Island Explorer

10/13/2026

We would like to give a very special THANK YOU to Jordan Pond House for donating and delivering a batch of their famous popovers to our end of the season party yesterday. Our employees absolutely loved them, and it was the highlight of our send off. Your generosity is so very appreciated.

10/11/2026

Tomorrow, Monday, October 12th is the final day of our 2026 Island Explorer service. How time flies. We are so incredibly proud and grateful to our excellent staff of drivers and ambassadors. Every one of them went above and beyond this season to provide safe, passenger friendly service to the public, transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers since May. Have an excellent winter everyone!

10/04/2026

Starting tomorrow, Monday, October 5th the Tremont route will be diverted to follow the detour for the construction on Seawall Road. The bus will not travel beyond Mansell Rd on the Seawall Rd. The departure times and the order of the stops will be changed. To see the adjusted route and timetable please visit our website www.exploreacadia.com.

Seawall Road (Route 102A) in Southwest Harbor will be closed to all users for construction starting Monday, October 5, until further notice. Motorists should follow detour signs to access Seawall Campground and picnic area. Island Explorer bus service will operate on the detour route.

09/07/2026

In observance of the Labor Day Holiday, there is no Downeast Transportation year-round bus service on Monday, September 7th. Normal service will resume on Tuesday, September 8th.

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08/16/2026

Fall Season begins:

Monday, August 17, 2026!

Make sure you have your Fall Shuttle Schedule!

Summer Tabloids are no good after Sunday, August 16!

08/16/2026

Monday, August 17, 2026
Island Explorer FALL SEASON begins!

Get rid of your Summer Tabloids! (summer schedule ends Sunday,August 16.)

FALL TABLOIDS are now available!

07/16/2026

How cool is this?!?!

Congratulations MDOT!

We have the BEST partners!

Maine Department of Transportation’s Acadia Gateway Center has won ...

07/03/2026

IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTES JULY 4TH!

There is NO NIGHTTIME service to SW Harbor or NE Harbor on July 4th!
Please be sure to ask the drivers or ambassadors when the last bus to and from your location is going to be for ALL of our July 4th routes.

07/01/2026

This Google review was posted by "Caleb" today.

"Super friendly. People at almost every stop. Very helpful in making sure we were getting on the right bus and getting to where we wanted. They went out of their way to ask if we wanted help. I had no idea this service was a thing. But so glad we had. We took it out of Bar Harbor from Village Green meaning we never had to move our car or worry about parking the entire time at Acadia. And good thing too because there was no parking anywhere left. I'm surprised not more people utilize this free service. Lots of busses. On time. So never much wait. And they always had room."

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07/01/2026

July 4th service to NE Harbor is as follows:

THERE WILL BE NO MORNING OR EVENING SERVICE TO OR FROM NE HARBOR.

Bar Harbor to NE Harbor after the parade:
From Bar Harbor, the first Northeast Harbor bus will depart the Village Green at 1:15 p.m. The last bus will depart the Village Green at 4:15 p.m.

NE Harbor to Bar Harbor after the parade:
From Northeast Harbor, the first bus will depart Northeast Harbor at 2:15 p.m. The last bus to Bar Harbor will depart Northeast Harbor at 4:15 p.m.

Jordan Pond Departures:
Buses will depart Jordan Pond House to Bar Harbor at 2:45, 3:45, and 4:45 p.m.
Buses will depart Jordan Pond House to Northeast Harbor at 1:35, 2:35, 3:35, and 4:35 p.m.

THERE WILL BE NO EVENING SERVICE TO NORTHEAST HARBOR.

Special evening buses will depart Blackwoods Campground at 7:05 and 7:55 p.m. They will operate to the ballfield on lower Main Street.