# Visiting Bar Harbor, Maine from cruise ship **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150 "2022-08-05T15:48:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/1 "2022-08-05T15:48:27Z")
Just looking to see if anyone has some ideas here, maybe someone has done it before. I will be visiting Bar Harbor as a stop on a cruise on October 11, the day after the bus system stops running for the year. I want to spend time in Acadia National Park, but am not sure how to go about it. The cruise offers some excursions to the park, but they do not offer any time to go off on your own. The transportation back to the ship leaves at a set time, and that’s it. The Explorer Bus system would be perfect, but according the the 2022 schedule it ends Oct. 10. When Googling taxies and Uber I keep seeing people saying that Bar Harbor is not the place to be without a car of your own. So I guess I just wan to see if anyone has been in the same situation and found a solution. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/2 "2022-08-05T16:46:41Z")
There may or may not be Uber/Lyft available. You could rent a bicycle. > **[How To Get To Acadia National Park Without a Car and Other Park Travel Tips](https://matadornetwork.com/read/visit-acadia-national-park-without-car/)** > > No car, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/3 "2022-08-05T17:19:19Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > There may or may not be Uber/Lyft available. You could rent a bicycle. There are bike rental places in Bar Harbor. If you rent an e-bike you could access a few places on the east side of the Park in a few hours even if you are not a super fit biker. I haven’t been there in the fall in many years but just googling shows that at least one bike rental place is open through October. Acadia Bike Rental. Weather can be very variable at that time of year and if it’s wet biking will be very uncomfortable and possibly dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/4 "2022-08-05T17:32:33Z")
Bike rental would be my choice as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/5 "2022-08-05T18:24:25Z")
I had not considered renting a bike. But I should add that I am traveling with my parents, who are in there min 60’s. On fairly flat ground that may workout. I am looking into it. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/6 "2022-08-05T19:30:48Z")
We were supposed to do this on a cruise in 2011. However, that day the weather was so bad that the captain said we’d be skipping it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/7 "2022-08-05T20:02:14Z")
You can rent e-bikes and staying on the carriage roads you should be able to see a good part of the park. The carriage roads are pretty easy on pedal bikes as well. [![](https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/images/ACAD_Carriage-Road-Map_revised-Apr-2019_Page_2_2.jpg) ](https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/images/ACAD_Carriage-Road-Map_revised-Apr-2019_Page_2_2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/8 "2022-08-05T23:58:25Z")
We ended up booking an excursion at 2PM, but we may still rent bikes and do some light riding earlier in the day. Thanks for the help! ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/9 "2022-08-06T11:43:36Z")
There are private tour busses that may still run. You can walk to flat parts of the park from town. On Google maps, see “wild gardens of Acadia” and “Old Farm” / Dorr Point. I do this every time I visit because it’s usually crowded when I’m there. There’s a nice shore path in town. ---
**Author:** ![EDOK9Trainer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/838e76/32.png) [@EDOK9Trainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EDOK9Trainer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/10 "2022-08-06T11:47:25Z")
It could be a beautiful time to visit but it certainly is not a walkable city at all. You really should do the excursion set up by the cruise so you are sure not to miss the departure. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-bar-harbor-maine-from-cruise-ship/969150/11 "2022-08-06T11:52:23Z")
You could rent scooters to drive up to a nearby hike or something: [https://www.acadiaoutfitters.com/scooters](https://www.acadiaoutfitters.com/scooters) I’ll be up there starting on October 22nd! We’ll just miss each other.