Including Sargent Mtn National Recreation Trail and Dorr Mtn National Recreation Trail.
September 29 – October 4, 2023
Sept 29 – Acadia! So much fun. On my way to Blackwoods Campground – which I highly recommend as it is within the park and has trails leading to Cadillac Mtn and Thunder Hole/Sandy Beach – I stopped by the Visitor Center to get my park stamp. The building was so crowded! I was able to avoid crowds most of the rest of my visit though (get to the trailheads early!).
I set up camp at my spot, then walked to crowded Thunder Hole and Otter Point. I enjoyed my visit, but came back for sunrise a few days later and enjoyed that visit more.
September 30, 2023
Sargent Mountain National Recreation Trail
This NRT was designated in the early 1980s and has since been split into different adjoining trails. Comparing the designation paperwork and accompanying map (thanks to Mike at the NRT site for providing me with that info) with current trail maps, one can see that the old route is now the following adjoining trails:
From the parking area at Jordan Pond, take the Carriage Road on the west side north to Deer Brook Trail. Take a left on DBT, hike up 0.3-mile to Sargent Northwest Trail to the summit of Sargent Mtn. Next, take Penobscot Mtn Trail south over the summit of Penobscot Mtn and down to Spring Trail. Take Spring Trail southeast a few tenths of a mile to the Carriage Road, then take a left and walk a few tenths to complete the loop and go back to the parking area.
I started before sunrise since this area gets crowded quickly and I wanted to be sure I had a parking space. The initial 1.5ish miles was easy, since the carriage road is wide and groomed. The climb started at Deer Brook Trail and got steeper on Sargent Cliffs Trail. The climb didn’t last too long though, and there were nice views over Jordan Pond. Beautiful ledgy bits awaited after the steep climb, and the turning foliage up there made the trek all the more enjoyable. Sargent Mountain has 360-degree views, and since it was barely 7am, I had the peak all to myself.
From the summit of Sargent Mountain, I hiked Penobscot Mtn Trail slightly down to scenic little Sargent Mtn Pond, then back up above treeline to the open and ledgy summit of Penobscot. Soon after arriving, I encountered other early morning hikers, all happy and enjoying their morning. After chatting with them a bit, I continued on my way, heading south and appreciating the lovely views over the ocean and islands. Once at Spring Trail (and below treeline), I turned left and headed down the gnarly scrambles and “interesting” bits until I reached the carriage road. It was an easy hike back to the pond and parking area from there. Total loop mileage was just under five miles.
After my hike, I waited by Jordan Pond House until it opened for lunch. A line started at 10:15 for the 11am opening, and I chatted about travel and hiking with my neighboring line-mates. Once open, the service was fast and friendly, and I was eating a famous popover within ten minutes of being seated.
After my lunch, I did the flat 3-mile hike around Jordan Pond (Jordan Pond Trail). One side is gravel and easy, the other side has a bunch of small boulders to walk over. No big deal for the seasoned northeast hiker, but a lot of casual walkers out there had issues with that section. They made awed comments as I sped along and politely passed them. I’m used to White Mountain trails, so it’s fairly easy for me to move over stuff like that quickly. Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of that section.
October 1, 2023
Cadillac South Ridge Trail to Cadillac Mountain, then Cadillac-Dorr Connector to Dorr Mtn, then Dorr Mountain National Recreation Trail (Schiff and Emery Paths) down to Sieur de Monts.
A short connecting trail to Cadillac South Ridge Trail exists in Blackwoods Campground (where I stayed), so no driving needed. I did not plan to make it up in time for sunrise since I wanted to sleep in a bit; folks I met on the trail coming down said the sunrise had been obscured by Canadian wildfire smoke anyway.
The trail up Cadillac is moderate, and over half of it is over open ledgy bits. Beautiful hike. Once on the summit, there is a water fountain and bathrooms, along with a small tourist shop which was not yet open when I arrived.
A paved summit loop trail with info signs winds close to the summit parking area. I walked it, then headed over to Dorr Mountain via the connector trail. It was a ledgy walk down to the col and a steep but short climb up to Dorr – on the way, I met a man who did not have a map and who asked me how to get over to Cadillac. I told him and suggested he take a photo of my map. He had an app, but the app had malfunctioned. Yet another reason to always have a paper map (and compass) on you.
I took the Dorr Mountain National Recreation Trail which, according to a contact at Acadia, now consists of Schiff Path and Emery Path, down to Sieur de Monts. Both Paths were gorgeous and offered plenty of views over the water, harbor, and islands. Great stone steps and stone paths with some dirt trail here and there. Good stuff.
From Sieur de Monts, I took a free shuttle back to Blackwoods Campground. I then cleaned up a bit and took another shuttle into Bar Harbor (not pictured here).
October 2, 2023
Precipice Trail
It’s hard to take great photos of this trail, since one needs both hands to hold onto the rungs and rocks nearly all the time. I did what I could, though.
Got up early and started the day with getting attacked by an owl near my campsite. I was walking back to my site from the campground bathroom at 5:30am when I was punched in the temple by an invisible creature (that’s what it felt like). I shouted some curse words and then my headlamp caught the shape of something the size of an owl flying away. Later, I discovered there was a territorial owl in the vicinity that had attacked someone else the previous evening. It only left minor scratches near my temple (you can’t even see them in my photos), so I slathered some hand sanitizer on the broken skin and continued with my hiking plans. After my hike, I reported the incident to park rangers, and in the afternoon I visited the Bar Harbor ER to make sure I didn’t need shots (I didn’t).
Back to Precipice Trail – it is straight up and gnarly from the get-go and even has two small caves near the bottom. Good stuff. Hand-holds and iron bars are everywhere though, so it is easy to keep three points of contact at all times. There are completely vertical climbs and narrow ledge-walking bits that are no-fall zones, so this is not one to do if you are afraid of heights or if the rocks and bars are even slightly wet. The summit offers spectacular views. Precipice Trail itself offers spectacular views, but you may be too busy concentrating on not falling to notice.
You descend via Champlain North Ridge Trail, which treats you to wonderful views of the water, the islands within the harbor, Bar Harbor, and Cadillac Mtn.
I was the second car in the lot at 6:30am, and when I came back at 8:15 the lot was full and a line of cars had already formed down the street.
Before heading to the ER, I treated myself to a carriage ride. Figured I should, since so much of the park consists of carriage roads. It was a pleasant sixty minutes with informative drivers and friendly co-passengers.
October 3, 2023
Made it back to Thunder Hole for sunrise. Only a few other people and two small groups joined me. Heaven.
Decided to head over to Schoodic Peninsula, a smaller part of Acadia that sees no crowds. It’s an hour and a half or so from the main area, but worth the drive.
October 4, 2023
Went up Acadia Mtn Trail to the summit of Acadia Mountain for sunrise, then came back down the same way and visited nearby Carroll Homestead (an example of a late 1800s/early 1900s settlement).
Went back, broke camp, and headed out.
Had a truly lovely time and did everything I wanted to do. Had fun talking with hikers and outdoors people from all over the country while staying at Blackwoods. Life is good.