There are so many family friendly hikes to choose from at Acadia National Park. The first one we tackled was the Gorham Mountain Trail, which led us down to the Park Loop Road, passing Thunder Hole and Sand Beach. The next day we enjoyed Bubble Rock and Cadillac Mountain. The views from Cadillac Mountain were wonderful and Bubble Rock with kids was a fantastic experience.
Bubble Rock
Bubble Rock is so named because of the 14 ton rock that sits precariously on a high ledge. It was deposited by a glacier about 15,000 years ago and looks like it could topple over at any moment. But don’t worry, it is set very much in place! This hike was about a one mile roundtrip trek, which was great because it allowed us to do other things throughout the day without getting too tired.
We had so much fun climbing up to Bubble Rock. Once up there it was a little dangerous in terms of the edge so J and I kept our distance from the rock. I was definitely having some mom anxiety! But I’m so glad we chose this hike because the views were spectacular! Bubble Rock with kids is definitely a great experience that all ages will enjoy.
Cadillac Mountain
After the hike we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Cadillac is 1,530 feet and is the first place to see the sunrise in the U.S. between October and March. You can hike up to the summit or you can drive. The views from the top are stunning and the mountain peak gives a panoramic view of the entire area. It was so cool to see Bar Harbor and the low tide hike (now at high tide) that we did a couple of days prior. J was very impressed!
Though we didn’t see it, Cadillac Mountain is a fantastic place to see the sunrise. During the summer it can rise as early as 4:48am so people get to the mountain as early as 3:00am to watch the beautiful colors span the sky. We didn’t want to subject the entire family to this early endeavor, but you can plan ahead and get reservations for the mountain for this beautiful experience.
Time to Leave
We packed ourselves back into the car and headed down the mountain. After Cadillac Mountain our time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park had come to an end. We spent a wonderful four days in this area and are excited to come back to do more hiking and other activities we didn’t get to!