Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour Discount Tickets

4.0
★★★★★ ★★★★★
Based on 4 reviews |
location pin icon Bar Harbor, USA
location pin icon Bar Harbor
4.0 /5
4 reviews
View all Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour photos
View all Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour photos

Get your discount tickets for the Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour, save up to 9% !

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Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
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$13.66

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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, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Start at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center parking lot, 25 Visitor Center Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. This is the suggested starting point. We’re not affiliated with the visitor center. Audio plays automatically—check your email/text for details.

End Point

End point

This tour will end at 1 West St, beside Boardwalk.

Language Offered

English-AUDIO

Itinerary

1. Pretty Marsh Picnic Area
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: The tour is over 57 miles long, with more than 48 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
2. 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!
Duration: 10 mins
3. 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.
Duration: 10 mins
4. 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?
Duration: 10 mins
5. Wonderland Trail
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!
Duration: 10 mins
6. 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!
Duration: 10 mins
7. 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!
Duration: 10 mins
8. 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.
Duration: 10 mins
9. 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.
Duration: 10 mins
10. 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!
Duration: 10 mins
11. 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.
Duration: 10 mins
12. 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?
Duration: 10 mins
13. 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.
Duration: 10 mins
14. 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?
Duration: 10 mins
15. 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!
Duration: 10 mins

Inclusion

Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.

Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.

Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.

Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.

Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.

Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.

One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.

Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.

Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.

Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

Exclusion

No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

Cancellation Policy

Check mark icon Refundable tickets

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

  • 100% refund if cancelled 1+ days before the start date
  • 0% refund if cancelled less than 1 day(s) before the start date

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Check current road closures and park conditions before your visit.

An entrance fee or valid park pass may be required. Check current entry requirements before your visit.

Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.

Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.

At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.

Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.

Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.

More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.

Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.

Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.

Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.

Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.

The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.

Supplied by Travel with Action

Reviews

4.0

★★★★★ ★★★★★
Based on 4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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