Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Adventures On Foot
Hiking & Walking
For details on hikes in Acadia National Park, see the special
Acadia section at the beginning of this chapter.
Bar Harbor Shore Path, Bar Harbor
: For more than a cen-
tury the Shore Path in Bar Harbor has attracted strollers to spend a lei-
surely afternoon or evening by the sea. Stretching nearly a mile from the
municipal pier to Hancock Street, the easy walkway is maintained by the
Village Improvement Association and remains open through the generos-
ity of business and private land owners.
Sights along the way include Balance Rock, an egg-shaped boulder
perched on ocean side ledges, and Grant's Park, with its sweeping lawn
reaching to the edge of the sea. Offshore lobster boats and sail boat ply
the waters of Frenchman Bay. There is no better place to view the ocean-
going cruise ships calling at Bar Harbor. Walkers can do the path as an
out-and-back route or take Wyman Lane at the south end back west to-
ward Main Street and walk back to the start through the village.
Black Mountain, T-10 SD
: Located in the Donnell Pond Public Reserve
lot, Black Mountain offers everything its sister hills in nearby Acadia do
- except the high number of hikers.
Begin by driving to the clearly marked trail by taking the first dirt road
on the left after crossing the old railroad tracks on Route 183 in Sullivan.
A signboard contains a good map of the area. The trail begins a steep as-
cent through thick aromatic woods with only intermittent views. As it
levels off on the top, stay right. The left trail leads back down to Donnell
Pond. By heading right you stay fairly level before heading down to a
small hidden waterbody, Wizard Pond. The trail goes back up the other
side to the true summit at 1,094. Total elevation gain is about 800 feet;
distance is roughly two miles.
The view from the top of Black runs 360° with spectacular glimpses of
Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park to the south. Strenuous.
Blue Hill, Blue Hill
: Looming over the village that is its namesake,
Blue Hill sports a moderate hike to its 935-foot summit. The trail begins
in a parking area marked “Fire Tower Trail,” just off the Mountain Road.
The path heads northwest through open blueberry fields and stands of
hardwood. It then hooks around to the east and passes through stands of
softwoods before reaching the summit with its fire tower and radio anten-
nas after about a mile, total. There are good views all around, including
