What happened when we visited Acadia National Park in the fall? Well, we didn’t time it perfectly for the most vibrant fall foliage colors. But we sure made the most of comfortable hiking conditions, as well as later sunrises and earlier sunsets which were great for photography. And the park wasn’t as busy as we expected. The major downside? Eye-watering hotel prices in Bar Harbor.
When planning our first New England road trip in the fall we absolutely couldn’t miss Acadia. We write hiking and travel photography guides for a living so it would have been a crime to skip it, despite how much driving time it adds on! But Acadia was only one part of our itinerary, and we wanted to hit the peak fall colors in Vermont and New Hampshire, so we arrived into Acadia about a week too early for the best colors.
Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.
Why trust us with your Acadia plans? We spent 3 full days hiking and photographing Acadia from dawn to dusk in October 2020. Plus, we’ve spent nearly 6 weeks driving around New England in the fall, so we know the season and area well.
Honestly, it didn’t matter that the colors weren’t quite at peak. The park was still beautiful throughout, we got really lucky with the weather, most of the trails were crowd-free, and our sunrise photo shoots were awesome. Plus, visiting Acadia anytime in the fall also comes with one great big perk which we’ll cover later (spoiler, it’s about a hike).
Overall, we genuinely loved our trip to Acadia in October and highly recommend it. The landscape is incredibly attractive, it’s easy to visit, the hikes are short and achievable, there’s plenty of great photo spots and it has a relaxed vibe. The next time we visit Acadia, we’ll definitely go for the fall foliage colors again but we’ll leave it until a bit later in the season.
In this guide we walk you through the 10 most important things we learned about visiting Acadia National Park in the fall, based on our experiences. Okay, let’s begin!
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1. The Park Isn’t Too Busy
If we’re being totally honest, we expected Acadia to be busier than it was during the three days we spent in the park in early October. We’d already visited Lake Placid and Stowe, and they were both bustling with leaf-peepers.
Now don’t get us wrong – trailhead parking was still a problem, certain trails (Beehive and Precipice) were uncomfortably busy, and hotels in Bar Harbor were expensive. Plus, there were lines at cafes for breakfast and we couldn’t get into some restaurants for dinner because they were fully reserved.
But we had almost every other trail in the park entirely to ourselves, we barely saw anyone at sunrise and even the famous sunset photo spot at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse wasn’t too crowded. It was such a pleasant surprise!
Annual Visitors
According to the NPS, Acadia National Park hosted 4.07 million visitors in 2021, 3.97 million visitors in 2022, 3.88 million visitors in 2023 and 3.96 million visitors in 2024 – making it the 7th busiest US national park.
But there is good news if you plan to visit Acadia in fall: These NPS park facts state that July, August and September are the busiest months of the year. Here’s a great example – in July 2025, a new monthly record was set as 797,030 people visited the park.
We honestly thought the park would be flooded with tourists in October because of the fall colors, but the number of visitors actually decreases significantly in September and October. That said, crowd-spikes are common during weekends in mid-October when the colors are typically in peak, so factor that into your plans.
What Does It Mean For You?
Well, it means that visiting Acadia in the fall is about as good as it gets from a crowds vs experience perspective. You’re benefiting from fewer tourists and the uniquely beautiful colors on display.
Now don’t go expecting the park to be empty if you go in late September or early October – it won’t be! But you should at least feel relieved that it’ll be quieter than it would be if you visited in summer.
And remember, November is still technically autumn. If you wait until later in the season, that’s when you’ll be able to enjoy the park with nobody else around.
2. Fall Weather Is Changeable
From experience, we can confidently tell you that the weather in New England in the fall is frustratingly changeable. It rained almost non-stop for 2 weeks during our 2020 road trip, the only exception being the 3 days we spent in Acadia (thankfully).
So of course we packed tons of heavy layers and rain gear for our 3-week road trip in 2023, and guess what happened? Glorious sunshine throughout. Our advice? Plan for rain but hope for dry weather.
In Acadia, we got lucky with no rain but boy was it windy. You can see Kristen holding her cap in place in the photo above because it was so gusty at the top of South Bubble!
During the days we comfortably hiked in long light layers, but it was chilly in the mornings and evenings so we did make good use of our fleece mid-layers.
If you plan to visit later in the fall season, just know that it will turn wetter, cloudier and colder at the end of October and in November. You might even see snow in the second half of November – which is part of the reason it’s so much quieter.
September temperatures:
- High – 65°F (18°C)
- Average – 58°F (14°C)
- Low – 51°F (11°C)
October temperatures:
- High – 56°F (13°C)
- Average – 49°F (9°C)
- Low – 43°F (6°C)
November temperatures:
- High – 46°F (8°C)
- Average – 40°F (4°C)
- Low – 34°F (1°C)
Source: Weather Spark
3. Hotels Are Expensive
We’ve spent a small fortune on our combined New England trips, but out of everywhere we visited, Bar Harbor had the most expensive hotels. It’s the best and most convenient place to stay for Acadia, and we actually really liked the small town – but our bank account sure took a big hit.
