Hiking Acadia National Park: A Guide to the Park’s Greatest Hiking Adventures

299 Pages·2001·49.881 MB·English

by  Ring, Daniel, Kong, Dolores

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“FalconGuides point the compass to the
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best spots to play, climb, hike, fi sh, and be.”
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Established as the fi rst national park in the Features
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s eastern United States, Acadia National Park • Hikes suited to every ability n
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e has 120 miles of hiking trails through more • Mile-by-mile directional cues
n than 40,000 acres along the coast of Maine. g
t • Diffi culty ratings, trail con-
i Fully revised and updated, this edition of
a tacts, fees/permits, and best
l g Hiking Acadia National Park covers ridge hiking seasons A
trails, forest paths, oceanside strolls, and cliff
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• An index of hikes by category c
a climbs for hikers of all ages and abilities. 
r —from easy day hikes to hikes a

fo For more than thirty years, FalconGuides® to waterfalls d
r have set the standard for outdoor guidebooks.
• Invaluable trip-planning
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Written by top experts each guide invites you
v information, including local a
e to experience the adventure and beauty of
r lodging and campgrounds
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• GPS location for each trailhead
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• GPS-compatible maps of
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e Cover photos © Dolores Kong each trail t
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Dolores Kong and Dan Ring have long hiked and backpacked together in
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O New England and elsewhere. Dolores is a reporter at the Boston Globe and Dan FALCON
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u is statehouse bureau chief in Boston for the Union-News in Springfi eld, Mas-
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fi sachusetts. Th ey are the authors of Best Easy Day Hikes Acadia National Park

