac Mountain on Day 3 and didn’t want to have to get up nearly 2 hours before sunrise to make the drive. So Day 2 was spent in Bar Harbor. After a second day in Acadia (Day 3 of my itinerary), I returned to Bangor.
I found that I was able to get better deals in Bangor than I did in Bar Harbor, though it should also be noted that I had some free night credits due to various hotel loyalty programs that I’m apart of. That significantly helped to drop my costs. While I realize not everyone will have those free night credits, I do feel it’s a very reasonable approach to look at staying in Bangor. Even if I didn’t have those reward nights, I would still have limited my time in Bar Harbor to save some money.
Check out my guide for even more tips for national parks on a budget.
When to Visit Maine
Maine is best visited from May through October as this is when the top sights at Acadia National Park are open. During the winter months, you can still visit Acadia National Park, but some roads close and the hiking can become dangerous.
In summer, you’ll have the warmest weather, but you can also expect a decent amount of tourists. In many places, as it gets later in the season, crowds thin out, but this is New England which is famous for its fall foliage. In late September and October, you can expect big crowds who come not just to see Acadia National Park, but also to see all the bright fall colors.
I visited in mid September and had really great weather. The trees had barely started to turn colors so if it’s important to you that you see the fall colors, I’d recommend early October. That said, there’s no guarantee when you’ll get peak colors as it changes slightly every year based on weather.
Final Thoughts
Maine is a beautiful state and for nature lovers, there’s a lot to do. While I’d absolutely recommend spending as much time as you can exploring this state and the rest of New England, not everyone has the luxury of time. With these five days in Maine, you’re sure to get a great taste and immediately put this area on your list of places to return.
Continue Your Adventure
Acadia National Park: Tackle the popular Beehive Trail or one of Acadia’s easy hikes, including the popular Jordan Pond. Learn all about the top stops along Park Loop Road. Loop the highlights of Acadia together in this one day itinerary or if you have more time, try my two day itinerary.
Maine: In Portland, cruise the islands on a Mail Boat Tour. Nearby Portland is Cape Elizabeth which is home to the most photographed lighthouse in the United States. Learn more in my Maine Travel Guide.
More in New England: Maine is just the beginning of adventures in New England. In Rhode Island, tour the over the top mansions in Newport. In Connecticut, visit the historic fishing village of Mystic or one of its many state parks. Take a quick detour through New York to visit Albany. And don’t miss out on Stowe, Vermont – it’s a favorite among many travelers. Loop together these highlights in a great itinerary in either 10 days or one week.
US National Parks: Start planning your national park vacation with my US National Park Travel Guide. You’ll find information about each park, photos, itineraries, budget tips, advice for non-hikers, and more. Plus, don’t forget to book your timed entry reservations in advance!