Few places exist that allow travelers to experience the magic of beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes, and lighthouses all at once! Acadia National Park is one of those places. People of all ages can enjoy themselves here, which makes it the perfect destination for families. There are a variety of trails that everyone can do, whether you have a nine year old or a toddler in the backpack. Hiking with kids at Acadia National Park can be fun for everyone!
Gorham Mountain Trail
The Gorham Mountain Trail is touted for being really great for families of young children, as well as offering the best views of any moderate hike in the park. We got here really early since we were already up, the hike can get really crowded, and there is limited parking at the start. Before we even left the parking lot J fell and cut her knee on a rock. Of course, we had no bandaids so we used a tissue with our luggage tag attached to it. She wasn’t too happy, but luckily we ran into someone who had an extra bandaid for us. Note to self.. always bring bandaids!
We absolutely loved this hike. J is very much into climbing rocks and it kept her entertained the entire time. M loved riding in the hiking harness and we enjoyed the moderate climb. This hike is 1.8 miles roundtrip and 525 feet to the summit.
Thunder Hole
Instead of turning around and going back to the car we decided to go down the other way and end up a little down the Park Loop Road where we could then walk along the water and see things such as Sand Beach (from above) and Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole gets its name from the supposedly loud booming sound it makes when the waves crash into it at just the right spot.
After walking for quite a bit we were starting to lose J. We decided not to go down to Sand Beach and only visit Thunder Hole for a few minutes since we were already passing it. It was fine since it was really crowded at that point and and apparently most of the time there is no loud boom from the waves, only sloshing.
After hiking a total of 3.2 miles we were done – pretty good for a 4.5 and 1.5 year old! We went back to the house for some lunch and well deserved rest time. Later on we went into Bar Harbor and had a lobster dinner and much needed drinks for the adults! Hiking with kids at Acadia National Park will do that to you 🙂
