
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.
PRECIPICE TRAIL LOOP HIKE
Length: 2.9-mile loop (Precipice-Champlain North Ridge, Orange and Black-Schooner Head-Murphy’s Lane)
Time: 2 hours, not counting stops
Difficulty: Arduous (had to come up with a new category for this one)
The Precipice Trail is a one-way trail to the top of Acadia National Park’s Champlain Mountain. It is one of the main hiking attractions for just about anyone who can walk—in shape or not—at Acadia National Park. The enticing tales of danger seem to draw everyone from serious hikers to completely unprepared curiosity seekers. While most everyone gets to the top regardless of age, weight, and general unpreparedness—if there is a will, there is a way—serious injuries are not uncommon. However, deaths are rare, which surprises me based on the people I saw trying to hike the trail. The last person to die was a female college student who fell in 2012.
A warning sign placed at the trailhead reads:
Think twice before climbing the Precipice Trail—one of Acadia’s steepest and most challenging hiking trails. The nearly vertical 0.9-mile trail to the summit of Champlain Mountain is recommended for physically fit, experienced hikers who do not fear heights. Hikers must be able to climb iron rungs and ladders on sheer, exposed cliffs. The trail is not suitable for small children, and dogs are prohibited. Serious injuries and fatalities have occurred on this trail.
I’ve hiked just about every major trail within a National Park on the east coast, and suffice to say, the Precipice Trail is as difficult as claimed. This is essentially mountain climbing for those who don’t have mountain climbing equipment—rungs and ladders are already built into the mountain walls. The trail has an average grade of 20%. There are short vertical sections with grades that approach infinity, and grades of 30%+ are common on the non-cliff segments of the trail.
The Precipice Trail is meant to be hiked in the ascending direction only, as it is way too dangerous to come down—just imagine tripping while walking up a staircase versus walking down one. Furthermore, it is simply not wide enough to handle two-way traffic. With that in mind, you’ll need to figure out another way down by hiking additional trails. The quickest way is to take the Champlain North Ridge Trail to the Orange and Black Path, then hike down to the Park Loop Road and walk back to the parking lot, a 1.3-mile hike. A longer route, at 3.8 miles, is to take the Champlain South Ridge Trail to the Bowl Trail, then hike down to the road and back to the parking lot.
I did something a little different. I took the Champlain North Ridge Trail to the Orange and Black Path, but instead of stopping at the Park Loop Road, I continued to the Schooner Head Path, an easy trail that runs north to south parallel to the Park Loop Road and right next to Schooner Head Road. After a half mile I turned onto Murphy’s Lane, another easy trail that dead ends at the Park Loop Road almost directly at the Precipice Trail parking lot. Total distance is 2.9 miles. I did this just to check off two more trails from my Acadia National Park trail list.
The Precipice Trail parking lot only holds about two dozen vehicles, so it is likely to be full. You can park along the Park Loop Road in the right-hand lane, but by mid-day you may be a half mile down the road. I arrived at 8:30 AM on the Saturday before Labor Day weekend and had to park on the road, but just outside the parking lot. When I returned at 2 PM, cars were parked for a quarter mile in either direction. An alternative is to take the free Island Explorer Shuttle Bus, which stops directly at the parking lot. It runs from late June through Columbus Day.
If you typically use hiking poles, do not bring them with you unless you have some place to securely pack them away. You will not be able to use them on the rungs and ladders, as well as on sections where you must scramble over rocks. It is very difficult and dangerous to climb with the poles in your hand.
If you aren’t scared off by the warning sign at the trailhead, it’s time to begin. The first quarter mile of the Precipice Trail is difficult, but no more so than any other trail in Acadia National Park. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that the talk of peril is all hype.
A quarter mile into the hike, the trail looks like a rockslide hit it—which it probably did. The route is marked with blue paint splotches called blazes that are either painted on the rocks or on the trees. These function as Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs, so when in doubt as to which way to go, look for the blazes. In areas where there are no trees, cairns are also used to mark the trail. These are distinct piles of rocks placed on barren surfaces. You typically can see from one blaze or cairn to the next, and if not, you should see one within a few minutes of hiking if you are going in the right direction.
I almost had to turn around when I reached the first set of rungs. The bottom rung is designed for your foot, but it’s quite far off the ground (I suppose to weed out kids). When I tried to get my foot up onto it I got a cramp in my butt—quite embarrassing to have to turn around at the first obstacle. I ended up grabbing the top rung and lifting my body off the ground until I could place my foot properly. Joking aside, when the warning sign stated that no children should be climbing the trail, short people will also have great difficulty due to situations like this one.
I brought hiking poles with me, but they quickly become a burden and I put them in my backpack. If you have them, be sure to bring them because they will be useful on the other trails, but not so much on the Precipice Trail. If you aren’t climbing a cliff, you’re hiking on rock, and there are often no crevices in which to place the tips of the poles. I did see some hikers with rubber tips on theirs, but I did not have any since I rarely hike on such terrain.
Ten minutes later the trail comes to another rockslide—you just have to climb up the boulders.
The cliffs begin once you get past the boulder field. While scary, I found this to be the easiest part of the hike. It’s the jumping from one boulder to the next that’s difficult for me because of my knees. Climbing ladders and rungs is easy as long as you aren’t afraid of heights or holding a cell phone in one hand (as I saw one girl attempt to do on the similar Beehive Trail).
You do get some nice views on the way up, but in truth, the fun of hiking the trail is the challenge. If you just want a nice view, hike to the top of Champlain Mountain on the Orange and Black Path, a difficult hike, no doubt, but not one where you are climbing the side of a mountain (note that the Orange and Black Path is also closed for falcon nesting season).
At .4 mile into the hike is the intersection with the southern end of the Orange and Black Path. If you’ve had enough, you can immediately return to the parking lot via this trail. It runs parallel to the mountain top for a half mile before heading down to the Park Loop Road. If you are ready to continue on the Precipice Trail, proceed up the stone staircase. It is a half mile to the top from here.
Start of the second half of the Precipice Trail at the intersection with the Orange and Black Path, Acadia National Park
Words can’t describe accurately the rest of the hike, so I’ll just leave it to photos to tell the story—and even they can’t accurately depict the angle of ascent and descent. Taking these photos was like taking photos of an airplane flying directly overhead.
Some of the last ladders on Acadia National Park’s Precipice Trail before reaching the top of Champlain Mountain
Once you reach the end of the ladder and rung climbing and find yourself at what appears to be the top of the mountain, you will have some great views, but this is not the summit. There is still a ways to go, including one more ladder to climb.
The summit of Champlain Mountain, and the end of the Precipice Trail, is marked by a post with a number of directional signs attached. The top plaque states the summit elevation, 1,058 feet. There were so many people at the top it was like a summer camp.
View of the Jackson Laboratory, a cancer research center, and Beaver Dam Pond from the top of Champlain Mountain in Acadia National Park
When done enjoying the views, it’s time to head back down. Regardless of your route, it will include a hike on part of the Champlain Mountain Trail—I took the Champlain North Ridge. See the Champlain North Ridge Trail review page here on National Park Planner to read about the next leg of the journey on the Precipice Trail Loop Hike.
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Last updated on August 28, 2023