Aug 9, 2026

Bar Harbor With a Big Dog: 11 Places Where 80 Pounds Is Not a Problem

Acadia gives a large dog 100 miles of trail, 45 miles of carriage road, and three campgrounds with no weight limits. The town's hotels are a different story, and three of the best known take no dogs at all.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Bar Harbor, Maine10 min readThings to Do

Bar Harbor splits cleanly in two for anyone travelling with a large dog.

Acadia is outstanding. Roughly 100 miles of trail, all 45 miles of carriage roads, three campgrounds, and a fare-free shuttle, none of which cares what your dog weighs.

The town's lodging is genuinely difficult. Three of Bar Harbor's best-known hotels take no dogs at all. Two more that do have weight limits of 30 and 40 pounds. The number of properties that will actually take an 80-pound dog is small, and they book out.

Eleven places below where the weight is not the problem, sorted by whether you sleep there, camp there, or spend the day there. Every figure was checked against the property's own site where one was reachable, and where only third-party listings exist, that is stated.

Where to sleep, five options

1. Wonder View Inn, Bar Harbor Collection

The strongest all-round option for a large dog in Bar Harbor.

Listed as taking two dogs of any size in designated rooms at $25 per pet per night, with a possible $25 deposit. Treats, water bowls, and waste bags provided. Pets may not be left unattended in rooms.

Three things set it apart. It sits on 14 acres, which is a great deal of ground to walk a big dog on before bed. Its shuttle to downtown is dog friendly, so you are not driving into town and hunting for parking. And the Looking Glass Restaurant is on the property with dog-friendly deck seating, so dinner does not require going anywhere.

The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce lists it under pet-friendly businesses. Confirm the current fee and size policy when you book.

2. Belle Isle Motel

Listed as taking one dog of any size at $35 per night, with an off-leash area on the property, which is rare in Bar Harbor. No cats, and pets may not be left unattended.

The single-dog limit rules it out for anyone travelling with two, but for one large dog the on-site off-leash space is worth more than it sounds in a town where the only other legal off-leash option is a drive away.

3. Eden Village

Listed as welcoming pets with no weight limits. A cottage-style property rather than a hotel, which generally suits a large dog better: more ground-floor access, fewer corridors, less carpet.

Confirm the current policy directly.

4. Hanscom Cottages

The property describes itself as pet friendly on its own site but does not publish weight limits, numbers, or fees, so this one is a phone call on 207-288-3744. Third-party listings put it at one pet of any size at $25 per night, or two pets at $40.

Cottages again, which is the right building type for a big dog.

5. Gallagher's Travels Bar Harbor Motel and Cabins

Listed by third parties as taking two pets up to 100 pounds at $35 per pet per night, which on paper is the highest weight ceiling in Bar Harbor.

Verify it is still trading under that name before you plan around it. Its former web address now redirects elsewhere, which usually indicates a sale, a rebrand, or a closure. This is exactly the sort of detail aggregator listings carry for years after the fact.

Where to camp, three options

Acadia's campgrounds are the underrated answer for a big dog, because none of them applies a weight limit and all three put you inside the park.

6. Blackwoods Campground

Wooded, on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island, close to the Park Loop Road and the Ocean Path.

7. Seawall Campground

On the Quietside, near Wonderland and Ship Harbor, and considerably calmer than the Bar Harbor end of the island.

8. Schoodic Woods Campground

On the Schoodic Peninsula, the mainland section of Acadia and the least crowded part of the park by a distance.

The rules that apply at all three: a leash no longer than six feet, and pets may not be left unattended at campsites or in vehicles. Duck Harbor Campground on Isle au Haut does not allow pets at all.

Where to spend the day, three places

9. All 45 miles of carriage roads

The best thing in any national park for a large dog. Car-free, roughly 16 feet wide, gently graded, and surfaced in packed gravel rather than the granite slab that makes Acadia's trails hard on a heavy dog's joints and pads.

No ladders, no rungs, nothing you would have to lift a dog over. The Park Service confirms all 45 miles are open to leashed pets, which for a heavy dog is effectively the whole park in one answer.

10. The Island Explorer shuttle

Fare-free, connecting hotels, campgrounds, and park destinations, and it welcomes well-behaved leashed or crated pets on all buses with two conditions: not on the seats, and not on your lap on the seats. A purse-style carrier does not count as a crate.

For a big dog this solves the single hardest logistical problem in Acadia, which is parking. Confirm schedules and the pet policy at exploreacadia.com.

11. Little Long Pond

On Land and Garden Preserve land near Seal Harbor, adjoining Acadia but not part of it, and the one place in the area where dogs may be off leash provided they stay in visual and voice contact and under genuine voice control.

Reported seasonal conditions require leashes between 10am and 4pm from 1 May to 30 September, so the summer off-leash window is early and late. Swimming is permitted only at four signed areas, and dogs are excluded from the Preserve gardens. Read the posted signs on arrival and check the Preserve's own guidance.

