Ellsworth sits at the junction of US Route 1 and Maine Route 3, the gateway road to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Almost everyone arriving in Bar Harbor by car passes through.
The nearest commercial airport is Hancock County–Bar Harbor (BHB) just east of town in Trenton, with seasonal service from Boston. The bigger Bangor International Airport is about 30 miles north, with year-round flights from several US hubs. Concord Coach runs buses from Boston and Bangor to Bar Harbor that stop in Ellsworth.