Urgent help: Bar Harbor or not?

This summer, my husband and I want to spend 3 days in Acadia Park, arriving the 5th of July; I was going to reserve a B%26amp;B in Bar Harbor when I began reading a lot of reviews about how terribly crowded it is during the summer.

We don%26#39;t mind a bit of people, but a crowded small village doesn%26#39;t sound too appealing, so I thought to switch to Southwest Harbor. However, on the map it looks pretty far from the Park Loop Road (we have a car, but no idea about the real distances in term of times), and there are not so many alternatives for B%26amp;Bs (our budget is around 150/170$ per night).

The conclusion is that I%26#39;m completely confused, but have to make up my mind asap because the best lodgings are filling very quickly. Is Bar Harbor really such a mess? And Southwest Harbor is really far from the most interesting places?

thank you in advance for any help and/or suggestion

Claudia

p.s. I hope I%26#39;m not asking something that has been asked already a million times, but I haven%26#39;t been able to find anything in the forums about this problem...

Urgent help: Bar Harbor or not?

July and August are the high season as far as number of people and price. We are travelling to the area in late June before the prices jump up and the crowds converge on Acadia. I hear after Labor day is a great time to visit the area, less crowded and less expensive.

Urgent help: Bar Harbor or not?

No doubt about it, Bar Harbor in the summer is really crowded. A lot of people seem to like the crowds---it can have almost a ';carnival'; feel to it. Driving in and out of town can be a real hassle.

Southwest Harbor is certainly driveable. But, bear in mind, in Maine most things are some distance apart, and Mainers are used to driving to get where they want to go. If you don%26#39;t like crowds, and with your budget, you would probably be happier away from the center of town, even if it means driving a half hour or so to get to the park. Southwest Harbor is pretty, at any rate.

Will Bar Harbor be a mess? No. Will there be a lot of people, yes, Driving and parking, especially on the 4th is a problem.

';Crowded'; of course, is a relative term. To native and long-time residents of Maine, Bar Harbor seems crowded much of the season. To those who are living or have lived in urban areas, Bar Harbor is not so crowded.

As a perhaps useful comparison: on July 4 during the parade or just before the fireworks begin, the village center of Bar Harbor will somewhat resemble the Ponte Vecchio or the Piazza della Signoria in Firenze on a beautiful afternoon.

In my opinion, your best bet in visiting Acadia National Park at the height of the season is to head straight for Bar Harbor, park your car at your B%26amp;B, and let it sit there for the most part. Once in Bar Harbor you can walk to meals and shopping and kayaking and whale watching and bicycle rental. You can take the free Island Explorer shuttle bus from the Village Green into the Park. It will, for example, let you off at Sand Beach or Jordan Pond where you can hike and explore to your heart%26#39;s content and then catch the bus back to the Village Green. You might never need your car except perhaps to drive to the top of Cadillac for sunrise.

The biggest hassle is really in finding a parking spot in Bar Harbor. But if you are staying there, you%26#39;ll have one assigned to you at your lodging place. Problem solved.

You might look at some of the places that are near Bar Harbor but not in the downtown area. Park Entrance Motel is one that I know of (but not a B%26amp;B)