There are seven hiking trails on the Schoodic Peninsula, the only unit of Acadia National Park located on the mainland. Two start near the Schoodic Woods Campground at the northwestern end of the park, four are located at the south end near Schoodic Head (a small mountain), and one is located on Moose Island at the Schoodic Education and Research Center.
I only hiked the four trails at Schoodic Head. Three of them—the Schoodic Head, Alder, and Anvil trails—can be hiked together to form a 2.6-mile loop, which includes a stop at the Schoodic Head summit. If you can handle an extremely difficult hike, I highly recommend the trip.
I also hiked the East Trail, the most strenuous of the Schoodic Head trails. While this leads to the summit as well, unless you just want to check it off of your list of trails to hike, I suggest skipping it and hiking the loop using the other trails. You can still hike the loop by starting on the East Trail, but you’ll have to hike out-and-back on it in addition to the loop, which adds an extra mile.
If you don’t have a trail map, you can pick one up at the campground or the Rockefeller Welcome Center on Moose Island.
The following is a list of the trails on the Schoodic Peninsula (distances are one way):
Alder Trail (.6 mile)
Schoodic Head area
Anvil Trail (1.1 miles)
Schoodic Head area
Buck Cove Mountain Trail (3.2 miles)
Campground area
East Trail (.5 mile)
Schoodic Head area
Lower Harbor Trail (1.5 miles)
Campground area
Schoodic Head Trail (.6 mile)
Schoodic Head area
Sundew Trail (.7 mile)
Schoodic Education and Research Center area
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Last updated on August 30, 2023



