Hike to Bar Island & Safe Crossing Times

Hiking across the gravel bar from Bar Harbor to Bar Island is a great activity around Mount Desert Island / Acadia National Park in Maine. The tidal ranges in downeast Maine are fairly large, and a large gravel bar connects the town of Bar Harbor to Bar Island near low tide. The bar is completely covered at higher tides, which makes for a dramatic contrast if you view the area at different times. It also makes it important to cross at a safe time to avoid getting stranded on the island!

The bar is safe to walk across about an hour and a half before and after low tide. Below on this page we have a table that shows the safe times to cross. (You can jump now to see safe times to cross.) The hike across the bar is about a half mile, and you can do various length hikes on Bar Island, up to a few miles. The island is mostly wooded, with some old roads and ruined buildings. There’s a hill on the island with a small cleared area with a view overlooking Bar Harbor. Along the hike, you can possibly find some shells and seaglass. There are also a number of tide pools that form that are fun to explore.

You can get more information on the hike from the National Park Service’s site. Note that during the summer, you should have a park entry pass to hike the island. The trail starts at the end of Bridge Street from West Street in downtown Bar Harbor (the map on this page has a pin at the start of the trail).