Hiking Acadia National Park

To explore Acadia National park, a park pass needs to be purchased. It is $30 per vehicle for 7 days or $55 for the year. Additional information on pricing and purchase locations can be found here. Information on free admission days can be found here.

We did all of the hikes below in 2 days. We could have fit more in if we hadn’t spent time waiting around for a puffin tour that ended up being cancelled. All these hikes were a ton of fun, and the weather in late May was perfect!

Cadillac Mountain– this is the first place to see the sunrise in the United States from October to March, and is definitely worth visiting for sunrise even outside those months. You can drive up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain or you can hike up. There are 2 trails, the North Ridge Trail and South Ridge Trail. The trails can be combined if you park at each end, or if the Island Explorer Shuttle is in operation. It can be very windy and cold at the summit, so dress appropriately.

• North Ridge Trail: a moderate 2.2 mile (one way) hike that starts at the North Ridge Cadillac Mountain parking area.
• South Ridge Trail: a moderate to difficult 3.55 mile (one way) hike that starts near Blackwoods Campground.

 

Bar Island Hike– Bar Island is the “island that named a town.” A natural land bridge forms at low tide between Bar Harbor and Bar Island. You can cross to the island between 90 minutes before low tide to 90 minutes after low tide. Be mindful of this time, as you will have to pay for an expensive water taxi ride back if you get stuck. Walk north down Bridge Street to the harbor to find the trailhead. This is an easy 1.9 mile round trip hike. Keep an eye out for tide pools on the bar.

• For a tide chart check here
• West Street (near the intersection of Bridge Street) has free parking. There is also parking at the end of Bridge Street, where the trailhead starts, but it is less advisable to park here in case the tide comes in.

 

Precipice trail– closed from May to August to protect peregrine falcon nesting. This is a difficult 1.4 mile out and back hike. The trail is steep and there are many iron rungs to traverse. Scientists will band the baby falcons in order to track their numbers and determine the health of the population. Pretty cool!

 

The Beehive trail– A difficult 0.8 mile hike over rocky surfaces, narrow ledges, and iron bars. Parking is located in the Sand Beach parking area. There are gorgeous overlooks of Sand Beach and the surrounding landscape. No pets are allowed on this hike due to the difficulty. There were tons of Maine blueberries in flower along the trail. If you hike during mid to late summer, be sure to keep an eye out for this scrumptious treat. At the summit of the Beehive, you can head down to The Bowl lake and then connect to the Gorham Mountain trail. This makes for an easier hike down. A portion of the Gorham Mountain trail was closed when we went, so we had to take a portion of the Cadillac Cliffs trail which is of moderate difficulty.

 

Gorham Mountain Trail- For an easier and more scenic hike down from the Beehive consider this moderate 1.4 mile trail. You reach the 525 foot summit and continue down over granite rocks to an easier spruce forest. If part of the trail is still closed, you will have to take the more difficult Cadillac Cliffs trail, which utilizes the iron rungs the Beehive did. There are stone piles, or cairns, strategically placed along the trail to guide your way in case you lose track of the blue trail markers.

 

Ocean Path– From Gorham Mountain trail you can connect to the easy 1 mile Ocean Path trail and head back to your car parked in the Sand Beach parking lot. This trail winds along the Maine coast, passing Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs. As the tide comes in, the water creates a thundering sounds as it displaces trapped air in the cave. There is a gift shop across the street from Thunder Hole. As you pass Otter Cliffs, you may see rock climbers.

 

Sand Beach– after hiking the Beehive, Gorham Mountain, and Ocean Path, we took a dip in the water at Sand Beach. The water was freezing in May, but refreshing. There are changing areas and restrooms.

In total, from Sand Beach parking, up the Beehive, down Gorham Mountain, and along Ocean Path back to Sand Beach, the loop is about 3.5 miles.

 

Jordan Pond Trail– This easy 3.4 mile loop trail hugs Jordan Pond, offering great views of the pond and the surrounding mountains. The North and South Bubble mountains can be seen from the trail, and towards the northern tip of the Jordan Pond Trail, there is access to the Bubbles Divide Trail. The western portion of the trail is composed of wooden planks. This portion of the trail is narrow, but there are wider portions that make it easier to pass people headed the opposite direction. The eastern portion of the trail is a dirt path. Although the pond looks inviting, there is no swimming allowed as this is a public water supply.

 

The Bubbles– Although there are two mountains, North Bubble and South Bubble, South Bubble is more popular due to Bubble Rock. Bubble Rock is a precariously perched stone on the edge of the mountain left by a receding glacier. The South Bubble loop from Jordan Pond trail is about 1.3 miles. It is an easy to moderate level hike.

 

Beaver Dam Pond– There are many locations to see beavers in Acadia, and Beaver Dam  Pond is a great place. Beavers are crepuscular, with your highest chance of seeing them being around sunrise or sunset. We went on a sunrise walk and saw one very active beaver in the pond. It was really exciting to see the little guy swim around!

 

 

For more hikes that I did not mention but that are worth checking out, visit Maine Trail Finder.

 

NOTE: We were told the ticks can get pretty bad, so bring plenty of bug spray and be sure to check for the little critters.

 

For things to do around Bar Harbor aside from hiking, visit my post on Exploring Mount Desert Island!