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Dubai to Maine: Portland and Acadia National Park

Dubai → Portland (Maine) → Acadia (Bar Harbor)

Portland (Maine)
"TheOldPort.jpg" by PhilipC, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Bar Harbor, ME (Bar Harbor)
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lighthouses, lobster & coastal park Best season (general guide): Jun–Oct

Maine's rocky coast is New England at its wildest, with lighthouses, fishing harbours and the granite mountains of Acadia National Park. This route spends two nights in Portland and four on Mount Desert Island. From Dubai you'll fly to a US East Coast hub and connect to Portland.

How to pace it: Spend days one and two in Portland (Maine): day one, the Old Port; day two, Portland Head Light and Cape Elizabeth. Then spend days three to six in Acadia (Bar Harbor): day three, coastal drive to Bar Harbor; day four, Park Loop Road and Jordan Pond; day five, Cadillac Mountain sunrise, then carriage roads; day six, Schoodic Peninsula or a boat trip.

Portland's Old Port is a district of brick warehouses and cobbled streets, now full of restaurants and shops. Lobster rolls and fresh oysters are on most menus. Portland Head Light, a short drive south, is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country.

The drive north follows the coast through fishing villages to Bar Harbor, the gateway to Acadia. The Park Loop Road links many of the highlights, including Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, where waves crash into a rock inlet. At Jordan Pond House, popovers with tea are a tradition.

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the coast, and watching the sunrise from the summit is popular. Access rules for the summit road can change by season, so check the National Park Service page before you go. The park's carriage roads, built for horse-drawn carriages, are now used by walkers and cyclists.

June to October is the best time, with warm summer days and autumn colour in October, according to the National Park Service.

Lobster shacks along the coast road serve lobster straight from the boats. In the park, ranger programmes cover the geology and wildlife, and tide pools at low tide reveal crabs, starfish and seaweed among the rocks.

Good to know: A car is useful, but the free Island Explorer bus serves much of the park in summer. Book accommodation in Bar Harbor well ahead for summer and foliage season.

Bring a warm layer for the summit at dawn.

Suggested outline

  1. Dubai

    Start

  2. Portland (Maine)

    By air · 2 nights suggested

    The Old Port's brick warehouses, waterfront seafood and Portland Head Light.

  3. Acadia (Bar Harbor)

    Overland · 4 nights suggested

    Granite peaks, carriage roads and Cadillac Mountain's sunrise views.

    Acadia National Park
    "Cadillac Mountain Sunrise, Acadia National Park - 51650832934.jpg" by John Manard, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Portland (Maine) — Arrive; the Old Port· Dubai → Portland, Maine (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Portland (Maine) — Portland Head Light and Cape Elizabeth
  3. Day 3 · Acadia (Bar Harbor) — Coastal drive to Bar Harbor· Portland, Maine → Acadia, Bar Harbor (overland)
  4. Day 4 · Acadia (Bar Harbor) — Park Loop Road and Jordan Pond
  5. Day 5 · Acadia (Bar Harbor) — Cadillac Mountain sunrise; carriage roads
  6. Day 6 · Acadia (Bar Harbor) — Schoodic Peninsula or a boat trip
  7. Day 7 · Acadia (Bar Harbor) — Travel home from Acadia, Bar Harbor· Acadia, Bar Harbor → Dubai (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Portland (Maine)

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Acadia (Bar Harbor)

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