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Home » Hiking » Best Hikes in Acadia National Park

Best Hikes in Acadia National Park

40 · Aug 6, 2019 · Leave a Comment

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

Acadia National Park is full of hiking, running, walking, and biking trails. Most hiking trails are moderate and relatively short so you can squeeze quite a few into your trip! These are our favorite hikes in Acadia National Park, The Crown Jewel of the North Atlanta Coast.

landscape photo of the rocky shoreline of the ocean with a sailboat in the distance. Text reads best hikes in Acadia National Park

HIKING IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

If you are planning a trip to Acadia National Park in Maine get ready because you are going to have your breath taken away! We’ve been to some beautiful places like Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, and Kauai and Acadia still left us speechless!

Acadia National Park is perfect for an outdoor explorer because of the many different activities. Most of the hikes in the park are on the shorter side so that allows you to do many hikes in one day and then enjoy the rest of your day at the beach! It’s the perfect combination.

During our trip to Acadia, the Precipice Trail was closed due to Peregrine Falcon Nesting so that is why that particular trail is not included in our hiking list, however, we hope to return and that trail will be at the top of our list!

There are a few things to remember when visiting Acadia National Park:

  • Drones are NOT allowed
  • Keep Wildlife Wild. Do NOT feed wildlife, no matter how cute the animal is (we saw the cutest porcupine!) and store all food items so animals cannot reach it
  • Do not litter – we picked up tons of litter in the park 🙁
  • Follow ALL Leave No Trace Principles

Need a little help getting in shape for hiking or are you trying to become a better hiker? Are you ONLY hiking? Don’t want to think about your workouts? Let us be your personal trainers with our She Sweats 12-week Run Builder or the She Sweats 12-Week Transformation to get you in shape for your hikes. It guides your workout each day and has everything you need! Find out more!

TOP HIKES IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

1. The Beehive

If pulling yourself up metal rungs, walking over metal grates, and scaling rocks sounds like a good time to you then you MUST do the Beehive hike during your visit to Acadia National Park!

We loved it so much we did it twice during our trip. 😉

Our first time to the top of Beehive was up Beehive, then we followed the path off the summit to The Bowl, crossed over Gorham Mountain and looped back around to Ocean Path where our car was parked at Sand Beach. You can read more about this route on AllTrails here.

For our second Beehive summit, we went up Beehive and then back down the Bowl Trail Loop (this is a shorter route if you are pressed for time). We met someone going up this direction who was scared of heights and didn’t want to summit using the route that required the ladders and rungs so keep this in mind if you want to summit but aren’t comfortable with some parts of the main Beehive trail. Read more about this route on AllTrails here.

landscape photo of the Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park with a trail and ocean in the background
The Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park

 

male hiker on the Beehive trail in Acadia National Park in Maine with the ocean and trees in the background
The Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park

 

landscape photo from the summit of Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park, granite rock with ocean and trees in the background
The view from the summit of The Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park

2. The Bubbles

Surprisingly, some of our favorite hikes were the Bubbles! We summited both Bubbles.

Our first Bubbles hike was the Bubble Divide from the parking lot to the North Bubble. We continued on the Bubbles Trail to Conner’s Nubble (crossing Eagle Lake Carriage Road) then down to the Eagle Lake. We took Eagle Lake Trail to Jordan Pond Carry and Jordan Pond Carry back to Bubbles Divide then left to the parking lot. GORGEOUS and not crowded at all! This trek on AllTrails is similar to the one that we did.

A few days later we went back and did the South Bubble which has the teetering boulder (seen below). This trail can be found here. South Bubble is short and steep but I would say it is do-able for almost everyone.

landscape photo of The Bubbles (two mountains) in Acadia National Park with Jordan Pond in the front
The Bubbles from Jordan Pond Loop in Acadia National Park

 

large rock on the side of a mountain in Acadia National Park with Jordan Pond in the background in Acadia National Park
Bubble Mountain (South Bubble) with Jordan Pond in the background in Acadia National Park

3. Acadia Mountain

Acadia Mountain was our last hike in Acadia National Park. I’m so glad we didn’t skip it! This is another short but steep hike that offers gorgeous views of the mountains and sea.

