Hiking the Bar Island Trail in Acadia National Park
Distance: 1.8 miles / 2.9 km
Bar Island in Acadia National Park is an adventure unique to Bar Harbor, Maine, as the trail is only accessible by way of a land bridge that emerges for only a few hours each day on either side of low tide.
This means that to visit Bar Island and hike the Bar Island Trail or Bar Island Loop Trail, visitors must arrive just before or at low tide, in order to make it back to Bar Harbor safely before the tide returns.
Typically speaking, there is only one low tide during the day, with the other occurring during the overnight hours, which is why it’s important to expect the Bar Harbor Land Bridge and Trail to be very busy, as everyone interested in making it to the island will be visiting during the same short window at low tide.
Bar Island Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Bar Island Land Bridge is very unconventional compared to other adventures in Acadia National Park because the National Park Service does not have an official parking lot.
Therefore, the only option is to utilize the paid parking areas throughout Bar Harbor and walk to Bridge Street from there. My advice is to park next to somewhere you’re interested in eating after, allowing your paid parking spot to work for both!
Google Maps Directions: Bar Island Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Acadia
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Acadia National Park.
Walking to the Trailhead
Regardless of where you park, the walk to Bar Island begins on Bridge Street, a small side street that leads to the water on the north side of Bar Harbor.
Google Maps Directions: Bridge Street
Hiking the Bar Island Trail
At the very far end of Bridge Street, the pavement ends where the land bridge begins.
Before hiking, I highly recommend reading the signs to fully understand how the tides work and what it means to get stranded on Bar Island.
Yes, this has happened many times before, and visitors have spent the night on Bar Island!
Bar Island Land Bridge
This is the beginning of the Bar Island Land Bridge.
When planning your hike, be sure to check the Bar Harbor tide chart linked below, so that you plan to arrive at least one, if not two, hours before low tide to begin hiking when you have the most amount of time to explore the island.
Tide Forecast: Bar Harbor Tide Chart
From Bridge Street to Bar Island, the land bridge only measures about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), and although it is 'technically' drivable, I recommend against it.
Vehicles get stuck in the mud every year and often become a total loss once the tide comes back in. You can see this exact thing happen in the spring of 2022.
That being said, a 0.4-mile (0.6 km) walk simply isn’t worth the drive or the risk. Just park in Bar Harbor to be safe!
Bar Island (Acadia National Park)
Once on Bar Island, Acadia National Park begins, meaning all park regulations, including the no-drone policy, are in effect.
Bar Island Trail
Past the trailhead shown above, the trail on Bar Island follows an easy, gradual path up to the summit, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away.
Lower Bar Island-Bar Island Loop Junction
Not long after beginning the hike on Bar Island, the trail to the summit passes by the first of two different junctions with the Bar Island Loop Trail.
To learn more about this alternative and much less popular adventure, I encourage you to check out my separate article linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Bar Island Loop Trail (Coming Soon)
Upper Bar Island-Bar Island Loop Junction
Shortly after the first junction off the Bar Island Trail, the loop trail branches off once again.
This is the direction I like to hike the Bar Island Loop because it ends closer to the trailhead and the land bridge, which allows you to get back over to Bar Harbor before the tide comes back in.
In any case, go left at this split to continue up the Bar Island Trail to the summit.
Read My Separate Post: Bar Island Loop Trail (Coming Soon)
Bar Island-Ruins Junction
At about the halfway mark from the beginning of the island, the Bar Island Trail splits, with the path leading down to some of the ruins left behind by the island’s previous inhabitants, some of which had lived on Bar Island for more than 100 years!
That being said, go left to continue on the Bar Island Trail to the summit, or, if you’re curious about the ruins, go right or take the Bar Island Loop Trail mentioned above.
When the Bar Island Trail turns up the hill to the right, the summit is only 0.1 miles (0.2 km) away.
Bar Island Summit
From the top of Bar Island, the best views look back toward Bar Harbor, with Cadillac Mountain off in the distance.
Here, visitors typically return to the beginning, but if you arrived at the land bridge before the official low tide and are up for a longer adventure, I recommend exploring the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) loop around Bar Island.
It’s not an official trail managed or maintained by the National Park Service, but it’s popular enough that there is a distinct path to follow all the way around.
To learn more, I recommend checking out my separate article linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Bar Island Loop Trail (Coming Soon)
