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This year, I am going to be sharing my two favorite Acadia National Park trails for the ages 8 and older crew!!
If looking for trail recommendations for younger kiddos, check out my Best Family-Friendly Trails Revealed & Explore More Kid-Friendly Trails blogs where I share our family favorite trails throughout Acadia National Park.
As always, before we head into the trail recommendations, here are some essential items that are ALWAYS in our backpacks in Acadia National Park:
- A good trail map
- First Aid Kit
- Bug Spray and Sunscreen
- Compass
- Headlamp
My daughter also carries her own Camelbek Hydration Backpack and has her own pair of hiking poles and an emergency whistle.
As always, plan to start hiking these trails by 9am or after 2pm to ensure you can grab a parking spot. Want to avoid the parking lot scramble all together? Good news! The Island Explorer bus makes stops at both of the trailhead locations.
Another reminder: Always be on the lookout for trail markers! On our hike of Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak, storm damage got us a bit turned around and we spent a couple of minutes trying to locate a trail marker to figure out our direction.
AND…on our hike of the Beech Cliff trail, we did spot a family who had wandered off the trail while thinking they were actually on the trail. We asked if they were looking for the Beech Cliff trail and they said yes so we were able to redirect them back onto the trail.
For your safety, and the safety of others in your party, always, always, always, keep registering those trail markers as you move through your hikes! If you haven’t seen one in a while, don’t be afraid to stop your hike and look for one!
List of Recommended Trails for the ages 8 and older crew
Parkman Mountain to Bald Peak:
This 2.5 mile hike was a perfect challenge for my daughter. If you have been following along with us, you know that we love to hike and my daughter has been wanting to try some harder trails. And thanks to a recommendation from Jill of the Outdoor Movement Project, this was a perfect trail to give her that! I wish I could have recorded her excitement when we reached the top of Bald Peak. She was so proud of herself!
Ok, let’s dive into trail-specifics…
Head to the Parkman Mountain parking lot in Northeast Harbor to find the trailhead. This can often be confused with the Brown Mountain Carriage House parking lot as the parking lots are close together. You will want the more inland lot labeled “Parkman Mountain”.
You will find a bathroom here too.
Head off on your hike by taking a right onto the carriage trail from the parking lot. When you come to sign post #13, take a left. Make another left at sign post #12. You will now be looking for the Parkman Mountain Trail and it will be shortly up ahead on your left. After you hike .1 mile, you will cross over another carriage road and begin your 1.1 mile hike to Parkman Mountain.
As we were climbing, my husband and I both commented that we really liked the complimentary-ness of the trail; steeper climbs were rewarded with flat sections throughout our ascent. This type of climb made it appropriately challenging for our daughter.
And the views…absolutely breathtaking! The east-facing views made for wonderful photos of Frenchman’s Bay and all the islands!
Once you reach Parkman Mountain, double back the .1 mile and head over to Bald Peak. While both peaks offer fabulous views, we preferred our lunch break on Bald Peak.
For your descent, make your way down Bald Peak Trail for .5 miles where you will end on a carriage trail. Follow the carriage trail to sign post #12 and continue to straight to sign post #13. Make a final left turn there and you will find yourself back at the Parkman Mountain parking lot.
Beech Cliff Trail:
The trailhead for this 1.4 mile THRILLER can be found at the Echo Lake parking lot. With some serious steep climbs, including 4 ladder sections, that will test your fears if you are not a fan of heights (like me), a reward of great views will be waiting for you at the top!
The trailhead for the Beech Cliff Trail is located at the far end of the parking lot. Bathrooms and a water bottle filling station are located down at the Echo Lake beach area.
The trail to the summit is a short (.4 miles) but STEEP trail with lots of warnings regarding falling rocks and ladder portions. Our daughter, again, was a CHAMPION hiker. She tackled the ladder portions of these trails with cautious curiosity, bravery that comes from being young, and even helped guide me by calling out spots where I should put my hands and feet.
Once at the tops, the views are pretty spectacular. I love the perspective of seeing Echo Lake from the top of Beech cliff and Beech cliff while swimming at Echo Lake. I don’t think I will ever grow tired of that!
While it is NOT advised to take Beech Cliff trail down, we did see a couple doing that (which was NUTS!). The preferred route, and the one we took for our descent, is the Canada Cliffs Trails. It is a nice slow descent that meanders down the Canada Cliffs.
Once done hiking, I highly recommend packing a swimsuit and towel so you and group can take a refreshing dip in Echo Lake. And don’t forget to look up and admire the Beech Cliff climb you just did!
Looking for more on Acadia National Park? Be sure to check out all my other blogs in my Acadia Series and where we stay:
Gear & Must-Haves for Adventuring in Acadia National Park
Rainy Day Activities on Mount Desert Island
Acadia National Park Itineraries
Top Beach Recommendations on Mount Desert Island
AND…for more on our ALL of our adventures around New England, check out my posts on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you for reading this blog on The Wandering Chickadee!
~Natalie
So glad you and your daughter enjoyed Parkman Mountain!!