Crossing the Bar Harbor Land Bridge to Bar Island

The small community of Bar Harbor is full of things you’d expect from a Maine resort town: lobster restaurants, ice cream, homemade fudge, souvenir shops, and tourists. But there is one unique and magical thing you can’t find anywhere else: the land bridge to Bar Island.

The land bridge linking Bar Harbor to Bar Island isn’t accessible just any old time. It shows up twice a day: at low tide in the morning and low tide in the evening. When the water recedes, the bridge appears and you can easily walk across it to Bar Island. It’s also fun to just meander around on the bridge itself. You’ll find plenty of kids building cairns with rocks, or adults skipping them across the water (with varying degrees of success).

When Can I Cross the Bar Harbor Land Bridge?

The land bridge appears daily about 1.5 hours before and after low tide. You can check the tide schedule here to get an idea of when to head over there. Mother Nature must know how much tourists love a limited time deal. 😉

How Do I Get to the Land Bridge?

The land bridge is at the northwest corner of Bar Harbor, at the end of Bridge street. Once you’re on Bridge street, turn toward the ocean, and just keep walking. You can’t miss it! (Unless it’s high tide, then actually, you did miss it.)

What Do You Do on Bar Island?

Bar Island is a part of Acadia National Park. There is a hiking trail on it that is about 1.5 miles long. It is a moderate to easy trail and will take around an hour or so, round trip. From points along the trail you’ll get great views of Bar Harbor across Frenchman Bay.

Be careful about timing if you plan to do this hike because when the tide rises, the land bridge will disappear, leaving you stranded. It will be about 9 hours until the land bridge comes back. Don’t worry, it’s not as dire as it sounds – if you happen to get stuck you can call a water taxi to come pick you up. You’ll have to wait over an hour for it to arrive, and it’ll cost you around $150. So, actually…I guess that’s still pretty dire. Better just wear a watch.

What to Know Before You Go

• Even if you don’t plan to hike on Bar Island, wear tennies or hiking shoes because the bridge is wet (duh) and quite rocky.
• Do not lose track of time! The land bridge appears only at low tide. If you dally, you may find yourself stuck on Bar Island for a while.
• There is a sign at the start of the land bridge with a QR code to see tide times, and the names and phone numbers of water taxis, in case you get stranded. Snap a photo of that sign before you head across.
• Pets are allowed on the bridge and on Bar Island as long as they’re on a leash.

Aside from the colossal wonder that is the rest of Acadia National Park, crossing the land bridge to Bar Island is hands-down the coolest thing to do in Bar Harbor.