4th of July 2007 -- Crowds?

We were looking for a town to spend July 4th in and we finally settled on our beloved Bar Harbor. We were glad we did as we had a great time. The %26#39;small town%26#39; parade was fantastic, we bet on Lobster races, and the fireworks (all four finales) were great. We had a wonderful experience.

This was our first trip to BH/Acadia that we have ever done during the %26#39;peak%26#39; season. My question (mostly for the locals) is:

How busy was this year%26#39;s July 4th week (not just the day) compared to prior years and was it indicative of the amount of people in the area during a typical week in peak season?

Thanks.

4th of July 2007 -- Crowds?

As someone who has been here for 11 such, I couldn%26#39;t see much difference from past years. As you undoubedtly observed, traffic on the 4th was a zoo---not only because of the number of vehicles, but also because they reroute traffic during the parade and after the fireworks in ways that most people are not familiar with.

The parade is always fun. We usually catch part of it from the Opera House Internet Cafe.

According to most business people that I have talked to, this has been a pretty good season. As to typical, the week of the 4th probably attracts a few more people, but from then until Labor Day, things will be busy. In the village proper, the number of people is (1) weather dependent (on cool, drizzly days, everyone hits the shops) and (2) cruise-ship dependent (many don%26#39;t venture much beyond the village business district.

And of course, the very popular places in the park, such as the Jordan Pond House, Echo Lake, and the summit of Cadillac, can be very busy. However, even now, there are a lot of places in the park that one can be pretty much alone.

4th of July 2007 -- Crowds?

Thanks for the insight cwvoight.

We used to be very apprehensive about visiting during the peak season but we found the week to be very manageable and not unlike some of the other times we visited the area. The 4th doesn%26#39;t count of course as we knew the town would be jammed but the rest of the week was not bad at all by our standards (its all relative of course).

and sorry about the superfluous %26#39;h%26#39; ;)

We are forced to vacation over the 4th because of my husband%26#39;s job. We have traveled to BH several times now and it%26#39;s always been fine. I laughed at your note about the 4 finales - that was funny - we were there too. My advice to anyone coming at this time is what I specifically did this trip thanks to TA help. I planned the whole itinerary beforehand and had all reservations set up - for everything! There was no wait for meals, we ended up in the first row for the Carriage Tour, and we ended up with a private kayak tour by registering early. We were constantly ahead or behind the crowds and it was great! I reserved most things a month in advance, and all places were glad to help.

Hey, MichiganMaineJunkie--

Congratulations. According to the this week%26#39;s local papers, this July 4th was appreciably busier than the last one or two---and you survived. ;--%26gt;

I think what you wrote is key, i.e., planning. The worst possible position/location on the fourth is to be in a vehicle without a plan.

Anyhow, I am glad that you and acadiafan enjoyed it.