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Acadia Mount Desert Island Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

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$13.66

REG. $14.99

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

Text transcripts of audio narration & Self-paced format (start/pause/resume anytime)

Pre-recorded audio commentary (downloadable or streamable)

This is a GPS-powered, self-guided audio tour that works through an app

Lifetime access (no expiration) with Customer support (chat/email)

Suggested walking/driving itinerary with stop-by-stop directions

This tour is NOT an entrance ticket to the park

Offline GPS-enabled route map

NO in-person guide or physical equipment (bring your own device & headphones)

Exclusion

Entrance fees, in-person guide, headphones, transport, parking, food,Wi-Fi or cellular data, rentals

Cancellation Policy

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

How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password • Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download

How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.

Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.

Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you

Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car's stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.

The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.

Supplied by Travel with Action