Acadia National Park was always on our short list of parks to visit. However, with such a large population in the Northeast, it’s not all that surprising that this park can get packed – especially in the brief summer season.
The Popular Sights
I don’t have anything against popular spots in the national parks. The reason they rate high on everyone’s list is because they are genuinely scenic. Unfortunately, many of these sights are also popular because they are fairly easy to get to. If all you need to do is park your car and follow the path to a gorgeous overlook, expect to find crowds. Acadia has a three specific locations in the park that are overly congested as a result of this phenomenon.
Crowded Spot #1 – Cadillac Mountain
The first place you’ll find on most visitors’ “To-Do List” is Cadillac Mountain. There’s a long steep drive to the summit, so virtually anyone with a car can get up there.
Cadillac Mountain is supposed to be one of the first places in the continental United States you can see the sun rise. We wouldn’t know though…because the sun comes up at 5:20 am in early August! And that’s just ridiculous. We don’t need to get up at that crazy hour just fight for a parking spot to see a sunrise.
We also had no intention of hiking Cadillac Mountain at a more reasonable hour. Mostly because I find it irritating to work my way to the summit of a mountain, just to see the throngs of people who drove up there congesting my view (think Pike’s Peak or Mt. Washington).
Crowded Spot #2 – The Ocean Path
The next super popular place in Acadia is the trail between Sand Beach and Otter Point. There’s a soft dirt path that runs alongside the rocky ocean shoreline between these two points. With lots of scenic views and very flat terrain, it’s popular with families, tourists of all ages and abilities, and everyone who seems to have a dog.
I have to admit we did follow this path on our first day in Acadia. And we regretted it very quickly. There was no solitude. But there are lots of people who are only too eager to step in front of your camera when you are trying to take a photo.
Crowded Spot #3 – The Beehive & Precipice Hikes
Finally, for the adventure seekers, Acadia boasts a few easy day hikes that allow hikers feel like they are really in the great outdoors. These hikes are a thrilling version of what people think hiking should be like.
The allure of these two particular hikes are the narrow cliffs. Hikers get to go up steep granite steps and use iron handrails for exposed scrambling in certain sections. Once they’ve pushed themselves mentally to get past these obstacles, they are rewarded with scenic ocean views. Then they go back home and tell all their friends about the awesome hiking in Acadia, and the crowds grow exponentially.
Getting off the beaten path
So what’s a person to do if they want to see Acadia and all it’s beauty, but desperately want to avoid the crowds? Here’s some awesome hikes that I loved that were far, far away from the popular tourist spots.
#1 – Schoodic Head
When we checked into our RV park in Ellsworth, we received a number of recommendations from the campground host. The best piece of advice she gave us was to head out to the Schoodic Peninsula during our visit. The peninsula is part of Acadia National Park, but it’s not on Mt. Desert Island. As a result, only a small fraction of the park’s visitors make it there.
We actually visited Schoodic twice, and both times, that section of the park was nearly empty. When we stopped at the visitor center to renew our annual park pass, one of the NPS volunteers gave us his hiking and lunch recommendations. I have to say, both suggestions were superb.
First, we went to Schoodic Point, down on the southern tip of the Peninsula, to watch the waves crash. It was sensational and made for some great photos.
Then we drove up to Blueberry Hill so we could hike up to the summit of Schoodic Head. We opted to take the 2.5 mile loop, going up the Anvil Trail to the peak, then return down via the Schoodic Head Trail and Alder Trail. Joe’s Guide to Acadia rates this hike as moderately strenuous, since there is a fair amount of elevation gain. We enjoyed it tremendously, and we probably saw fewer than five other people on the trail.
Having worked up an appetite, we took our NPS volunteer’s advice to head over to Birch Harbor for lunch at the Pickled Wrinkle. A wrinkle is a large sea snail or whelk, which can be pickled and eaten. Lobster fisherman catch them in their nets, and supposedly survived on them during tough times. We weren’t brave enough to try the pickled wrinkles, but we did have the absolute BEST fish and chips I’ve ever tasted in my life there!
