January in Bar Harbor — off-season conditions
Hardest · 2/10At -4°C (26°F) this is proper winter weather in January: layer up and split the day between outdoor highlights and indoor stops.
114 mm of water-equivalent precipitation makes this a snowy month at resort level; what falls stays as snow, with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 9 hours of daylight.
That is 2/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, May is materially better in Bar Harbor — 6.5 points higher on the same scale.
February in Bar Harbor: expect compromises
Hardest · 3/10At -3°C (26°F) this is proper winter weather in February: layer up and split the day between outdoor highlights and indoor stops.
77 mm of water-equivalent precipitation makes this a snowy month at resort level; what falls stays as snow, with about 2 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.2 hours of daylight.
That is 3/10 on the same scale — 10th of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, May is materially better in Bar Harbor — 5.5 points higher on the same scale.
March in Bar Harbor: expect compromises
Hardest · 4.2/10March averages 1°C (34°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
At 143 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 9 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.2/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 8.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? May scores 4.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
April in Bar Harbor: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6.6/10Expect 6°C (42°F) in April. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
109 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 17 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 6.6/10 on the same scale — 6th of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, May is materially better in Bar Harbor — 1.9 points higher on the same scale.
May in Bar Harbor tops the year's climate scores
Best window · 8.5/10May averages 11°C (52°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 76 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.6 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Bar Harbor at 8.5/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Plan for peak pricing, with crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
June in Bar Harbor — reliably good (2nd best month)
Good · 8.4/10Temperatures hover around 15°C (60°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 87 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.3 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 8.4/10 on the same scale — 2nd of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Expect peak pricing, and crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
July in Bar Harbor: strong conditions, 3rd of 12
Good · 8.3/10Temperatures hover around 19°C (65°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
103 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 8.3/10 on the same scale — 3rd of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
August in Bar Harbor: strong conditions, 4th of 12
Good · 8.2/10August averages 19°C (65°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Monthly rainfall reaches 102 mm — wet for this destination — but about 21 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 8.2/10 here, 4th of 12 months, against 8.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
September holds up well in Bar Harbor — 5th best month
Good · 7.3/10September averages 16°C (61°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
At 105 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 14 days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 7.3/10 here, 5th of 12 months, against 8.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
October in Bar Harbor — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.7/10Expect 12°C (53°F) in October. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
110 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 4 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 5.7/10 on the same scale — 7th of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, May is materially better in Bar Harbor — 2.8 points higher on the same scale.
November in Bar Harbor: expect compromises
Hardest · 3.9/10Expect 5°C (41°F) in November. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
112 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 3.9/10 on the same scale — 9th of 12 months, versus 8.5/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, May is materially better in Bar Harbor — 4.6 points higher on the same scale.
December in Bar Harbor: expect compromises
Hardest · 2.2/10December averages 0°C (31°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
At 144 mm of water-equivalent precipitation this is a snowy month at resort level — that is snowpack, not lost days — with almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8.7 hours of daylight.
It scores 2.2/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 8.5/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
Flexible dates? May scores 6.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