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A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures
Second Edition
Dolores Kong and Dan Ring
Introduction i
Hiking_Acadia.indd 1 2/13/12 11:04 AM
FALCONGGUUIIDDEESS®
Copyright © 2001, 2012 Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Previous editions of this book were published by Falcon Publishing, Inc., in 1998 and 2000.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should
be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P O Box 480, Guilford, CT
06437.
FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
All interior photographs by Dolores Kong, unless otherwise noted.
Text design: Sheryl P. Kober
Project editor: Julie Marsh
Layout: Sue Murray
Maps: Trailhead Graphics © Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
TOPO! Explorer software and SuperQuad source maps courtesy of National Geographic Maps. For informa-
tion on TOPO! Explorer, TOPO!, and Nat Geo Maps products, go to www.topo.com or www.natgeomaps .com.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the previous edition as follows:
Kong, Dolores.
Hiking Acadia National Park / by Dolores Kong and Dan Ring.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-56044-923-2
1. Hiking—Maine—Acadia National Park—Guidebooks. 2. Trails—Maine—Acadia National Park—Guide-
books. 3. Acadia National Park (Me.)—Guidebooks. I. Ring, Dan (Daniel) II. Title.
GV199.42.M22 A324 2001
917.41'450444—dc21
2001023941
ISBN 978-0-7627-6147-0
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The authors and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to,
or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.
Hiking_Acadia.indd 2 2/13/12 11:04 AM
Contents
Overview Map ................................................................................................iv
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................vii
Introduction .....................................................................................................1
How to Use This Guide ..................................................................................10
Trail Finder .....................................................................................................12
Map Legend ...................................................................................................14
Mount Desert Island East of Somes Sound ...................15
Bar Harbor and Champlain Mountain Area
1 Bar Island Trail ........................................................................................18
2 Compass Harbor Trail .............................................................................21
3 Beachcroft Path .......................................................................................24
4 Champlain North and South Ridge Trails (Bear Brook Trail) ...................27
5 Orange & Black Path (East Face Trail) .....................................................31
6 Precipice Trail .........................................................................................34
7 Murphy Lane to Schooner Head Path and Overlook ...............................37
Gorham Mountain Area
8 Sand Beach and Great Head Trail ............................................................40
9 Ocean Path .............................................................................................43
10 The Bowl Trail ........................................................................................47
11 The Beehive Trail ....................................................................................50
12 Gorham Mountain and Cadillac Cliffs Trails ............................................53
Dorr Mountain and Sieur de Monts Spring Area
13 Kebo Mountain Path and Dorr North Ridge Trail ..................................57
14 Homans Path ..........................................................................................60
15 Emery and Schiff Paths (Dorr Mountain East Face Trail) .........................63
16 Kurt Diederich’s Climb ...........................................................................67
17 Kane Path (Tarn Trail) .............................................................................70
18 Dorr Mountain Loop via Ladder and Dorr South Ridge Trails ................74
19 Canon Brook Trail ..................................................................................78
20 A. Murray Young Path via Canon Brook Trail ..........................................81
21 Hemlock Trail via Gorge Path .................................................................84
22 Stratheden Path .......................................................................................87
23 Jesup Path to Great Meadow Loop ..........................................................90
Cadillac Mountain Area
24 Cadillac North Ridge Trail ......................................................................94
25 Cadillac Summit Loop Trail .....................................................................98
26 Gorge Path ...........................................................................................101
Introduction iii
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0 Kilometers 10
Overview–Acadia National Park
0 Miles 10
Bucksport To Bangor and
95 Gouldsboro
1 Ellsworth To
3 West Machias
Gouldsboro
1
15
172
3 195
186
Blue Hill Bar 186
Harbor
Mount
Desert
Island 3
Schoodic
102 Peninsula
Northeast Harbor
Southwest Harbor
Baker
15 Bass Island
Harbor
Stonington
Isle au Haut
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27 Cadillac South Ridge Trail and Eagles Crag Loop ..................................104
28 Cadillac West Face Trail .........................................................................108
Pemetic, Triad, and Day Mountain Area
29 Pemetic Northwest Trail (Bubbles–Pemetic Trail) ...................................111
30 P emetic North and South Ridge Trails (Pemetic Northeast Face and
Southwest Trails) ...................................................................................114
31 Triad and Pemetic East Cliff Trails (Pemetic Mountain Trail) ..................118
32 Hunters Brook Trail (Triad–Hunters Brook Trail) ..................................122
33 Hunters Beach Trail ..............................................................................125
34 Little Hunters Beach .............................................................................128
35 Day Mountain Trail ...............................................................................131
36 Bubble & Jordan Ponds Path (Pond Trail) ..............................................134
Jordan Pond, Bubbles, and Eagle Lake Area
37 Jordan Pond Nature Trail .......................................................................138
38 Jordan Pond Path (Jordan Pond Shore Trail) ...........................................141
39 Jordan Stream Path ................................................................................145
40 Asticou & Jordan Pond Path (Asticou Trail) ...........................................148
41 Bubbles Divide (Bubble Rock Trail) ......................................................151
42 Jordan Pond Carry to Eagle Lake and Bubbles Trails Loop .....................155
Penobscot, Sargent, and Parkman Mountain Area
43 Spring Trail (Penobscot Mountain Trail) ................................................159
44 Penobscot Mountain Trail via Asticou & Jordan Pond Path ....................162
45 Jordan Cliffs Trail via Spring Trail ..........................................................165
46 Deer Brook Trail via Jordan Pond Path ..................................................169
47 Sargent East Cliffs Trail via Jordan Pond Path and Deer Brook Trail .......173
48 Sargent Mountain Loop via Giant Slide and Grandgent Trails ................177
49 Sargent South Ridge Trail via Carriage Road ........................................181
50 Amphitheater Trail via Asticou & Jordan Pond Path and Carriage Road .185
