Island Explorer

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."

Send a message to learn more

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.

06/30/2026

What will July 4th service in Acadia National Park look like?

THERE WILL BE NO MORNING SERVICE ON THE SAND BEACH ROUTE.

Sand Beach service begins with a 12:30 p.m. departure from the Village Green.
The last Sand Beach bus will depart the Village Green at 4:10 p.m. and Sand Beach at 4:40 p.m. https://www.exploreacadia.com/july4.html

The Loop Road, Jordan Pond and Schoodic buses will operate on their normal schedules.

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.

06/28/2026

The most important thing to note about the Eden St. schedule on July 4th is that THERE WILL BE NO EVENING EDEN STREET BUS SERVICE AFTER THE FIREWORKS.

Morning Serivice: The Eden Street buses will depart the Village Green at 7:15, 7:45, and 8:15 am to get passengers into Bar Harbor for the parade.

There will be no Eden Street service between 8:30 am and 12:15 pm.
The last bus of the day will depart the Village Green at 4:30 pm.

Schedule timetable is available at

The fare-free Island Explorer features bus routes linking hotels, inns, and campgrounds with destinations in Acadia National Park and neighboring village centers. Clean propane-powered vehicles offer Mount Desert Island visitors and residents free transportation to hiking trails, carriage roads, isl...

06/27/2026

In the days leading up to July 4th, we will be posting information about our Special July 4th Schedules. Starting with #1 Gateway Center route.

Morning inbound trips will depart the Acadia Gateway Center at 7:00 am, 7:45 am, and 9:00 am.

There will be no other morning Gateway Center service.

Normal service from the Gateway Center to Bar Harbor begins with the 12:00 pm departure and ends with the 4:20 pm departure.

Normal service from the Village Green to the Gateway Center begins with the 1:00 pm departure and ends with a 5:20 pm departure.
EVENING FIREWORKS SPECIALS
Evening inbound buses to Eden Street near the Conners-Emerson School:
From the Acadia Gateway Center at 7:00 and 7:50 pm
From Narrows Too at 7:05 and 7:55 pm
From Bar Harbor KOA at 7:05 and 7:55 pm
From Terramor at 7:05 and 7:55 pm
From Mt Desert Narrows at 6:55 and 7:35 pm
From Hadley Point at 6:55 and 7:35 pm
From Bar Harbor Campground at 6:55 and 7:35 pm
From Hull’s Cove Visitor Center at 6:45 and 7:15 pm

Evening outbound buses from Eden Street near the Conners-Emerson School:
• After the fireworks, buses will offer as many trips as it takes to get everyone back to their campground. It can take as long as one hour between the first and second round of buses. A clean up bus will depart the Connors-Emerson School at 11:00 p.m.

To see timetables please visit our website

The fare-free Island Explorer features bus routes linking hotels, inns, and campgrounds with destinations in Acadia National Park and neighboring village centers. Clean propane-powered vehicles offer Mount Desert Island visitors and residents free transportation to hiking trails, carriage roads, isl...