The eleven at a glance

#	Place	Type	Size limit	Note
1	Wonder View Inn	Hotel	None listed, 2 dogs, $25/pet/night	14 acres, dog-friendly shuttle and restaurant
2	Belle Isle Motel	Motel	None listed, 1 dog, $35/night	On-site off-leash area
3	Eden Village	Cottages	None listed	Confirm directly
4	Hanscom Cottages	Cottages	Not published	Call 207-288-3744
5	Gallagher's Travels	Motel and cabins	100 lbs, 2 pets, $35/pet/night	Confirm still trading
6	Blackwoods Campground	Campground	None	Eastern side, near Ocean Path
7	Seawall Campground	Campground	None	Quietside
8	Schoodic Woods Campground	Campground	None	Mainland, quietest
9	45 miles of carriage roads	Day use	None	Packed gravel, no ladders
10	Island Explorer shuttle	Transport	None	Leashed or crated, not on seats
11	Little Long Pond	Day use	None	Off leash under voice control

Where 80 pounds is a problem

This is the part the aggregator lists leave out, and it saves the most time.

Bar Harbor Inn does not offer pet-friendly accommodation for general pets, only ADA service animals.

Atlantic Oceanside Hotel does not allow dogs.

Bluenose Inn does not allow dogs.

Those are three of the most prominent properties in town, and none of them is an option at any weight.

Two more take dogs but not large ones. Bar Harbor Regency limits dogs to 30 pounds or under at $75 per night per pet, with no unattended pets and dogs leashed or carried at all times. The Bayview Hotel limits dogs to under 40 pounds, maximum two per room, at $50 per night per room, in two dedicated Ocean Level rooms with pet-friendly flooring, direct deck access to the lawn, dog beds, bowls, and welcome baskets. Both are excellent for a small dog and useless for a Labrador.

Days Inn Bar Harbor is listed at two pets up to 25 pounds at $50 per pet per stay.

What actually matters more than the weight limit

Unattended pet rules. Almost every Bar Harbor property prohibits leaving a dog alone in the room, and Acadia prohibits leaving pets unattended in vehicles or at campsites. Combined, that shapes the whole trip: it rules out any indoor dinner, any ranger programme, and any boat trip that does not take dogs. Plan those as split-party days.

Building type. Cottages and motels with ground-floor exterior doors are easier with a large dog than an inn with narrow stairs and carpeted corridors. Three of the five lodging options above are cottage or motel style, which is not a coincidence.

Booking early. The number of properties in Bar Harbor that will take an 80-pound dog is small, and September, which is the best month to be here with a dog, is also busy. Search verified pet-friendly hotels, read questions to ask before booking a pet-friendly hotel, and consider pet-friendly vacation rentals as a serious alternative here rather than a fallback.

Wet granite. A heavy dog grips slick rock poorly and is far harder to help if it slips. On a damp day take the carriage roads rather than the summits. The park publishes its own list of trails that are legal but not recommended for pets, which is where a heavy dog gets into trouble, and the full map of access is on the park's own pet page.

Veterinary access. Mount Desert Island is an island with limited after-hours coverage. Save a number before you need it, from emergency vet, what to know.

Conclusion

Acadia does not care how much your dog weighs. One hundred miles of trail, 45 miles of carriage road, three campgrounds with no weight limits, a shuttle that takes leashed dogs, and an off-leash preserve at Little Long Pond.

Bar Harbor's hotels care a great deal. Bar Harbor Inn, Atlantic Oceanside, and Bluenose Inn take no dogs at all. Bar Harbor Regency caps at 30 pounds and the Bayview at 40. What is left for a big dog is a short list, headed by the Wonder View Inn for its acreage, dog-friendly shuttle, and on-site dog-friendly restaurant deck, and by Belle Isle Motel for its on-site off-leash area.

Book those early, or camp, which removes the problem entirely.

Pet fees, weight limits, ownership, and seasonal operation all change in Bar Harbor, and several properties on older lists no longer trade under the same name. Confirm directly before booking. Then find the trail your pet will wag "yes" to.

Frequently asked questions

Which Bar Harbor hotels take large dogs? Wonder View Inn is listed at two dogs of any size at $25 per pet per night, Belle Isle Motel at one dog of any size at $35 per night with an on-site off-leash area, and Eden Village and Hanscom Cottages as pet friendly without published weight limits. Confirm each directly, since the list is short and policies change.

Does the Bar Harbor Inn allow dogs? No. The Bar Harbor Inn does not offer pet-friendly accommodation for general pets, only service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Atlantic Oceanside Hotel and Bluenose Inn also do not allow dogs.

What is the weight limit at Bar Harbor hotels? It varies sharply. Bar Harbor Regency limits dogs to 30 pounds or under at $75 per night per pet. The Bayview Hotel limits dogs to under 40 pounds at $50 per night per room. Days Inn is listed at 25 pounds. Wonder View Inn and Belle Isle Motel are listed with no size limit.

Do Acadia's campgrounds have a weight limit for dogs? No. Blackwoods, Seawall, and Schoodic Woods all accept pets with no weight restriction, on a leash no longer than six feet. Pets cannot be left unattended at campsites or in vehicles. Duck Harbor Campground does not allow pets.

Where can a big dog run off leash near Bar Harbor? Little Long Pond, on Land and Garden Preserve land near Seal Harbor, permits off-leash dogs under visual and voice control. Reported seasonal rules require leashes between 10am and 4pm from 1 May to 30 September, and swimming is allowed only at four signed areas.

Can a large dog ride the Island Explorer shuttle? Yes. The fare-free Island Explorer welcomes well-behaved leashed or crated pets of any size on all buses, with the conditions that they stay off the seats and off your lap on the seats.

Sources

Pet fees, weight limits, room designations, seasonal operation, and property ownership change frequently in Bar Harbor, and third-party listings lag behind. Confirm directly with the property before booking.