Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

By Travel with Action

Free cancellation available

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Features

Free cancellation available
3h
Mobile voucher
Instant confirmation

Overview

Take a scenic trip across Acadia Mount Desert. Enjoy coastal and Rocky Shoreline views and learn about the Maliseet, Wabanaki, and Glooskap. Explore Charlotte Rhoades Park's lush vegetation, glacial relics, and George Dorr and the Rusticators' tales. Taste Acadian food, see marine life, and relax at Little Long Pond. Celebrate Bass Harbor's rich heritage.

Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/wifi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.

New, extra validity — now, it’s yours for an entire year! Use multiple times over multiple trips!

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check pandemic rules and opening hours before your visit.

Activity location

Bass Harbor
- Bass Harbor, Maine, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

Hulls Cove Visitor Center
- 25 Visitor Center Road
- 04609, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States

Check availability

Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour in English

3h
Opening hours: Fri 8:00am-5:00pm
English

Travelers

Language options: English

Price details

$14.99 x 1 Traveler$14.99

Total

What's included, what's not

Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!
Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

Know before you book

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and an instructions email. Follow the instructions right away: • Download the app • Enter the password • Download the tour • MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular
How to start the tour: Once onsite, open the Action's Tour Guide App: • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If there are multiple tour versions, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction. • Go to the starting point. (Note: no one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided). • The audio will begin automatically at the starting point. If you face audio issues, visit the FAQ. • Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
Amazing savings: • Driving Tours: Save money by purchasing a single tour for the entire vehicle, avoiding individual fees per person like on a bus tour. Connect your phone to the car speakers to share the audio.
Flexibility and Convenience: • Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. There's no expiration, making it perfect for revisiting on future trips.
Comprehensive Tour Experience: •The app provides a full itinerary, travel tips, narrated audio stories, scripts, images, videos, and recommendations for additional activities. • Enjoy a private experience without the crowds, ideal for personalized stops and photo opportunities.
Ease of Use and Accessibility: • The app is hands-free and activates stories via GPS, offering support through call, chat, or email. • There is no need for a continuous cell or Wi-Fi connection as the GPS map works offline.
Memorable Keepsakes: • Utilize the app’s images to create a photo book or share on social media, ensuring you have high-quality, crowd-free memories from your trip.
Preparation: • After booking, download the app and the tour using a strong Wi-Fi connection. • Review the tour at home before your trip for a better experience.
Starting the Tour: • Open the app upon arrival at your destination. • Select the appropriate tour based on your starting point. • Head to the starting location; the audio will begin automatically. • Follow the suggested route and adhere to the speed limit for an optimal experience. • By following these instructions and taking advantage of the app's features, users can enjoy a personalized, flexible, and in-depth exploration of their destination at their own pace and convenience.

Activity itinerary

Pretty Marsh Picnic Area

10m
Admission ticket not included

Coming up soon is the Pretty Marsh Picnic Area, featuring towering trees and a stairway that descends right to the shore. If it's near a low tide, this is a perfect place for tide-pooling. Tide pools are those little pockets of sea water left behind on rocky shorelines when the tide recedes. The best time to discover these miniature ocean ecosystems is during low tide. Note: This 56+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Mount Desert Island in 2-3 hours.

Bass Harbor

This traditional fishing village used to be known as McKinley. How’d it get that name? When the federal government wanted to establish a post office nearby, they asked the villagers what it should be called. Allegedly, the villagers replied, “You can name it after the president for all we care!” So they named it after William McKinley! As it turns out, their descendants weren’t particularly fond of this name, so they petitioned to change it to Bass Harbor in 1966.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

This is one of the three light stations managed by Acadia, but it’s the most photographed along the main coast. And who doesn't love a lighthouse? This one dates back to 1858! Unfortunately, neither the tower or keeper's house are open to the public. But hey, there might be a good reason for that. One of the more recent keepers, Robert Burchell, moved in with his family in 2004. He said most of the tourists were pretty cool and respectful, but some were too curious and tried to open the door to his house!

