HIKES ON THE QUIET WEST SIDE:
Affectionately called "the quiet side" by many locals, the section of Mount Desert Island west of Somes Sound is less visited by the masses, but there are still several great hikes and peaks to be found here. Landmarks include the iconic Bass Harbor Head Light (lighthouse), the Beech Mountain lookout tower, and the park's namesake peak: Acadia Mountain.
ACADIA MOUNTAIN
Moderately strenuous day hike.
While the tallest and most majestic peaks are on the popular east side of Mount Desert Island, many good peak hikes can be found west of Somes Sound on the "quiet side" of the island. Located along Route 102 by Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain is a great little hike that leads to a majestic view into Somes Sound with the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
ST. SAUVEUR MOUNTAIN (and Valley Peak)
Moderately strenuous day hike.
Just south of Acadia Mountain, St. Sauveur Mountain is a larger formation that makes for a pleasant and not-too-strenuous day hike. While the actual summit of St. Sauveur Mountain doesn't offer a view as it is relatively flat and buried in trees, continuing both north and/or south on the Valley Peak Trail offers up stunning views of Somes Sound and the surrounding areas.
FLYING MOUNTAIN (and Valley Cove/Valley Peak Loop)
Fairly strenuous day hike.
Located in the same pantheon as Acadia Mountain and St. Sauveur Mountain, Flying Mountain is the shortest labeled peak in Acadia National Park. Despite its comparatively small size, a hike up Flying Mountain offers terrific views from the top of the peak and also leads to Valley Cove, a lovely secluded section of shoreline that entices people to dip their feet and relax.
BASS HARBOR HEAD LIGHT (Lighthouse)
Short and easy family stroll.
Constructed in 1876, the Bass Harbor Head Light is one of the most famous landmarks of Acadia National Park and is arguably the most iconic and photographed lighthouse in all of Maine. The lighthouse is located at the southernmost tip of Mount Desert Island just south of the town of Bass Harbor and close to the nearby family-friendly Wonderland and Ship Harbor Trails.
WONDERLAND TRAIL
Short and easy family stroll.
Located near the town of Bass Harbor on the southern tip of the quiet side, Wonderland and the Ship Harbor Trail are a pair of family-friendly strolls that lead toward interesting spots along the ocean. The Wonderland Trail follows an old gravel road to an interesting coastal outcropping where children and adults alike enjoy searching for life in the various tide pools.
SHIP HARBOR TRAIL
Short and easy family stroll.
Located near the town of Bass Harbor on the southern tip of the quiet side, Wonderland and the Ship Harbor Trail are a pair of family-friendly strolls that lead toward interesting spots along the ocean. The Ship Harbor Trail heads leads to a section of coastline where faults in the sheets of granite create numerous tide pools that are fun for children and adults alike to explore.
BEECH CLIFF TRAIL (Beech Cliff Loop, Canada Cliffs Trail)
Fairly strenuous and exposed day hike.
Located on the southwest shore of Echo Lake, the Beech Cliff Trail is one of Acadia National Park's classic "iron rung" routes. This clever trail has a series of ladders that take hikers up through some of the most interesting and vertical cliff formations in the park. Continue along the Beech Cliff Loop for more impressive views from the top of the cliffs.
BEECH MOUNTAIN (Beech Mountain Loop, Valley Trail)
Moderately strenuous day hike.
Beech Mountain is the prominent peak located between Long Pond and Echo Lake that has several tall ridgelines and cliffs descending to the east. Two fun little loop hike options include the short-but-sweet Beech Mountain Trail and the slightly longer Beech Mountain Valley Trail to South Ridge Trail. Both hikes top out at one of Acadia's famous landmarks, the Beech Mountain fire tower.
BEECH MOUNTAIN via WEST RIDGE TRAIL
Moderately strenuous day hike.
Beech Mountain is the prominent peak located between Long Pond and Echo Lake that has several tall ridgelines and cliffs descending to the east. The West Ridge Trail is an interesting loop hike option that starts on the southern shore of Long Pond and heads up the southwestern side of Beech Mountain to top out at one of Acadia's famous landmarks, the Beech Mountain fire tower.
MANSELL MOUNTAIN via PERPENDICULAR TRAIL
Fairly strenuous day hike.
Located just west of Long Pond, Mansell Mountain and Bernard Mountain (collectively known as "Western Mountain") have several trails leading up to their peaks. The most interesting is the Perpendicular Trail, a steep and dramatic route made of many precisely-positioned stone steps that work their way up a steep boulder field to the top of Mansell Mountain.
RAZORBACK TRAIL (Mansell Mountain, Knight Nubble)
Fairly strenuous day hike.
There are an overwhelming number of interconnected hiking trails in the Western Mountain pantheon, and while they are all pleasant, the mostly forested scenery is fairly mellow. The Razorback Trail, however, is one of the more stunning stretches of trail that follows an exposed granite ridgeline along the southwest side of Mansell Mountain.
BERNARD MOUNTAIN TRAIL (and West Ledge Trail)
Moderately strenuous day hike.
Located on the southwest side of Mount Desert Island near Seal Cove, Bernard Mountain is probably the most remote and least-visited peak in Acadia National Park. Hiking up the Bernard Mountain Trail and then back down the Sluiceway Trail makes for a nice loop that takes you to the summit of Bernard Mountain and its smaller sub-peak, Knight Nubble.
LONG POND TRAIL and GREAT NOTCH TRAIL
Moderately strenuous day hike.
Long Pond is yet another beautiful glacier-carved north/south body of fresh water. While much of the northern portion of this huge pond is private property, the southern and western portion fall within NPS land and Long Pond Trail allows hikers to stroll along the pleasant shoreline and do a loop hike with the Great Notch Trail between Mansell and Bernard Mountains.
INDIAN POINT BLAGDEN PRESERVE
Fairly easy family-friendly hike.
Located on the remote northwest coastline of Mount Desert Island, Indian Point Blagden Preserve is a 110-acre preserve that was donated to the Nature Conservancy in 1968 by the Blagden family. A 2.5-mile hike (round-trip) through a lovely mature forest leads to the rocky shore looking out at the mellow Western Bay of the Mt. Desert Narrows.