#2 – Beech Cliffs and the Beech Mountain Fire Tower
If you want the type of hiking experience that folks are getting on the Beehive or Precipice Trails, I recommend you head over to Echo Lake on the west side of Mt. Desert Island.
From end of the Echo Lake parking lot, you can walk to the Beech Cliff Trail. (Don’t be dissuaded by the crowded parking situation. The vast majority of those cars are bringing visitors to the lake, not the trail.) The trail quickly starts up a steep dirt trail. Soon you’ll encounter a series of iron ladders and rungs that will take you up sheer cliff faces. There are a few narrow ledges to walk across as well. Everything is well marked with blue blazes and is very apparent to even the novice hiker. At the top of the trail, you are rewarded with sublime views of Echo Lake and the Somes Sound.
From there, you have two options. You can head back down via the Canada Cliffs Trail and end your hike. Or you can continue on toward Beech Mountain by connecting to the Valley Trail and South Ridge Trail like I did. If you choose this second option, you’ll eventually encounter a picturesque fire lookout just below the summit of the mountain.
When I finally arrived at the fire tower, there was a couple up there having a picnic. So I found a smaller rock outcropping to tuck myself into to enjoy the panoramic views (and the delicious brownie I’d toted to the top). After my break, I continued around the Beech Loop to the other side of the mountain to get some views of Long Pond. The it was time to head back over to the Canada Cliffs trail to get back to the car.
The combination of these two routes will take about 2.5 hours. They’re rated as fairly strenuous and exposed (Beech Cliffs) to moderately strenuous (Beech Mountain). For detailed maps of each, I highly recommend checking out Joe’s Guide to Hikes on the Quiet West Side.
During my quest to get to Beech Mountain, I also came across several National Park Service folks doing trail maintenance and emplacing huge stone steps to make this hike even better. (Thank you NPS!)
#3 – Giant Slide Trail and Sargent Mountain
Finally, if you want a hike that will really make you climb and scramble, I recommend hiking the Giant Slide Trail up to Sargent Mountain. This hike is also located on Mt. Desert Island. It’s near Somes Sound the in the center of the island just south of Hwy 233.
Unlike the other two hikes, the trailhead is a little harder to find because you have cross through an easement on private land. There’s ample parking on the shoulder of the road near the log trailhead marker though. Just keep an eye out for it after you pass the white arched bridge for the Mt. Desert Historical Society.
Once you hit the Giant Slide Trail, it starts off nice and gentle. Be patient. Soon it moves into a river gorge filled with large boulders you have to scramble over. It’s slow moving, but it’s the equivalent of going to an adult playground. You’ll find yourself shimmying over and under rocks while searching for blue blazes. This section of trail ends with the option to continue to the summit of Sargent Mountain or Parkman Mountain.
I opted to go up Sargent Mountain during my visit. You’ll be on a steep dirt trail for a bit until you pop out above treeline. Once you get up there, you will probably have a tough time finding blazes on the rocks. Luckily, there are Bates cairns to guide you to the summit. These cairns were introduced to the Acadia by trail builder Waldron Bates in the early 1900s. They look like low rock tables with a smaller rock on the top pointing hikers in the direction of the next cairn.
As with my prior hike on Mt. Desert Island, this one didn’t disappoint. I only saw a family of four during my two hours out there on the trail. And the views were terrific. When you are done with this hike, you are also incredibly close to the Atlantic Brewing Co.’s tasting room in Town Hill. So I’d recommend you refuel with a refreshing pint or a some BBQ catered by Mainely Meat BBQ out on their patio.
Looking for more information about great hiking in Acadia?
Here’s some other great resources to plan your adventure:
- Joe’s Guide to Acadia (the best go-to guide for Acadia hikes)
- Hiking in Acadia National Park (NPS official site)
- Maps of Acadia
Interested in exploring some other national parks?
Check out my blog posts on:
- Hiking the Grand Canyon (rim-to-rim)
- New River Gorge National River (West Virginia)
- Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee)