The view from the summit of Acadia Mountain is among the best in park. Overlooking the Somos Sound, the rocky top of the mountain provides unobstructed view up and down the sound. There are several trail options that lead to to summit of Acadia Mountain all of which are relatively easy hikes. The most heavily traveled is the Acadia Mountain trail, but there is a loop that will also cover the peak of Saint Sauveur Mountain.
Location:
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Acadia National Park, Maine
The trail head is off Park Loop Road which is a one-way road headed south from HWY 3. There is a small parking lot on the right-hand side of the road. Because the parking lot is small, it fills up quickly. When the lot is full, people just park on the side of the road which is allowed near the trail head. There are no restrooms or places to get water near the trail head so plan accordingly. |
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The Hike:
There are several ways to the summit of Acadia mountain. To avoid a out and back hike, there are two main loop options. The first loop uses the Acadia Mountain Trail and the Man O' War Book Trail. The second loop option uses the Saint Sauveur Mountain Trail and the Acadia Mountain Trail. For our hike we opted to use the St. Sauveur Mt. Trail to reach the summit of St. Sauveur Mountain before hiking over to Acadia Mountain. From the Acadia Mountain trail head, the Acadia Mountain Trail goes left and the St. Sauveur Trail continues straight. The trail smoothly winds through some low woods before starting to ascend. Overall the 1.2 mile trail is very easy and the ascent is not too steep. From the summit of the mountain, follow the Valley Peak Trail to the left to head toward Acadia Mountain. The view from the summit if St. Sauveur Mountain is somewhat obstructed and there are no clear views of the Somos Sound until leaving the summit and hiking down the Valley Peak Trail.
Valley Peak Trail provides some beautiful views of the sound before dipping back down descending St. Sauveur Mountain. The Valley Peak Trail descends very quickly down a rocky trail toward the valley floor. The steep descent is a little precarious because a good portion of the trail is no more than large rocks forming natural stairs. After descending, the Valley Peak Trail starts its steep ascent to the summit of Acaida Mountain. The ascending trail is basically rock stairs that climb over 600ft in elevation over the last half mile of the valley peak trail. Over all the hike between the peaks is around one and a half miles. From the summit of Acadia Mountain we followed the Acadia Mountain Trail back to the parking lot.
The views from Acadia Mountain are amazing. You can see up and down the Somos Sound. Large rocks provide lots of great places to sit and take in the view. From the summit, follow the Acadia Mountain Trail back to the trail head. The Acadia Mountain Trail is an easy hike on a well maintained trail. It does descend quickly, but was not too difficult. From the Summit to the trail head is a little over a half mile. During the hike up to the summit, we saw almost no other hikers. Once on the Valley Peak Trail we did encounter several hikers hiking the opposite direction. Of the three trail, Acadia Mountain Trial was definitely the most crowded. There were hikers traveling in both directions almost continuously during our descent.
Trail Info:
See interactive map for trail locations and general elevation information.
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Acadia Mountain Elevation Plot
-Click To Enlarge- |
Tips:
- Since there are no bathrooms or water source at the trail head, stopping at Echo Lake is the closets options to use the restroom and get water before the hike.
- Bring snacks and water for the hike.
- Allow 2-3 hours for the hike unless you plan on hiking very quickly.
Pictures:
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Questions/Comments:
The Crew:
Mark, Matt, and Sean