NOTE: The following trail review discusses the slope of the trail, which is called a grade. This is not the angle of the slope, but the calculation of rise (climb in elevation) divided by run (length of horizontal progress) expressed as a percentage ((rise/run) x 100). For example, using feet as the unit of measurement, a 10% grade means that a trail climbs 10 feet for every 100 feet in length. Positive grades are inclines and negative grades are declines; National Park Planner uses positive numbers in all cases, but gives a written indication of whether a slope is uphill or downhill. The grade given for an entire trail is an average, so mountainous trails may have sections with extremely steep grades as well as level areas. For reference:
- A wheelchair accessible trail has a grade of no more than +/-5%
- Most recreational trails are designed to be no more than +/-10%, with a steeper segment every now and then
- Most people agree that a +/-15% grade is where things begin to get really steep
- Stairs in a typical house and the steepest ski slopes have a grade of 60%
- A 45º angle is equal to a grade of 100%
- A stepladder has a grade of 260%
- A wall perpendicular to the ground (straight up) has a grade of infinity
To put Acadia National Park mountain trails into perspective, the average grade from the first Nepal base camp to the summit of Mount Everest is 17%, while the average grade from South Col (final camp) to the summit is 60%. Average grades of many trails in Acadia exceed Everest’s 17%, and short stretches go way beyond 60%. The difference, aside from ice and snow, is that the 60% grade of the South Col to Everest summit hike covers 3,100 vertical feet and lasts for a mile, whereas a 60% grade at Acadia may last a few hundred feet. The tallest mountain in Acadia is only 1, 530 feet, so even if the grade was 60% from bottom to top, the hike would still only be half as long as the Everest summit hike.
BEECH MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Length: 1.2-mile loop
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Strenuous
Beech Mountain is located on the west side of Acadia National Park’s Mount Desert Island at the end of Beech Hill Road. A loop hike to the summit can be made on the Beech Mountain Trail, one of the very few true loop trails in the park (most loops are formed by combining multiple trails). At the summit is a fire tower and views of Echo Lake to the east and Long Pond to the west.
The parking lot at the end of Beech Hill Road serves three trails: Beech Cliff Trail, Valley Trail, and the Beech Mountain Trail. The lot holds roughly two dozen vehicles, and once it’s filled up there’s nowhere else to park. The road itself has no shoulder and is instead lined with gullies. It was nearly fully when I did the hike on the Tuesday before Labor Day around 11 AM, so I can’t imagine there being any spaces on the weekend except early in the morning.
Because the Beech Mountain Trail is a loop trail, there are two ways to the top. The quickest way—hiking in the clockwise direction—climbs 365 feet in .4 mile, an average grade of 17.25%, making it as steep as just about any trail in Acadia National Park. Its only saving grace is that it is short. The counterclockwise route climbs to the same elevation, but takes .7 mile to do so, an average grade of 10%. Keep in mind that these are averages and that some segments reach grades of up to 40%, and 20% grades are common on both routes.
The Beech Mountain Trail begins near the restroom in the parking lot and proceeds down a gravel trail for less than a tenth of a mile before coming to where the loop starts. While I would prefer to hike up the steepest part of the mountain and come down on the easier side due to safety—just imagine tripping while walking up a staircase versus walking down one—and the desire to lessen the pounding that my knees have to take, I wasn’t doing much thinking at the time and ended up hiking in the counterclockwise direction (right at the fork), the easier way up. I will describe the hike in this direction since that’s the way I went, but I suggest that you hike in the clockwise direction by taking a left.
The first third of a mile is up a gradual incline on a rather smooth surface. After that it gets much rockier, but at least the rocks are small enough to step over, not boulders that you must pull yourself up and over.
As you approach the half-mile point, the trail becomes more and more rockier until you eventually have to start scrambling over some fairly sizable boulders. About this same time you will reach a granite ledge with great views of Long Pond. Unfortunately, it was foggy when I did the hike, but as a tourist I didn’t have the choice of waiting for sun-shiny days. If you have control over your schedule, never hike any of the mountain summit trails in Acadia National Park unless there is a clear, blue sky. The views from the top are the main reason to do the hikes.
In another tenth of a mile is the intersection with the West Ridge Trail. Stay to the left to remain on the Beech Mountain Trail. The summit is just a tenth of a mile away.
The trail is very rocky and steep for the last tenth of a mile before the summit. In fact, the final stretch is up some stone stairs.
On most mountains in Acadia National Park, the summit is marked with a sign that states the elevation—I did not see one here. However, I am nearly positive that the Fire Tower marks the summit, so head over to it. There has been a fire tower on this spot since 1941, though the current structure is a 1962 replacement for the original wooden tower. It has not been manned by park Rangers since 1976, and it is rarely open to the public. You can climb up to the first landing, but you can’t get to the top. By the time I arrived the entire area was fogged in, so I couldn’t see a thing as far as scenery was concerned.
When ready to continue the hike, climb back down the hunk of granite that the tower sits on and look for a trail sign. One plaque indicates that the Beech Mountain Parking Area is .4 mile and another indicates that it is .7 mile. You want to head in the .4-mile direction (the other direction is back the way you came).
The hike down Beech Mountain begins across a large sheet of granite. It’s like hiking down a steep driveway, and if the rocks were wet they’d be extremely slippery. There was one point where I had to sit down and slide on my butt. This got me to thinking that maybe I had done the hike in the wrong direction, because I certainly didn’t recall anything like this on the way up.
Not too much farther along I knew that the counterclockwise direction was much more strenuous. The grades on the last three-tenths of a mile rarely fall below 20%. A local couple passed me on their way up and confirmed that hiking to the summit on the short .4-mile segment is definitely the way to go.
Steep section of the Beech Mountain Trail on the east side of Beech Mountain in Acadia National Park
As I said earlier, the only saving grace of the hike down the steep side of Beech Mountain is that it is short. The 20%+ grades last all the way back to the start of the loop. At that point, take a right to return to the parking lot.
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Last updated on August 11, 2023