Long hike training for Katahdin in a couple of weeks. Between Sargent and Penobscot peaks we swam in Sargent Pond, the oldest lake in Maine.
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Not sunny, but humid and hot. 75 degrees with high humidity. Beautiful wiev and awesome hike along the shore. Very bouldery at one point.
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South Ridge is a beautiful, varied trail. It starts in a heavily wooded spot that winds through roots and rocks at a low grade before getting steeper and rockier and with a bit less dense tree cover. After about 2 miles you gain a wide ridge with views that periodically open up on both sides to the ocean and other islands and the mainland. When you enter the woods again the trail steepens and there are blocker steps up the last stretch to where the trail meets the road to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It’s a bit of a jolt to hear cars and see so many people at the summit, but there is a smaller view area where the trail meets double track gravel that is a nice place to take in the views.
Gorge trail down is a very steep, blocky decent from the summit to where it enters the woods at a junction. I took the wrong direction at first and then quickly got back on track. Once you’re heading down parallel to the stream it isn’t as steep but it’s still quite rocky at first.
Canon was super steep and beautifully built. Those trail builders are some strong folks!
The descent down from the junction with South Ridge was really great - easier to take in the views than when I was on the way up.
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Steep trail but beautiful view at the top. Skip the stair climber and hike outdoors! The Perpendicular Trail is a bit like Frodo, Sam, and Gollum climbing into Mordor over Cirith Ungol!
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Auto tour of the eastern half of Acadia NP. Some of it was gravel, no issue for a common car, truck, or SUV.
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Auto tour of the eastern half of Acadia NP. Some of it was gravel, no issue for a common car, truck, or SUV.
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Created this loop at Acadia. Summited Mt Champlain, Beehive, and Mt Gorham. Beautiful and great workout.
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Great hike! Did the elevation work quickly as we were running out of daylight.
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With a lot of bedrock and some steep sections, you can be as challenged as you want by just going a little faster. Avoid that temptation, a turn around to view nature at its best.
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Classic trail wonderful views and meticulously cared for. A one rung ladder and a couple scrambles were easily navigated by our larger pup.
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Used this trail to hike to the summit of Cadillac for sunrise. Arrived 5mins before the sun burst over the horizon a great forest-exposed rock hike out and back.
Elderly- no
Children - if they are responsible (due to chance of falling)
Strollers - no
Footwear - boots preferred but have seen ppl in sneakers
Clothing - early winter - day sack with fleeces, waterproofs, gloves, hat, spikes (as necessary)
Spring- summer: water! Fleeces when you reach the summit & waterproofs +daysac
If you are relatively fit and want to earn a sunrise, you couldn’t do better than hike Cadillac starting 5am in October for a 7:10am sunrise.
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A hike for peak bagging!
Strollers - no
Elderly access - no
Young children - if they have the stamina (they’ll sleep well afterwards)
Fitness level - good
This route will have you do a combined 2200’ (670m) elevation over this hike.
Parking was plentiful at 8am in October. Choose either Goat Head Trail or Parkman Mountain parking lots.
Start up the Parkman Trail but near the summit branch off to your right to bag Bald Peak.
Little technical in the approach to Bald, go slowly and methodically. Bald is very exposed. Buff and mid layer over wool base layer is a good idea.
Journey to Parkman is routine with fantastic views.
From Parkman to Gilmore expect steep descent into vail before sustained slog up to Gilmore and then short, well blazed trail to Sargent Mountain. From here on out, it’s generally downhill with a short detour to Penobscot Mountain before descending from the open granite tops to the forest, roots and spongy relief to your feet.
There is a junction at the foot of Cedar Swamp Mountain - a semi technical climb - but you can head right (all signed) to the Hadlock Falls & bridge. From there it’s a gentle undulating descent to the parking lot.
This hike is going to challenge you in certain places - each to their own. The vistas are spectacular and keep building all the way to Sargent Mountain, which caps them all. Do make the effort to visit Penobscot Mountain and if you’re a M*A*S*H fan, shout ‘Donald’ off the summit.
The way down is rooty so keep your concentration up. Hadlock Falls is charming and a good spot for a breather.
Signage is clear. Currently Maple trail is closed due to storm damage. Blazes are sometimes a little scarce but if you do look at the rock and to tree trunks.
Clothing and kit worn in Oct: daysac Mhmgear Salute 34L. Footwear : Scarpa Zodiacs GTX.
Pants: RAB Torque pants, Norrona merino baselayer with Jöttnar mid layer jacket. Buff/hat/beanie optional or as desired.
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Favorite hike so far. Has beautiful views early in and just gets better on the way up. Unique trial that is mostly large granite boulders. On a scale of 0-10 10 being OMG level, I would rate this a 4 for difficulty and a 5 for strenuous
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This is NOT a difficult hike. What it is though is a moderately hard slog uphill with truly spectacular views at the summit!
Strollers - definitely not
Children - yes/possibly.
Elderly - no (but you can drive to the summit - book a pass in summer months
Fitness level: moderate and upwards
In summer this trail is humid in the trees and can be very hot on the granite ridges with no shade. There is also a single via Ferrara ladder - ~100m before you get to the summit.
Elderly - apply for the ticket and drive to the top
Pets - if your dog is young and athletic, yes. Please be aware that there is a short 1.75m section right before the top that is rung’d and you’ll have to lift your pet up, or find another way.
Other advice: go early. We started out at 7am and had the trail to ourselves about 90% of the way. On the way down, it was like grand central train station!
Plenty of fluids & sunscreen!
Bathrooms and water bottle filling station can be hit or miss - take mature decisions on the way up, in the trees (if absolutely necessary)
Lots of roots in the first 1/3, after that open rock.
Follow the cairns but don’t add to them and sometimes the blue paint marks can be a little ‘faint’ - at one section we had to go looking.
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Tough hike. In my opinion more than Moderate. Very rocky with some scrambling. Nice views of Bar Harbor. Overall a good strenuous hike!!
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Left Sieur du Monts at 3:45. Went up July 13, 2021. Emery Trail to Schiff to Dorr summit then down into col between Dorr and Cadillac. Up Cadillac and all its crowds and over to true summit. Then return. Cool and typical summit breeze. Trail between mountains is rugged, but fun. Back at parking lot around 7:15. Weather got better as we went. Great hike with my son.
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Shaded, easy, well maintained with lots to discover and beautiful views.
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A hidden gem close to the town. Massive trail work a boulders with incredible views.
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Loop starting from Bubble Pond parking heading up to Pemetic mountain, over to Dorr mountain, then finally over to Cadillac mountain and back down the west cliff trail of Cadillac. Strenuous / steep descents and ascents throughout.
5/5 views
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Really great hike, the mountain climb was through a rock field and very steep! I did enjoy the walk around the lake!
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Acadia in winter may be the best of times. Two people all day. Glorious views. Highly recommend.
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REaltively easy hike, unfortunately we were fogged in after a clear start so views were limited. On the way down the trail got quite busy, it appears that in busy season the trail might be overcrowded
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For most people, Dorr Mountain Ladder Trail is a moderate hike, not an easy one. I would advise against it for anyone with heart disease or other serious health problems. Our hike began with an unexpected could cover, but it was a surprisingly warm November day. The hike starts off with a very short connector trail to the lay by parking by Route 3, then intersects with the Canon Brook Trail. Shortly afterwards the trail turns into a very long, steep staircase of granite steps, which are in good condition, but not evenly formed like stairs in a modern building. There are a couple places where steel ladders allow hikers to get over short cliffs faces, and then the trail becomes less steep as it approaches the summit. The clouds began to break as we reached the peak, but a strong wind had us looking for a sheltered place to eat our lunch. No one else was on the mountaintop while we were there. Descending via the Dorr Mountain South Ridge Trail in the strengthening sun was very pleasant. Then we took the Canon Brook Trail back towards the parking area, which passes close by a couple ponds. We saw our first other hiker of the day on this trail, and he was going up it as we came down. A connector trail at the intersection of the Kane Path and the Canon Brook Trail has a lovely new footbridge going by a beaver dam. We walked out on this to get a lovely view up the The Gorge towards Huguenot Head and Mount Champlain. Continuing along the Kane Path we completed our loop hike. Overall a good short workout, and not overcrowded like many other hikes in Acadia can be.
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Nice hike up rock stairs and 3-4 sets of ladders built into the rock face. Definitely recommend ascending from the East vs descending this way. Beautiful views of the ocean looking south on the descent.
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Love this hike and the 360 view from the summits! I would say the trail was pretty moderate for the most part with the exception of the Jordan Cliffs trail which was basically rock climbing on a cliff. Highly recommend the hike!
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Difficult ascents up Cadillac and Pemetic Mountains make this a challenging loop. Great for those in training for something harder, for those who are in good shape, but too strenuous for people who are unfit. Potentially treacherous in bad weather. Excellent views from granite ledges, some tree cover. Blueberries may be present in August for snacking. Bring a camera, lots of water and some food.
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Easy going to start west along eagle lake, then a slow turn up to the bubbles car park, very steep to the top of pemetic then a nice gradual hike along the north ridge trail back to the car park
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Beautiful loop! I went early morning and it was stunning with very few other hikers.
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Awesome hike. Up and down plenty of rock stairs Beautiful views. Loved it
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Lovely bike ride over Acadia’s carriage roads after walking the bikes up through the trail from Bar Harbor Motel. Also took a little walk to view Duck Brook under the bridge.
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