Pls. help with Jordan Pond itinerary, buses #3 & #4

We'll be on a cruise day stop on September 12th.

Ideally, if the weather "cooperates" I'd like to use the IE to get to Jordan Pond, and other picturesque places. DH is an amateur photographer, so we'd like to stop and take pictures, and then move on. May be walk the Ocean Trail? Northeast Harbor? No TH for us, we've seen a similar "feature" in Kauai :D

Since it is a cruise stop, I'd like to take the IE #3 from VC (and pay the park fee there), then, at some point, switch to #4 to Jordan Pond, may be even eat something there, and then go back to VC with #5 for Northeast Harbor?

Also, again, weather (and visibility) permitting, the Cadillac Mountain 1 hr tour with Oli's. I'm not booking anything ahead, there is a tour that starts at 2.30PM. We have to be back on ship at 5.30PM at the latest.

Any advice how to make the most of our one day stop will be greatly appreciated, Dani

You've mentioned 3 stops of interest: Jordan Pond, Ocean Trail & Northeast Harbor. Unfortunately, no one bus route does all 3.

Because of the traffic flow of the one way portion of the Park Loop Road, I would do the Ocean Trail first, and get off at Sand Beach to walk the Ocean Trail. You would take route #3 Island Explorer bus. There is the advantage that the route #3 bus departs from the Bar Harbor Village Green and does not go to the Visitor's Center first.

Any where along the Ocean Trail, you'll have to walk to the Park Loop Rd to wave down a route #4 bus to take you to Jordan Pond.

When you are done at Jordan Pond, check your watch to determine if there is enough time to go to Northeast Harbor on a route #5 bus. Make sure you have a bus schedule and remember, after 9/1, a reduced schedule is run.

Also, you can't do Jordan Pond first and the Ocean Trail second because there is no direct bus from Jordan Pond to the Ocean Trail.

SBtS

Any where along the Ocean Trail, you'll have to walk to the Park Loop Rd to wave down a route #4 bus to take you to Jordan Pond.

Thank you, SBtS, I value your knowledge and was hoping for your reply :D

We just wave down the bus? There are not "assigned" stops?

Thank you again, Dani

Thank you, SBtS, I value your knowledge and was hoping for your reply :D

 

We just wave down the bus? There are not "assigned" stops?

 

Thank you again, Dani

Each bus route has designated stops (such as Sand Beach), but you can wave down a bus anywhere along its route. A 2 hand wave is recommended so the driver knows you want him to stop the bus. A single hand wave could be considered a 'friendly' or 'hi' wave.

SBtS

A 2 hand wave is recommended so the driver knows you want him to stop the bus. A single hand wave could be considered a 'friendly' or 'hi' wave.SBtS

Great, I'll start practising :D:D:D

There's a good Island Explorer bus website which shows the buses running in real time. You might want to google and look at that. I checked it a few times before I went on my cruise just to see, in very general terms, how on time the buses ran and how reliable they were.

There's a good Island Explorer bus website which shows the buses running in real time. You might want to google and look at that. I checked it a few times before I went on my cruise just to see, in very general terms, how on time the buses ran and how reliable they were.

Thank you, Roothy, appreciate the info. Definitely will check.:D