Acadia National Park Road Trip with Travel Mom Aimee
A road trip to Acadia National Park was this summer’s adventure for Travel Mom Aimee, her husband, and 3 daughters (ages 13, 10, and 8). She shares so many amazing details…you must listen and check them all out below.
Get more inspiration for your family’s next travel adventure from additional podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!
What was your last big family adventure?
Every summer, we RV in August to Pennsylvania for a family reunion. This summer, some of our extended family decides they weren’t comfortable doing with COVID. So, when we found ourselves with 10 days, an RV, and no plan, we came up with a new adventure.
We decided to do Acadia National Park in Maine, but we found out the park was not open to camping. So we turned over our Freedom Rentals RV (the company we’ve used every year for the last 15 years) to another family on the waiting list. And with 2 ½ weeks notice, I found us a cottage with Acadia Cottage Rentals.
Tell Us About Your Road Trip Pit Stops
As it was a long drive from the Washington, DC area, we decided to stop for a day and night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
It’s a super quaint shore town. So beautiful and historic, we wish we stayed an extra night.
Leaving Portsmouth, it was only 30 minutes into Maine and made a fun stop at Allagash Brewery. While they were closed to tours, we could still do a tasting, and the kids had their first lobster roll.
Then we had to make the necessary Maine pit stop…the flagship L.L.Bean store. Our friend’s tip was to inventory all our winter stuff then stock up while we were there. We had a blast. The kids loved it and got their picture in the giant duck boot!
Tell us about your Acadia National Park Adventures
Acadia is on an island called Mount Dessert. The island has two sides, the west side where we stayed, the quieter side, and the east side, where Bar Harbor is.
We stayed a week in Southwest Harbor, a lobster fishing town. It’s the quintessential Maine town…you look out your window and see sailboats and lobster boats, and walk down to the end of the street, lobstermen are pulling out their catch of the day.
The goal of the trip was to be in nature with the kids. The whole week was really fun, really active, and really educational. Without the kids realizing, they were learning about this park, its history, and how important conservation and preservation are to our National Parks. That’s why a trip to the National Parks felt right to us this year.
And it was incredible to us…that there is this kind of natural beauty on the East coast of the United States – the cliffs and the climbs and the magnificent views. It’s some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen in the U.S.
We hiked every day. On this small island, there are more than 150 miles of trails and 25 bodies of water.
Our favorites were Bubble Rock and Beehive. Bubble Rock has a glacial erratic perched on the edge of the mountain at the summit.
Then the fifth day, the girls decided they could do Beehive, the most challenging as it has exposed cliffs, iron rungs, and granite staircase climes. It was such an accomplishment, and they were so proud of themselves for doing it.
We also spent 2 days biking the miles and miles of Carriage Roads, accessible only by foot and bike. The beauty was like being in a fairytale.
And we swam, which is summer for our kids. The kids loved Echo Lake as it was a little warmer.
Tell Us About Your In-Town Adventures
We cooked in a lot and went to many Lobster Pounds where you pick your own lobster. Beal’s is one of the most famous and was two blocks from our house.
Bar Harbor, on the Eastside, is a beautiful quaint town with shops and restaurants. It was a fun place to go, but it was packed, so we didn’t spend as much time there.
The island off Bar Harbor, Bar Island, is a fun adventure too. You can walk over to it at low tide and experience amazing tidepools full of starfish and lobsters. Then at high tide, there are boats going across.
What was the BEST part of the trip for the family?
Hiking was the highlight of the trip for all 5 of us, including our 8-year-old. We’ve created hikers for life.
Why do you travel with your kids?
It’s important to me that they see different places and how other people live. For our growth and learning and our mental health, travel is essential, as it balances out our lives’ stress and demands.
It’s important that our children get to experience life outside of the United States as well, but right now, there are so many places to discover in the United States.
Next trip you’re planning or dreaming about?
More National Parks. We will definitely go back to Acadia. Last year, we were in Wyoming, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. We’ll definitely do another National Park next summer.
🌎 🌎 🌎
Thank you so much, Aimee, for joining us to share your Acadia National Park Road Trip adventures!
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
Get ideas for family’s next travel adventure with more podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!