Directions: There are two routes from the head of the island to Eagle Lake. You can follow Route 3 into Bar Harbor. In Bar Harbor, you'll come to a stop sign. Turn right onto Route 233 (Eagle lake Road). Afte going under a bridge on Route 233, look for a boat launch sign on your left. You've gone by it if you see a parking lot on your right and a glimpse of the lake on your left.
The alternate way to go is to take Route 102/198 off of Route 3. To get onto Route 102/198, you will tbear right at a light shortly after getting onto Mt. Desert Island. Take a left on Route 198 at he next light. You can't miss it. There are only two traffic lights on the island at this time. Next look for Route 233 which will be a left turn. After you go by the Park Headquarters, you'll go down a steep hill. There will be a parking area on your left and a glimpse of the lake on your right. The road to the boat launch is just a few feet further on your right. If it's crowded, unload your boat, and park your car where you can.
Paddling Information: Though it may look crowded, very few boats use this beautiful lake. Most of the traffic is from bikers or hikers. There are views of Conners Nubble, Pemetic Mountain, Cadillac Mountain and the Bubbles, from the boat launch. Eagle Lake supplies water to the Town of Bar Harbor, so there is no swimming there.
It is usually calm in the morning and in the evening, but afternoons it can be quite choppy from weather fronts or sea breezes. Most often, a least some sea breeze comes down the lake from south to north. Eagle Lake is about two miles long and it is absolutely pristine. Heading south along the eastern shore of the lake, you may spot an old foundation which is worth looking at. It's just before a small island. That foundation is the remains of a train station. In the early part of the twentieth century, there was a cog railway from Eagle Lake to the summit of Cadillac Mountain.
You may see gulls, loons, comorants, and an occasional eagle as you paddle. A great blue heron is also a possibility. I haven't seen many fish in the water though it is stocked. I have seen some pretty big turtles. If you're lucky you might see a deer on the shore, and one year there were river otters frequenting a liittle bog on the north end of the lake right across from that other parking lot.
From the boat launch, you'll see a series of buoys off to your left. They are there to keep you away from the small dam and the shed which is associated with the town water supply. Stay outside of the buoys.