If you’ve never been to Acadia National Park, you’re in for a treat! It’s New England’s ONLY national park, and it’s got a bit of everything! The most-visited area of the park is Mount Desert Island, and Park Loop Road in particular is jam-packed with incredible short day hikes with great views. These are 8 of the best short hikes there that can be fit into a 2-day visit if you’re hoping to see as much as possible in a short period of time.
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1. North Bubble Trail
This short but rewarding trail is 0.9 miles with 374’ of elevation gain, offering a beautiful overlook of Jordan Pond. This might be our favorite view in the whole park! The trail starts at Bubbles Divide, which splits off toward South Bubble and Bubble Rock.
2. South Bubble/Bubble Rock
Did you even go to Acadia if you didn’t attempt to push Bubble Rock off the cliff? The 1.2-mile South Bubble trail with 300’ of elevation gain leads to Bubble Rock, a 14-ton boulder carried about 30 miles and deposited on the edge of a cliff when the last glacier retreated over 15,000 years ago. Perfect for a photo op and a little geological awe!
3. Cadillac Mountain
Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise from October to March. The North Ridge Trail is a 4.4-mile hike with moderate elevation gain, perfect for those who want a full summit experience. Alternatively, you can drive up Cadillac Summit Road and do the easy 0.5-mile Summit Loop Trail. Vehicle reservations (~$6/car) are required May–October, with 30% of slots available 90 days in advance and 70% released two days prior at 10am ET from recreation.gov. Sunrise spots sell out fast, so plan ahead. If you miss out, sunset is also beautiful!
4. Precipice Loop
The precipice loop is a 2.1-mile loop with 1,053’ of elevation gain, featuring rungs and ladders on exposed cliffs with stunning ocean views. This is Jordan’s favorite trail in the park. It is recommended to hike up the Precipice Trail and descend via the North Ridge Trail of Champlain Mountain. Be aware that the Precipice Loop trail is closed from April through early August for Peregrine Falcon nesting.
5. Beehive Loop
The Beehive is another ladders and rungs trail that is similar to the Precipice trail, but shorter. This 1.5-mile loop has 508’ of elevation gain, and incredible views of Sand Beach. This is my personal favorite trail in the park! The recommended route is up the Beehive and down the Bowl. Be sure to get there early for this one. If not, you might be waiting in a long line of people at each ladder, which kind of ruins the fun.
6. Ocean Path
You get a chance to walk along the rugged Maine coastline on this 4.5-mile out-and-back trail with 374’ of elevation gain, passing Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Monument Cove, Boulder Beach, Otter Cliff, and Otter Point. You can shorten it to 2.25 miles one-way using the Island Explorer Bus (available May–October).
7. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse
The iconic view of Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse requires just a short walk followed by stairs down to the rocky coast. It’s iconic and beautiful at sunset, but it’s in a completely different area of the park (~45minutes away from everything else on this list), so if you’re short on time, we’d recommend skipping it.
8. Jordan Pond Path
This 3.1-mile flat loop circles Acadia’s deepest (150’) and clearest pond, and is perfect for a scenic stroll. After your hike, stop at Jordan Pond House for popovers! Reservations are recommended!
Acadia National Park is packed with awesome short day hikes with great views, and you can see so much in just a short period of time! We managed to hike all of these trails in just 2 days during late summer, and it was perfect. Acadia is also a fantastic place to catch the fall foliage when the leaves start changing. Keep in mind that some parts of the park close in winter, and certain trails are off-limits during peregrine falcon nesting season.
Most visitors stay in Bar Harbor, a super cute town nearby, but plan ahead, because accommodations fill up fast! This was a bit of a last-minute trip for us, so everything was booked up, and we ended up in a cute Airbnb on a pond about 45min outside the park in Surry, ME which we really enjoyed.
This post focuses on hikes on Mount Desert Island (mostly along Park Loop Road), but there are several other areas of the park that we have not yet explored. On our next trip, we hope to bike the Carriage Roads and take a boat tour to see the Atlantic puffins that nest in the area mid-May to mid-August just outside the park.
Have you been to Acadia National Park? Which trail is YOUR favorite? If not, which one are you doing first?
