Tides & Towns
Maine · ME

Bar Harbor

The Mount Desert Island town at the gate of Acadia National Park.

Population
5,089 (2020 census)
Incorporated
1796, as Eden
The bar
A walk to Bar Island at low tide
Tides
Two highs, two lows a day

Then

  1. Before 1600

    The Wabanaki call the island Pemetic, “range of mountains,” and come seasonally to fish, hunt and gather shellfish.

  2. 1604

    Samuel de Champlain runs aground near Egg Rock in September and names the island Isles des Monts Deserts, “island of barren mountains.”

  3. 1796

    The town incorporates on February 23 as Eden.

  4. 1840s–1880

    Artists draw visitors, and by 1880 there are 30 hotels. Wealthy families build summer “cottages,” and the town becomes a Gilded Age resort.

  5. 1918

    On March 3, Eden is renamed Bar Harbor, after its sand bar.

  6. 1947

    A wildfire that starts October 17 burns nearly half of the island's east side, including 67 cottages and five grand hotels. The business district is spared.

Now

Twice a day at low tide, a sand bar appears that you can walk across to Bar Island. Check the tide before you go: the bar floods quickly on the way back in.

The largest parts of Acadia National Park are in Bar Harbor, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest point within 25 miles of the East Coast shoreline. Cruise ships call from May through October.

The town is home to College of the Atlantic, the Jackson Laboratory and MDI Biological Laboratory.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Bar Harbor, ME over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
Typical daily range
11.1 ft
Biggest swing
15.1 ft on Jan 23
Smallest swing
7.0 ft on Oct 19
Highest high
13.2 ft, Aug 4 at 12:18 AM
Lowest low
−1.9 ft, Jan 23 at 5:20 PM

4 tide stations around Bar Harbor

Sources