Ship Harbor Nature Trail

The Ship Harbor Trailhead is coming up. This easy 1-mile hike should take about half an hour. It follows the shore of a narrow cove and offers great views, but some say it’s haunted! The story goes that in 1741, 200 people sailed from Ireland to Philadelphia, fleeing persecution from England. A storm wrecked the ship on this coast. Everyone escaped to shore, but they were stranded. No aid arrived and many perished. Some swam to the mainland for help, but were never heard from again! Finally, Native people found the survivors and carried word to the English settlements. Rescue arrived at last. Or did it?

Wonderland Trail Trailhead

The Wonderland Trailhead is coming up soon. It’s an easy 1.5-mile hike that takes you right to the water’s edge. It should take less than an hour to complete. This is also a super popular spot for birdwatching and exploring tide pools!

Seawall Acadia National Park

Acadia’s natural seawall is coming up soon on our right. Nature did some pretty fine work when creating this seawall! Ocean storms built it over time. When waves break, they carry rocks from the bottom of the beach all the way to the shore. Over and over. As the tides ebb and flow, the heavier stones stack at the top, while the lighter stones settle at the bottom. The result is a natural wall like this one!

Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Park

The park gets its name from Charlotte Rhoades, a former resident of Southwest Harbor back in the mid 1900s. In 1970, her family generously gave the property to the town with one request: They wanted it to be a peaceful park for children and their families. The town delivered on their promise!

Echo Lake

Echo Lake and Beach are coming up soon. The lake is the most popular freshwater swimming hole on the island! Trails that climb both Beech Cliff and Beach Mountain also start from here, offering some pretty marvelous views on a sunny day. The Beech Cliff trail is a fairly strenuous 2-mile hike that will take about two hours to complete. Although this trail doesn’t go all the way to the top of Beech Mountain, it has a series of ladders that will lead you through some really cool cliff formations.

Little Long Pond

We’re almost at the Little Long Pond Trail. The 2-mile trail is an easy hike that should take less than an hour to complete. The trail loop takes you through the woods on old carriage roads and past a field beside Little Long Pond.

Seal Harbor Beach

Seal Harbor Beach is just ahead. It’s a large sand and pebble beach that’s typically less crowded than Sand Beach. There’s a diving platform if you’re in the mood for a splash. It’s also a really good spot to search for sea glass washed onto the shore!

Seal Harbor

The town of Seal Harbor is coming up soon. The area around it has long been a haven for the rich and famous. Some of these little roads veering off to the right lead to an enclave of wealthy summer homes, including Skyland, the Cottage that Henry Ford built in 1925 for his son. Do you know who owns it now? Martha Stewart! Since 1997.

Otter Creek

We're approaching Otter Creek, a small village just south of Bar Harbor. In a way, this village is an island unto itself. How? Well, it’s completely surrounded by Acadia National Park! But how did that happen?

The Tarn

The lake coming up on our left is called the Tarn. The name comes from an Old Norse word “tjorn” meaning “small mountain lake.” It formed when the weight of a glacier simply depressed the ground beneath it. After a few too many dry summers in a row, the Tarn has become less of a pond and more of a marsh.

The Jackson Laboratory

In 1929, the Jackson Laboratory began operating as one of the world’s first centers for the study of cancer genetics. George Dorr donated the 13 acres of land that the campus was built on. Is there anything this guy didn’t do?

Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor is just ahead. But did you know it wasn’t always Bar Harbor? Back in 1796, it was known as the Town of Eden. The name only changed in 1918! It’s the largest community on the island and has been a hotspot for summer vacationers for over two centuries, and that’s not liable to change anytime soon!

Location

Activity location

Bass Harbor
- Bass Harbor, Maine, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

Hulls Cove Visitor Center
- 25 Visitor Center Road
- 04609, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States

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