Acadia Mountain lies on the less visited western side of Mount Desert Island and was the perfect morning hike before hitting the road to beat the southbound traffic home. After loading up the car with all of our camping gear, we made it to the trailhead around 10:00am. There were still many parking spots, and we all hoped to have a nice quiet hike after the chaos of yesterday’s drive around the park loop.

We hit the trail headed east towards Sommes Sound and we were suddenly transported to a quiet forest paradise. The trail started as a wide, easy path and after a very short amount of time we came across a trail crossing where we went left towards Acadia Mtn. The trail started gaining elevation slowly, and soon turned into a beautifully maintained stone staircase similar to the one we descended from Mansell Mountain just two days before. Both Cawlin and I were amazed by the construction of such a sturdy structure in the wilderness.

Closer to the summit there were a few rock scrambles, but they were manageable for both the on-leash dogs and all of the humans involved. When we reached the summit we were rewarded with beautiful views overlooking the sound and all of the scattered islands leading to the Atlantic Ocean. We could see the rocky shores surrounding Mt. Desert Island and the more popular areas of Acadia scattered with other enthusiastic outdoorsmen and women enjoying the sunny holiday weekend.

After a few minutes of puppy cuddles while enjoying the scenery and some snacks, we decided to return the same way we came up rather than making a loop down toward the sound. It was our fourth day of vacation and we were hoping to hit the road early to get home at a decent hour.

The descent was more of the same, but with the warm, humid weather we were itching for a quick swim to refresh us before the long drive. Luckily Echo Lake, one of the rare bodies of freshwater on the island that allows swimming, was right across the road from where we parked so we stopped for a quick dip in the chilly water before leaving. Even the pups went for a swim to cool off!

This short but sweet hike was the perfect morning adventure before heading home to New Hampshire after a long weekend in Acadia. It was beautiful and quick, but also got our blood pumping and tired out the dogs for the drive. This was an amazing trip full of outdoor adventures, from staying in a quaint yurt to scenic costal hikes. Check out our other Maine hikes as well as our day hiking essentials that we never hit the trail without!

This short but sweet hike was the perfect morning adventure before heading home to New Hampshire after a long weekend in Acadia. It was beautiful and quick, but also got our blood pumping and tired out the dogs for the drive. This was an amazing trip full of outdoor adventures, from staying in a quaint yurt to scenic costal hikes. Check out our other Maine hikes as well as our day hiking essentials that we never hit the trail without!