We climbed Acadia Mountain then back down to the Man O War Trail (truck road). I recommend this route instead of going back down the same way you summited.

landscape photo of the summit of Acadia Mountain in Acadia National Park with the ocean in the background
The view from the summit of Acadia Mountain Trail in Acadia National Park

4. Beech Cliff Trail

The Beech Cliff Trail hike is another one in Acadia National Park that includes climbing ladders and then more ladders. It’s a little spooky in some spots but definitely a “must-add to your list” type hike. It’s a short but steep trail.

This hike starts at the end of the Echo Lake parking lot (which fills up VERY quickly) and takes a path around Echo Lake and then quickly starts climbing to the summit using switchbacks and ladders. You can download the trail map using AllTrails.

long ladders going up large rocks in order to hike Beech Cliff Trail in Acadia National Park
Beech Cliff Trail in Acadia National Park

5. Pemetic Mountain Loop

There are many different trail options to reach the summit of Pemetic Mountain. We chose to start at the Jordan Pond Parking Lot and take the South Ridge Trail to the summit. It was very steep but we quickly reached the summit to spectacular views.

To descent down the mountain, we took the North Ridge. We do NOT recommend coming up this direction as it is extremely steep with roots. We laughed at how strenuous it would be to summit the mountain using that route! Here’s more information on this trek.

landscape photo of a rocky top mountain with the ocean in the distance in Acadia National Park
Summit of Pemetic Mountain in Acadia National Park

TIPS WHEN VISITING ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

  • We camped in Blackwoods Campground for part of our trip. It was a great campground and was close to many of the hikes. However, we could not find any firewood that would burn even though all the store stated theirs was seasoned wood (just warning you to avoid frustration!). For another portion of the trip, we rented a place from VRBO that was about a 45-minute drive.
  • Restaurants in Bar Harbor are very expensive. Splurge if you want but we typically packed a lunch that we made (or picked up that morning) to enjoy more time in the park. Here’s our post on What to Eat While Hiking & Easy Hiking Snacks to Make.
  • Take flip flops to change into after your hikes!
  • Drive-up Cadillac Mountain
  • Bike the Carriage Trails (we did almost 30 miles of biking one day!)
  • Most people used Sand Beach (it was VERY crowded) but we went to Little Hunters Beach every single day. It was awesome… gorgeous, secluded, and not crowded at all! We took our lunch/snacks, book, and camp chairs (similar to this camp chair) and sat on the cliffs. The beach is not sand but instead little rounded rocks. See the pictures below of Little Hunters Beach.
    • While we were in the park there were no signs for Little Hunters Beach so it is easy to miss. It’s after Otter Cove and you park on the right side of the road either before or after the bridge.
male and female on the cliffs at Little Hunters Beach in Acadia National Park
Little Hunters Beach in Acadia National Park

 

view of a sailboat on the Atlantic Ocean from Little Hunters Beach
Little Hunters Beach in Acadia National Park

 

view of Little Hunters Beach in Acadia National park with trees surrounding the cliffs
Little Hunters Beach in Acadia National Park

LOOKING FOR MORE HIKING INSPIRATION? KEEP EXPLORING:

  • Our Workout Plans
  • How to Get in Shape for Hiking
  • What to Eat While Hiking
  • Easy Hiking Snacks to Make for the Trail
  • What to Wear Hiking in Warm Weather
  • What to Wear Hiking in Cold Weather
  • Hiking Etiquette 101
  • Top 5 Tips for Visting National Parks
  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Never Hike
  • Our Trip Recaps
  • 6 Tips for Outdoor Enthusiasts to Help Keep Invasive Pests from Spreading
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Hi! We're Scott & Whitney. Together we changed our life through clean eating and weight training and now we share our healthy recipes, workouts, and tips and tricks with you! We also take you on our adventures from hiking and backpacking to skiing. Read more here.

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