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Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) is a county-owned public airport at Trenton, Maine, serving as the main gateway by air to Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. It offers an instrument landing system, a full-service FBO and year-round scheduled service, alongside a strong seasonal influx of general aviation and private jet traffic.
Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is a county-owned, public-use field located in Trenton, Maine, roughly eight nautical miles northwest of downtown Bar Harbor. It is the principal air gateway to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, handling everything from subsidised scheduled airline flights to a busy summer mix of general aviation and private jet traffic bringing visitors to the area's summer colonies. For a simulator pilot it offers an interesting approach along the Maine coastline with the ILS-equipped runway, Cadillac Mountain as a backdrop, and a very seasonal traffic pattern that swings from quiet winter days to one of the state's busier airports in summer.
The airport sits in Trenton, Maine, about halfway between the city of Ellsworth and the town of Bar Harbor, and roughly eight nautical miles northwest of Bar Harbor's central business district. It is an uncontrolled field, with approach and departure advisories available from Bangor Approach/Departure. The airport lies close to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, and is bordered by more than 10,000 feet of shorefront.
The airport has two hard-surfaced, lit runways. Runway 04/22 is 5,163 feet long and carries an ILS on the 22 approach. Runway 17/35 is also hard-surfaced; the recorded lengths are 2,661 feet for the 17 threshold and 3,237 feet for the 35 threshold. Field elevation is 62 feet.
As an uncontrolled airport, traffic is coordinated on CTAF/UNICOM at 123 MHz. Bangor Approach/Departure provides an advisory service on 124.5 MHz. Airport weather is broadcast on AWOS-3 at 118.025 MHz, and a clearance delivery frequency is listed at 119.9 MHz. An instrument landing system is available for runway 22.
Hancock County-Bar Harbor is an uncontrolled airport, so pilots are expected to self-announce and coordinate on the CTAF/UNICOM frequency and make use of the Bangor Approach/Departure advisory service when operating in the area. No specific published circuit height or noise-abatement procedure is available.
Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on Mount Desert Island, provides a prominent landmark to the southeast of the field, while the airport's extensive shorefront along the coast offers a clear visual cue when approaching from over the water. Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor lie close by, with the city of Ellsworth situated on the opposite side of the airport.
The site served as Bar Harbor Naval Auxiliary Air Facility from September 1943 until November 1945, supporting operations of Naval Air Station Brunswick during the Second World War. In July 2010, sitting US President Barack Obama landed here aboard a smaller version of Air Force One for a family vacation in the area. The airport's history has not been without incident: on 16 May 1978 a Bar Harbor Airlines Cessna 402B crashed on approach in low visibility, killing all four aboard including the airline's founder and his son, and on 25 July 2024 a Cirrus SR22 crashed on approach in low-visibility conditions, killing both occupants.
The airport today combines scheduled airline service with a substantial general aviation and charter presence. Cape Air operates year-round nonstop flights to Boston under the Essential Air Service program, with codeshare connections via JetBlue and other partners, and summer months bring significant private jet traffic serving Mount Desert Island's summer communities. The field is served by a full-service FBO offering general aviation support, flight instruction, scenic tours and a seaplane ramp, alongside free public parking for visiting aircraft passengers.
