Hiking in Acadia

The Trails of Mount Desert Island

The distinctive granite domes of Maine’s Mount Desert Island serve as the centerpiece for Acadia National Park along with dramatic sea cliffs and fjord-like bays and inlets. Acadia was the first national park established east of the Mississippi River and the first created entirely from donations of private lands to the public domain. This trip is timed to catch coastal Maine’s fall foliage show so you can enjoy Acadia in its special moment!

Nearly sixty miles of shady carriage paths lace Acadia National Park. No cars allowed!

Day 1
Overnight in Bar Harbor
Dinner included
We suggest you plan your arrival in Bar Harbor for no later than mid-afternoon on this day. A welcome dinner and lodging in Bar Harbor is included this evening.

Fall color at “The Bowl” in Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park – The Evolution of a Name

Five thousand acres of the land that was to eventually become Acadia National Park were set aside as the Sieur de Monts National Monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 under the authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act. The lands comprising the Sieur de Monts National Monument were donated to the American people by the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations, an organization which had been chartered by the State of Maine to hold and administer lands for the public benefit. The national monument was named for the patron of the Samuel de Champlain, a Frenchman who explored the Maine coast in the initial years of the seventeenth century. Three years later in 1919, the Congress changed the name of the national monument establishing it as the Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette who served the American cause in the Revolutionary War. In 1929, Lafayette National Park was renamed Acadia National Park by act of Congress. The name “Acadia” derives from the seventeenth century French colonial name for this region.

The view from Gorham Mountain.

Day 2
Overnight in Bar Harbor
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
From the wave-dashed shores of Sand Beach, hike along the Cadillac Cliffs before ascending through woods and over granite outcrops to the rounded summit of Gorham Mountain. From here, enjoy views southward to the Otter Cliffs which comprise the highest Atlantic coastal headland north of Rio de Janeiro. Continue to the small lake known as the Bowl before descending alongside the rocky knob of the Beehive to Sand Beach. A more challenging hike ascends the eastern flank of Champlain Mountain via the exciting Precipice Trail which offers thrilling views over the waters of island-studded Frenchman Bay. The hike continues down-ridge to the Bowl and the Beehive. The trail proceeds over Gorham Mountain, skirts the base of the Cadillac Cliffs, and brings you to Sand Beach where the hike ends. In 1908, two tracts of land centered around the Beehive and the Bowl became the first parcels of private land donated to the Hancock Country Trustees of Public Reservations–lands that would eventually be incorporated into Acadia National Park.

On the Precipice Trail. Handrails aid the hiker’s passage.

Approaching the summit of Cadillac Mountain. The Schoodic Peninsula in the far distance.

Day 3
Overnight in Bar Harbor
Breakfast and lunch included
Travel by vehicle to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on Mount Desert Island. Enjoy the sweeping views over the island and the waters of Frenchman Bay dotted with evergreen-clad islands. From the summit of the mountain, hike south over the broad granite dome of Cadillac Mountain descending steadily toward the small lake known as the Featherbed cupped in a rocky bowl on the flanks of Cadillac Mountain. Continue over the Eagle’s Crag, a rocky promontory, before making a final descent to trail’s end at the Black Woods Campground. For a longer hiking option, you can begin the day by ascending Cadillac Mountain on foot by way of neighboring Dorr Mountain before making the southward descent toward the Eagle’s Crag and the Black Woods Campground. Return to Bar Harbor for the evening.

Hikers enjoying the view on the descent from Cadillac Mountain.

The Bubbles reflected in Jordan Pond, an Acadia classic!

Day 4
Overnight in Bar Harbor
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Today’s hike leads you across the summits of The Bubbles, the twin granite domes at the head of Jordan Pond. The view of The Bubbles across the waters of Jordan Pond is one of Acadia National Park’s iconic scenes. Amble along the tree-shaded shoreline of Jordan Pond to the Jordan Pond House where lunch topped off with popovers and jam await on the lawn of this Acadia institution! For more hiking, depart Jordan Pond and begin an ascent to the summit of Penobscot Mountain where more views over Mount Desert Island await you. Descend to the small, conifer-ringed Sargent Mountain Pond before ascending the open southern flanks of Sargent Mountain. The path then descends to a carriage path which will lead you past the shores of Upper Hadlock Pond to trail’s end at the base of Norumbega Mountain (named for a mythical city once thought to have been located in present-day Maine). Cap off your Acadia experience with a farewell dinner this evening.

The trail up the east face of Penobscot Mountain.

Departure day
Breakfast included
Transfer to Bar Harbor Airport or Bangor Airport on your own.

Acadia sunset.

Other Resources

The National Park Service maintains the official website for Acadia National Park.
Enjoy this video segment about the founding of Acadia National Park excerpted from the Ken Burns film, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Click on the video link on the right side of the page. The direct link to the video segment is here.

Nearing the summit of Penobscot Mountain.

Photos on this page are by John Osaki (© All Rights Reserved) except as otherwise credited.