The things is, Bar Harbor is a ritzy coastal Maine town, so hotels here are more expensive than your average holiday destination. We stayed at the Acadia Hotel Downtown and it was really great, but next time we’d stay somewhere different for variety’s sake.
What else would we do differently next time? That one’s easy – we’d book our accommodation much further in advance. We were booking last minute so there weren’t many options left, and the hotels that were available had inflated prices.
Now, if you’re visiting Acadia on a budget we have good news – there are other places to stay than Bar Harbor. We highly recommend taking a look at our guide on where to stay near Acadia next to see our breakdown of the various areas and figure out which works best for you.
Why did we stay in Bar Harbor if it was so expensive? Two reasons, first we were willing to pay more for instant access to the park’s top attractions and second we wanted the lively atmosphere each evening.
Our top affordable hotel recommendations:
- 🏨 Acadia Hotel Downtown – Our top pick and where we stayed.
- 🏨 Main Street Motel – Highly rated budget hotel.
- 🏨 Anchorage Motel – One of the cheapest places to stay.
4. Restaurant Reservations Are A Good Idea
We visited Acadia and Bar Harbor when restaurants were still at half capacity because of covid, so we’ll admit we had an unusual experience with eating out. But even so, there were tons of people (including us) being turned away at restaurants because they were booked up. And we had to wait in long lines for breakfast, in the cold.
We know you’re going when restaurants are fully open, but trust us it’s still a good idea to book tables at restaurants to avoid disappointment. Everyone in the park will be heading out for dinner at the same time and it does get busy in town.
The good news is there’s a wide range of high quality places to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in Bar Harbor – so even if you don’t make it into your top choice, there’s plenty of backups available.
Lobster rolls and clam chowder are of course the famous dishes you should try in Maine, but don’t worry, we also found tons of great alternatives if you’re not a fan of seafood!
Our restaurant recommendations:
- Breakfast – 2 Cats Bar Harbor
- Seafood – Thirsty Whale Tavern
- American – Side Street Cafe
- Latin American – Havana
- Seafood – Geddy’s
- Irish Pub – Leary’s Landing Irish Pub
Insider tip: We bought food for lunch at Hannaford grocery store either the night before or early morning before entering Acadia for the day. There are very few places to eat in the park and time is of the essence.
5. There’s So Much To See And Do
Worried you might miss out on something in Acadia if you visit in autumn? Don’t be, everything is open including the trails, carriageways and park road. Plus, if you visit Acadia in October you get the added bonus of picturesque fall foliage colors. The park really is like an adventure playground for hikers and photographers.
For us, the only downsides vs a summer visit were not being able to sunbathe on the beaches or swim in the lakes. We tested the water and there was no chance we were going in!
In the 3 full days we spent exploring from sunrise to sunset, our favorite memories include photographing sunrise near Schooner Head Overlook, hiking Precipice Trail and watching sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. Read our guide on what you can’t miss in Acadia to learn more.
Here’s what you can do in the park in autumn:
- Photograph fall foliage
- Hike the adrenaline pumping Precipice Trail
- Watch sunrise from Cadillac Mountain summit
- Watch sunset at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
- Walk the scenic loop around Jordan Pond
- Cycle along the carriage roads
- Hike to mountain summits for impressive views
- Drive the Acadia loop road
6. Fall Is The Perfect Time To Hike
Acadia is one of our favorite US national parks – and the hikes are a major reason we love it so much. What makes the hiking so good? The trails are mostly short, picturesque, a good workout, and they always lead to magnificent summit viewpoints.
We’re biased because we visited in fall, but we honestly think it’s the very best time of the year to hike in Acadia because temperatures are more comfortable than summer, crowds are fewer than summer and the surrounding colors just give it that extra x-factor.
Remember at the beginning of the guide when we mentioned one great big perk to visiting Acadia in the fall? Well this is it: The park’s flagship hike is called Precipice Trail, but it closes each year between late Spring and mid-August for peregrine falcon nesting season. That means you’d miss the most iconic adventure trail if you visited in summer, but it’s back open in the fall, which is a huge deal.
We really got after it and hiked more than a dozen trails in three days. Our favorites included Beehive and Precipice (the two adventurous ladder climbs), Acadia Mountain, Beech Mountain and The Bubbles. The latter three were amazing and we barely saw any other hikers.
Admittedly, we did find it unusual how much busier Beehive Trail and Precipice Trail were than the other hikes. We knew they were the two most popular hikes in the park, but it was a complete contrast, like night and day in terms of crowds.
Next time, we’ll definitely night hike to Cadillac Mountain summit in time for sunrise. It was too much to add into our already jam-packed itinerary but it looks like such a cool way to do sunrise. Here’s our guide on Acadia’s unmissable hikes to learn more.
Our top trail recommendations:
- Beehive Trail
- Precipice Trail
- Acadia Mountain
- Beech Mountain
- The Bubbles
7. Stunning Photos Don’t Come Much Easier
We knew Acadia would be photogenic, but it easily surpassed our expectations. Even if you take away the fall foliage colors, Acadia’s topography consists of deep blue lakes and endless tree-lined rolling hills backed by the ocean, so it’s really hard to go wrong with a camera.
