Hiking Beech Cliff Trail
Trail Name: Beech Cliff Trail
Location: Acadia National Park
Distance: 1.25 miles (loop)
Elevation gain: 839 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pets: Allowed
It has become a tradition for my husband and I to spend a long weekend camping on Mount Desert Island in late September for my birthday. This September, my parents joined in on our Saturday and Sunday activities. Saturday mostly consisted of walking and eating around downtown Bar Harbor, walking the sand bar path to Bar Island, and showing my parents around our campground. Side note: Mount Desert Campground, where we camp every year is so incredibly breathtaking that I will be dedicating a whole post to it later on.
We all collectively decided to dedicate our Sunday to a small, picturesque hike. Luckily, Acadia National Park has endless amounts of those. We chose to do a hike on the left side of Mount Desert Island to avoid crowds. Beech Cliff Trail was a great option for us because it’s short, has great views, and is enjoyable to all hiking abilities. Finding parking at the Echo Lake Beach Parking Lot was extremely easy. Parking here is a double bonus, because you can leave your swimsuit in the car and go for a nice refreshing swim after your hike at one of the two only sand beaches in Acadia National Park.
There are two options for hiking this trail, because it is a giant loop trail. The first option is to start at the south end of the parking lot and take the Canada Cliffs Trail, which is has a nice gradual ascent to the summit, gradually getting steeper and curvier. Make sure to stay on the Beech Cliff Loop trail, because there will be junctions that will give you the option to take the Beech Mountain Loop Trail or the Valley trail.
The second option is to start at the trailhead at the north end of the parking lot. This will take you up the Beech Cliff Trail, which is filled with steps, iron ladders, and fantastic views of Echo Lake. This option may not be great for small children, those that would have trouble climbing ladders, or those afraid of heights, as the ladders can be quite tall and steep.
As for the descent, you could either go down the same way you came, or try the opposite trail. If you have small children or are afraid of heights, I would recommend taking the Canada Cliffs Trail up and down. Just keep in mind that this trail doesn’t offer much in the way of views.
The summit has an elevation of 839 ft and offers fantastic views of Flying Mountain, Echo Lake, as well as Northeast Harbor. Whether you decide to eat lunch at the summit or down on the beach afterwards, you really can’t lose. After our hike, we decided to take a break on the beach and cool ourselves down by putting our feet in the water.
