Acadia

We are headed to Acadia next week and wondering if I could get opinions of top rated hikes and bike..thanks Lefty E

Me too. Maybe we will meet on a mountaintop somewhere. I have hiked the Beehive and Precipice Trails - which are both good for a challenge. Both trails have very steep, open parts with ladders - not good for dogs or people with vertigo issues. Have also hiked the Bubbles, which provide a nice, easy family-friendly jaunt with views over Jordan Pond. Be sure to stop in at Jordan Pond afterwards for popovers and tea.

Lots of great hiking and biking. For biking, try the carriage trail system, unless you're on skinny tires. Otherwise there is a park road that is would probably be good for a touring bike.

For hiking, Otter Cliffs, Gorham, Penobscot, Sargeant, Dorr, Cadillac (if you can handle the diesel fumes and crowds of tourists on the summit), Schoodic Point, and many, many other hikes. Plenty of paddling opportunities as well.

If you do a search here you'll find many threads re Acadia. Have a great trip!

At least for hiking, it's hard to go wrong, but definitely get a good map. The park service map is okay, but not too detailed. In general, if you like more gradual ridge walks (usually open) choose north/south approaches; if interested in steeper and a little more challenging routes, try east/west approaches. It's hard to resist going up Cadillac, but Dorr, Sargent, Penobscot and Pemetic will be less crowded. Also, a lot of the summits are close enough that with some route planning you can easily get in 10-15 mile hikes that cover multiple summits, valleys and lakes.

Enjoy!

PS - this book has some good suggestions for hikes, bike trips, water trips as well as general info and a map.
http://amcstore.outdoors.org/amcstore/product.asp?s_id=0&dept_id=3015&pf_id=PACOADKOJABJCLIC

chipc said:

At least for hiking, it's hard to go wrong, but definitely get a good map.

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The AMC still publishes a WMG-style hiking map. Worth getting.

PS - this book has some good suggestions for hikes, bike trips, water trips as well as general info and a map.
http://amcstore.outdoors.org/amcstore/product.asp?s_id=0&dept_id=3015&pf_id=PACOADKOJABJCLIC

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Unfortunately, there is no good current hiking guidebook. (This one is aimed at more at tourists, not hikers.) The older AMC Maine Mountain guidebooks were good (before they removed the section on Acadia to produce the current Acadia guides .) My 1971 (3rd ed) has it, my 1999 (8th ed) does not.

Lots of good hikes--the mountains are small, but you can do lots in a day. And many have good views from the top. Don't forget the hills near Jordan Pond and on both sides of Somes Sound.

Doug

Precipice Trail gets my vote, but you really can't go wrong anywhere there. It's like a huge playground for big kids.

Agree with Elizabeth: do not miss the popovers at the Jordon Pond House!! The chowdahs are pretty durn good, too.

Thanks to all, I think we have enough to keep us busy...be trying the chowdah for sure!!

May I slightly hijack this thread to ask about the best lesser-known trails on the island?

I did Beech Mountain out in the Southwest Harbor area last weekend and was pretty quiet/lovely, tons of new granite work/steps freshly installed. Nice summit. Anything else kinda off the beaten path that I shouldn't miss? Will be there again tomorrow...

The Unstrung Harp said:

May I slightly hijack this thread to ask about the best lesser-known trails on the island?

I did Beech Mountain out in the Southwest Harbor area last weekend and was pretty quiet/lovely, tons of new granite work/steps freshly installed. Nice summit. Anything else kinda off the beaten path that I shouldn't miss? Will be there again tomorrow...

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Flying Mountain. Lots of bang for not much buck.

Doug

Try the Perpendicular Trail near Long Pond. "A winding stone staircase of biblical proportions" Awesome!

DougPaul said:

The AMC still publishes a WMG-style hiking map. Worth getting.


Unfortunately, there is no good current hiking guidebook. (This one is aimed at more at tourists, not hikers.) The older AMC Maine Mountain guidebooks were good (before they removed the section on Acadia to produce the current Acadia guides .) My 1971 (3rd ed) has it, my 1999 (8th ed) does not.

Lots of good hikes--the mountains are small, but you can do lots in a day. And many have good views from the top. Don't forget the hills near Jordan Pond and on both sides of Somes Sound.

Doug

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Agree that the newer AMC book is mostly aimed at tourists, but there is useful info on the history of the island. Also the recommended hikes covered are good ones. One other point is that the back of the book has the short trail descriptions which I think are identical to what used to be in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide book. My oldest, is edition 6 or 7 (somewhere between yours) and this had Acadia info in it. The descriptions are relatively simple and not at the level of the WMG.

Regarding "off the beaten track", I'll make another recommendation for the western side of the island. I like the West Ledge Trail up to Bernard. While the summit is in trees the trail goes over numerous open ledges with great views.

chipc

The Unstrung Harp said:

May I slightly hijack this thread to ask about the best lesser-known trails on the island?

I did Beech Mountain out in the Southwest Harbor area last weekend and was pretty quiet/lovely, tons of new granite work/steps freshly installed. Nice summit. Anything else kinda off the beaten path that I shouldn't miss? Will be there again tomorrow...

Click to expand...

Parkman Mountain/Bald Peak is a nice little loop, hardly saw anyone when I did it last year. Also Mansell/Bernard were very quiet.

St. Sauveur Mountain on the west side of Somes Sound is my favorite of the less-crowded hikes. I didn't mention it earlier, because I have only done it from Valley Cove, and I suspect most people on this thread are not visiting by boat. However, I would guess that the trail from the land-side is also nice. You could do Flying Mountain at the same time.

Elizabeth said:

St. Sauveur Mountain on the west side of Somes Sound is my favorite of the less-crowded hikes. I didn't mention it earlier, because I have only done it from Valley Cove, and I suspect most people on this thread are not visiting by boat. However, I would guess that the trail from the land-side is also nice. You could do Flying Mountain at the same time.

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I hiked Sauveur from the land side a few years ago (and connected down to salt water). It is a nice little hike.

Doug

Well we took a lot of you guy's advice and did a few and will return in the future for more. Wednesday upon arrival and getting set up, we did Valley Peak and St. Sauveur..Thursday was Cadillac, Dorr, and Pemetic loop starting at Bubble Pond parking via West Face Trail...both days great weather..hard rain Thursday nite and Friday was tour of the island..Saturday hit Cadillac for sunrise (via truck!) then we did the Precipice, then checked out that side of the loop road, then over to Beech via Valley to S Ridge down West Ridge back to Valley..time did not work out for the chowder and popovers, next year! Thanks to all.. Lefty E

Our group biked on carriage roads around Eagle Lake on Friday and hiked Beech Cliffs and Beech (up from Echo Lake, down S. Ridge w/car spot) on Saturday. Kayaked in the later-afternoons. Lefty, we must have just missed you on Beech. Also did not have time for popovers. Good excuse to return next year.