Throw in those foliage colors and this already beautiful landscape transforms into a photographers dream come true. But it isn’t just the colors that make fall a great time to visit Acadia for photography. We also loved the later sunrises and earlier sunsets, and there was nobody else around so we had some seriously peaceful experiences.
We really wanted to drive up for the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain but we weren’t aware of the brand new permit system that had just been implemented (it’s still in effect now so book ahead if you want to do it).
It didn’t matter in the end because we found a complete hidden gem sunrise photo spot at Schooner Head Overlook, and we loved the sunset photo ops at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.
The best advice we can give you is to carry your camera or phone at all times because you never know when you’ll need it in such a stunning environment.
Our top photography recommendations:
- Any mountain summit overlooking lakes, ponds, hills and the ocean
- Jordan Pond in particular is very photogenic
- Sunrise from the summit of Cadillac Mountain is iconic
- Or sunrise from anywhere along the eastern coastline is amazing
- Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse at sunset is the classic Acadia photo spot
- Hidden white bridge reflection photo in Sommesville
8. Fall Colors Aren’t The Best In New England
Okay, this might not be the popular opinion but we don’t think the fall foliage colors in Acadia (even at their very best) are anywhere near as striking as they are in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. And that’s based on the 6 weeks we’ve spent in New England in autumn.
Don’t get us wrong, we did love the foliage colors in Acadia and we weren’t there for peak so they would be even better than we had. But things like salt spray, tree species, elevation and the coastal climate mean that the colors don’t get as bright or extensive in Acadia.
If you’re visiting the park primarily to hike, it won’t matter. But if you’re going to New England specifically to see glowing foliage, we think there are better places to go like Stowe and Woodstock in Vermont, or Artists Bluff, Flume Gorge and the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire.
Our trip to Acadia was from October 8-11, and we were maybe 4-7 days too early for peak colors. We still saw lots of gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows and browns but there was still a lot of green around, so we recommend aiming for the middle of October.
We saw the brightest foliage colors during our walk around Jordan Pond, but the spots we enjoyed most were mountain summits with far reaching views over the entire region.
Our top fall foliage spots:
- Jordan Pond – The trees encircling Jordan Pond are filled with vibrant autumnal leaves.
- Beehive Trail – Views over rolling hills covered in radiant leaves and the ocean.
- Cadillac Mountain – Gaze over colorful leaves for miles from the highest point in Acadia.
- Loop Road – Driving the Acadia Loop Road takes you past countless fall foliage areas.
- Carriage Roads – Hire a bike and cycle through the quieter parts of Acadia.
9. Whale Watching Season Is Ending
If we’re being honest, we didn’t really give whale watching a thought when planning our New England trip. But after researching and seeing that it was an option in Bar Harbor, we thought it would be a fun thing to do other than just hiking in Acadia.
The problem? Whale watching tours can only be booked up to October 8th. We arrived late on the 7th and it was fully booked for the 8th – although we wouldn’t have wanted it to interrupt our early hiking plans anyway.
If you’re planning to visit the park in September or in the first week of October, take a look at Bar Harbor Whales to see if it’s something you want to add to your itinerary. But whale watching will be closed for the season if you go to Acadia for peak colors in mid-October.
One thing we learned after the fact is that the chances of seeing whales decreases in the last few weeks of the season, so in the future we’d really only be tempted to spend our money on a tour if we visited much earlier in the fall season.
10. Packing Is All About Layers
We quickly learned that we’d packed effectively for our visit to Acadia because we had tons of layers with us. There were very few things left in our backpacks that we didn’t use. Luckily, we do this for a living so we know how to pack smart and cut out what we won’t end up wearing.
Our simple approach was to only take multi-use things – like a middle layer sweater that was casual enough for daily activities but also dressy enough to wear out at night, or a pair of smart ripstop pants that we could wear for hiking and dinner.
We also made sure we had one pair of robust shoes for hiking and one pair for everything else, plus plenty of warmer layers for the cold mornings and evenings (we had to wear our heavy winter coats one morning). After that it was all about moisture wicking shirts and shorts for the massive amount of hiking we had planned.
The beauty of driving in our own car was being able to take tons of clothes and footwear to cover every eventuality. But if you’re flying in, you’ll need to be selective and disciplined about what you pack.
Our top packing recommendations:
- Hiking socks and evening socks
- Shorts and long pants for hiking
- Moisture wicking t-shirts for hiking
- Light and medium layers to day pack
- Evening clothes for dinner and drinks in Bar Harbor
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and sunhat or baseball cap
- Heavy coat for sunrise and sunset photography
- At least 2 pairs of shoes
- Camera, lenses, tripod and plenty of data storage
Insider tip: Bar Harbor might be an upscale town but most people were out for dinner in hiking gear when we were there, so don’t worry too much about packing your snazziest gear.
Next Steps
We hope our guide helps with your plans to visit Acadia National Park this fall, but please let us know if you have any other questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans?
- Here are the best hikes in Acadia.
- This is exactly what to do in Acadia.
- Here are the best areas to stay near Acadia.
- Here’s our Precipice Trail walkthrough.
- This is our Beehive Trail walkthrough.
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Maine Travel Guide for more helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.