Bar Harbor, Maine is a town located on Mount Desert Island (pronounced "dessert" — because it is such a sweet place!) in Maine, USA. Mount Desert Island is the largest island off the Maine coast and the sixth-largest in the contiguous United States.
The town lies along Maine's Frenchman Bay and connects to neighboring Acadia National Park. Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the North Atlantic seaboard and where you can see, from October 7 through March 6, the first sunrise in the United States.
Bar Harbor is known as the gateway to Acadia National Park — considered the crown jewel of the North Atlantic Coast and one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States. There are 27 miles of historic motor roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads.
The Wabanaki Indians knew Bar Harbor as "Pemetic," meaning "range of mountains." In September 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge in the harbor, meeting the Wabanaki when he came ashore to repair his ship.
During the 19th century, many influential and wealthy Americans built summer cottages in Bar Harbor. Some of those homes, such as the Bar Harbor Manor, built in 1887, have been converted into wonderful B&Bs. The town attracts a large number of outdoor enthusiasts with beautiful trails to hike or bike and Maine's wildlife visible no matter the season.
⚖️ Cruise Ship Controversy
In 2022, voters in Bar Harbor passed a referendum barring cruise ship passengers numbering over 1,000 per day from disembarking in town. Residents had expressed concerns over overcrowding, congestion, and the impact on quality of life — over half felt cruise ships negatively impacted the town.
Bar Harbor is home to about 5,500 people but had seen up to 250,000 cruise passengers each year until the limit was imposed. Local businesses, pier operators, and tour companies filed a lawsuit claiming the referendum violated federal maritime law. U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker ruled in favor of the town, finding the 1,000-passenger daily limit lawful and consistent with home rule authority under the Maine Constitution.
Judge Walker noted that "congestion in downtown Bar Harbor is a seasonal fact of life, but it is exacerbated by the regular morning and afternoon pulse of ship passengers and tour buses." The limit effectively excludes all major cruise ships from visiting.
