The Bar at Bar Harbor

There is a sand bar at Bar Harbor that connects Bar Harbor to Bar Island when the tide is out. You can walk, bicycle or drive on it. Beware thought that the tide will come in and can leave you stranded or swamp your car. The locals had some laughs telling us stories such as the Volkswagen Bus that got caught by the incoming tide... yes, they do float.

GPS showing our truck in the water

If you want to visit the bar, the first thing to do is to establish when low tide will occur. Tide charts are usually published in the local papers or, if you are near the waterfront, simply look at the water level. Keep in mind that the next  low tide will occur about 12 1/2 hours and high tide will be about 6 hours after low tide. Also keep in mind that this is a generality and can vary based on a number of factors. If you visit the bar, be very careful to not get caught by the incoming tide.

The panorama below is looking from Bridge Street toward Bar Island.

Panorama of The Bar Harbor Sandbar - Image is scrollable with your mouse
Use the middle option of the pullout menu for a full screen view
Escape to return

The bar is easily accessible by foot, bicycle and car. Just go from the center of town along West Street. Look for the sign for Bridge Street and the small sign pointing to the bar. Take that toward the water. As you get closer to the water, the road becomes a lot rougher. Some smaller vehicles might not do very well. If you have an SUV, you will be fine.

Once you get there, there isn't really that much to do other than enjoy a different view of Bar Harbor and a bit of walking.

From the sandbar looking toward Bridge Street

The picture above shows the sandbar at low tide. Bridge Street is in the center of the photo. As the tide comes in, this area would be completely under water.

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