Nova Scotia to Maine: Stopping point between North Sydney and Acadia National Park

I need a cool park or other place for us to go that day along the way, and a place to where we'll stay on Monday night.

With great respect, you will be fairly flat out just driving from North Sydney NS to Bar Harbor ME in your time.

There are a lot of motels in Moncton, and of course in Saint John NB (after seeing the western shore of the Bay of Fundy).

We also really enjoyed Campobello Island (summer home of FDR), and the ferry across to Lubec in the far NE corner of Maine. But you can't reach Lubec from North Sydney in a day of course.

you will be fairly flat out just driving from North Sydney NS to Bar Harbor ME in your time.

It's about 9.5 hours, excluding delays. Spreading that over two days is not that bad.

I'd suggest Fundy National Park. It's a little more than halfway, so it would give you some time to be a bit leisurely on the way there (e.g. if you wanted to stop somewhere in Cape Breton). They have campgrounds and cabins, though not sure how pet-friendly the latter are. Be sure to check the tide tables while you are there.
Then it would be a morning's drive to Acadia.

Thanks! Fundy looks perfect and will nicely split the trip up! I was looking at all the maps but somehow missed it.

900 km is too for us to drive with our crew in one day, but you're right - it's short enough that we need some planned activities or sightseeing mixed in there with it spread across two days.

thanks - yes Campobello Island was recommended by a friend but it is too far from North Sydney to work as the mid-point I was looking for. Next trip!

It's about 9.5 hours, excluding delays. Spreading that over two days is not that bad.

I have completed the drive from the top of Cape Breton Island to Bar Harbor relatively recently (2013), and 460 km is a lot of travel per day, let me assure you. The roads are not that fast, there are numerous towns to negotiate your way through, and of course there are nice things to slow down or stop for.

Bay of Fundy to Bar Harbor will be more than a morning's drive as well.

460 km is a lot of travel per day, let me assure you.

I know you're not one for much driving, and I think may be affecting your opinion. I still believe it's not as bad as you make it to be. The roads may be slower here and there, but they are quite empty, too. Stopping for sights will add time, but it's not unreasonable to make one or two stops and still get to Fundy the first day. And if the OP's wants to get to Bar Harbor around midday the next day, they can easily do it if they choose.
They won't see everything along the way, but this isn't a leisurely trip to explore--it's point A to point B with a deadline.

I'll concede my driving is conservative. But my main point (I submit) is that it is a time-consuming drive, and the OP will not be doing a lot of stopping, sightseeing, and playing along the way. It will require a fairly steady pace.

Anyway - they will discover it all soon enough! BTW the manager of our motel in Moncton boasted it was the dearest town east of the St Lawrence River.

Anyway - they will discover it all soon enough! BTW the manager of our motel in Moncton boasted it was the dearest town east of the St Lawrence River.

Please speak American (er, Canadian)!! What the heck does "dearest town" mean? ;)

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