Bar Harbor & Acadia: Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.72 (2,032 reviews) 82% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/18

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Bar harbor bus tour with stops at cadillac mountain thunder hole wild gardens and ocean drive

You’ll ride from Bar Harbor with a local guide who knows every twist of Acadia’s roads—stopping to breathe in Cadillac Mountain’s heights, feel Thunder Hole’s ocean spray, and wander quiet paths among native plants at Sieur De Monts Spring. Expect real stories, plenty of fresh air, and time to take it all in at your own pace.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park Tour

Stop at Cadillac Mountain summit
Enjoy scenic Ocean Drive stop
Visit Nature Center and Wild Gardens

The Experience

I didn’t expect the light to change so fast up on Cadillac Mountain. One minute we were winding through Bar Harbor’s side streets—windows down, someone behind me humming—and then suddenly, you’re above it all. Our guide, Tom (he grew up nearby), pointed out a bald eagle circling over the pines while I tried to snap a photo but mostly just squinted into the wind. The air smelled sharp, like pine needles and cold rocks. I kept thinking, “This is what Maine feels like.”

We stopped at Thunder Hole next, which honestly sounded a bit dramatic to me until I heard it. There’s this hollow boom when the waves crash in just right—kind of startled everyone on our bus, even Tom laughed. I leaned over the railing and got hit with salty spray (my glasses never recovered). Some little kid next to me was trying to time the splash for a selfie; his mom just shook her head. It’s loud, but not in a bad way—more like nature showing off.

Sieur De Monts Spring was quieter. You could hear people crunching along gravel paths and someone talking softly about wildflowers—I think she was a volunteer at the Wild Gardens of Acadia. There’s something calming about that spot after all the wind and noise earlier. I wandered past ferns and mossy stones for a bit longer than planned (almost missed the bus), but nobody seemed in a rush anyway.

The whole day felt sort of layered—history, geology, weather shifting every hour. And even though it’s a group tour from Bar Harbor, there were these small moments where it felt personal. I still think about that view from Cadillac when things get noisy back home.

What’s included

Your day includes entry fees for all park sites plus narration by an English-speaking local guide throughout the journey; you’ll have plenty of time off the bus at each scenic stop before returning comfortably to Bar Harbor together.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Acadia National Park Tours