Bar Harbor / MDI
Acadia National Park
45 miles of carriage roads, summit trails to Cadillac and Champlain, and the coastal paths around Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. The most accessible hiking in Downeast Maine.
Downeast Maine
Hiking Trails
From the carriage roads of Acadia to open headlands on the Bold Coast, Downeast Maine has more hiking worth doing than most visitors realize — and far less competition on the trails once you leave Mount Desert Island.
Full guide in progress — previews below
The full hiking guide is coming — with trail details, difficulty ratings, logistics, and the seasonal notes that make the difference between a good hike and a miserable one. Here’s what we’re covering.
Cutler
The Bold Coast Trail
Open granite headlands dropping straight to the Atlantic, dense spruce forest, and a nine-mile loop that most Maine visitors never find. One of the finest coastal hikes in the Northeast.
Blue Hill
Blue Hill Mountain
Just over 900 feet but with open summit views across Blue Hill Bay, the Camden Hills, and Mount Desert Island. An hour each way. Returns vastly exceed the effort.
Deer Isle / Stonington
Isle au Haut
Remote Acadia — 18 miles of trails on an island accessible only by ferry from Stonington, with day visitor permits limited to protect the experience. Advance booking required.
Lubec
Quoddy Head State Park
Coastal headland paths along the easternmost point in the contiguous US. The bog loop trail through the raised peatland is an underrated short hike worth making time for.
Acadia
Cadillac Mountain South Ridge
The best hiking route to Cadillac's summit — open granite for most of the ascent with views throughout. A worthwhile alternative to the summit road for visitors who want to earn the panorama.
In the meantime
Trail details in our town guides
Each town guide covers its hiking in full — what trails are worth it, how to get there, and what time of year to go. These are the hiking destinations with the most depth.
Bar Harbor
Acadia carriage roads, Cadillac South Ridge, and the Ocean Path along Sand Beach.
Town guideBlue Hill
Blue Hill Mountain — short, rewarding, and uncrowded even in peak season.
Town guideLubec
The Bold Coast Trail in Cutler and the West Quoddy Head headland paths.
Town guide
The Maine Letter
Seasonal Maine, in your inbox
Get seasonal travel ideas, hidden coastal finds, and curated local guides — sent when Maine gives us something worth writing about. No algorithms. No spam. Just the coast.
Sent 4–6 times per yearNo tracking pixelsUnsubscribe any time