51 Sargent Mountain via Hadlock Brook and Maple Spring Trails ..............189
52 Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak Loop via Hadlock Brook Trail ..........193
53 Norumbega Mountain and Hadlock Ponds Loop ..................................196
54 Lower Hadlock Pond Loop ...................................................................200
Mount Desert Island West of Somes Sound ................204
Acadia Mountain Area
55 Acadia Mountain Trail ...........................................................................206
56 St. Sauveur Mountain and Valley Peak Loop...........................................210
57 Flying Mountain, Valley Cove, and Valley Peak Loop ..............................213
Contents v
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Beech Mountain Area
58 Beech Cliffs and Canada Cliff Trails (Beech Cliff Ladder Trail) ...............217
59 Beech Cliff Loop ..................................................................................220
60 Beech Mountain Loop Trail ..................................................................223
61 Beech Mountain via Valley and Beech South Ridge Trails ......................226
62 Beech West Ridge Trail .........................................................................230
Bernard and Mansell Mountain Area
63 Long Pond and Great Notch Trails (Great Pond and Western Trails) .......233
64 Perpendicular and Mansell Mountain Loop via Long Pond Trail ............237
65 Razorback Trail via Gilley Trail ..............................................................240
66 Bernard Mountain Loop .......................................................................243
Bass Harbor Area
67 Wonderland ..........................................................................................246
68 Ship Harbor Trail ..................................................................................249
69 Bass Harbor Head Light Trail ................................................................253
Isle au Haut ........................................................................................256
70 Duck Harbor and Deep Cove Trails ......................................................259
71 Duck Harbor Mountain and Goat Trails ................................................262
72 Western Head and Cliff Trails ................................................................265
73 Eben’s Head Trail ..................................................................................268
74 Bowditch and Long Pond Trails via Duck Harbor Trail ..........................271
75 Median Ridge and Nat Merchant Trails .................................................274
Schoodic Peninsula .......................................................................277
76 Schoodic Head Trails .............................................................................280
77 Sundew Trail .........................................................................................283
Hike Index ...................................................................................................286
About the Authors ........................................................................................287
vi Contents
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Acknowledgments
For sharing with us their knowledge and passion for Acadia National Park, and being
so generous with their time, we’d like to thank Wanda Moran, Charlie Jacobi, Gary
Stellpflug, Chris Barter, David Manski, Kathy Grant, Stuart West, Karen Anderson,
Anne Warner, Tony Linforth, Maureen Fournier, Todd Miller, Benton Shattenberg,
and the rest of the Acadia National Park staff; Margaret Coffin Brown of the National
Park Service’s Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation; Ann Marie Cummings
of Eastern National; Marla S. O’Byrne of the Friends of Acadia; park volunteers Jim
and Jan Allen and Ed Hawkes; Sue Turner and Stew Foelix; Dianna and Ben Emory;
Donald P. Lenahan; and Jill Weber. We'd also like to acknowledge the historical per-
spective provided by Ronald Epp in his writings on park pioneer George B. Dorr
and his estate.
And we’d like to thank our nieces Sharon and Michelle Kong for providing a new
perspective on Acadia for us. We hope they’ve come away with special memories, as
we have.
HELP US KEEP THIS GUIDE UP TO DATE
Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and
useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is published—trails are
rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management,
and so on.
We would appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide
and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to
respond to all comments and suggestions, we’ll take them to heart, and we’ll also make
certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the
following address:
Globe Pequot Press
Reader Response/Editorial Department
P.O. Box 480
Guilford, CT 06437
Or you may e-mail us at: [email protected]
Thanks for your input, and happy trails!
vii
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Introduction
Maine’s Acadia National Park is a place like no other.
You can stroll along Ocean Path and be awestruck by the contrast of pink granite
cliffs, blue skies, and white surf. From atop Cadillac, the highest mountain on the
Atlantic seaboard, you can look below and see fog rolling in over Frenchman Bay,
even as the sun shines brightly above.
No wonder artists, millionaires, generations of families, and even presidents—
notably Barack Obama in 2010—have been attracted to all that’s preserved in Acadia.
In fact, the place has meant so much to area residents and visitors that Acadia in
1919 became the first national park created east of the Mississippi, after starting as a
national monument in 1916. It is also the first national park to consist primarily of
privately donated lands and the first to have trail maintenance funded by an endow-
ment, Acadia Trails Forever, coming from $4 million in park user fees and federal
appropriations and $9 million in private donations from Friends of Acadia, a private
nonprofit organization based in Bar Harbor.
Over the years the scenery inspired such passion that nineteenth-century paint-
ers Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, of the Hudson River School, came here to
capture the landscape; one of the wealthiest men in America, John D. Rockefeller Jr.,
donated millions and left miles of scenic carriage roads and uniquely designed stone
bridges; and prime mover George B. Dorr dedicated his life and exhausted his family
fortune to create the park.
Today more than two million visitors a year make Acadia one of the top ten most
visited national parks, even though it’s the fifth smallest in land area. The Sierra Club
even put Acadia first on its 2011 “Top Ten Wild Places to Hike,” a “bucket list” of sorts.
But with more than 125 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of carriage roads
throughout its approximately 49,500 acres (including about 12,000 acres under con-
servation easement), the park provides plenty of opportunities for tranquility and for
experiencing nature, history, geology, and culture.
This second edition of Hiking Acadia National Park covers nearly all the park’s trails.
Most of the trails are located on Mount Desert Island, within a short ride—and
in some cases a short walk—from Bar Harbor, the island’s main town. The book also
includes trails on Isle au Haut, reachable only by mail boat from Stonington, and on
Schoodic Peninsula—the only part of the park on the mainland—accessible by ferry
from Bar Harbor during the peak season or by car anytime.
No backpacking is allowed in the park except for a limited amount at designated
campsites on Isle au Haut; the lean-to shelters require a special use permit obtained
in advance. No camping is allowed on trails anywhere in the park.
Some of the forty-three granite steps that take you to the
site of George B. Dorr’s former estate (hike 2).
1
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