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 3100 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 1530 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.
SCHOODIC HEAD TRAIL
Length: .7 mile, one way
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Strenuous with plenty of rocks and roots on the trail
The trailhead for Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Head Trail is located a half mile down Blueberry Hill Road, a dirt road off of the main Schoodic Loop Road on the west side of the Schoodic Peninsula. There is no parking area, and the road isn’t wide enough to park on the shoulder, but if you continue another tenth of a mile there is parking at the end of the road. (No RVs or vehicles with trailers are allowed on this road.)
The Schoodic Head Trail runs from Blueberry Hill Road to the summit of Schoodic Head, a small mountain. It begins at an elevation of 70 feet and ends at 442 feet, a climb of approximately 375 feet in .7 mile. This equates to an average grade of 10%, which on its face isn’t bad at all. However, short stretches have grades that run as high as 60%, and grades of 30-40% are not uncommon.
While steep grades make for a good workout, it’s rocks and roots that make a trail treacherous, and the Schoodic Head Trail has plenty. I highly recommend hiking poles if you have them. At the lower elevations you must deal with roots, some the size of Burmese pythons, but starting a third of the way up there are plenty of rocks. At one point it looked like a rockslide came through, which is probably the truth.
Towards the top, the trail often traverses slabs of granite, so it’s like hiking up a steep driveway. On the way down I had a few instances where my feet nearly slipped out from under me.
There are points where the trail completely disappears, so it is important to understand how the route is marked. Blue paint splotches called blazes 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 at all, cairns are 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 was constantly asking myself, “Is this a trail?” and then I’d see a blue blaze on a tree. However, in most cases there is only one obvious way to go, so you can’t get lost despite the fact that you feel like you are lost the entire time. If there are two ways to go, look for the blazes or cairns. If that doesn’t work, you’ll find that the wrong routes have been blocked off somehow, often with fallen trees and limbs. If that’s the case, turn around and try another option.
At some of the steeper sections, the National Park Service has actually built staircases out of rocks.
It is a half mile to the intersection with the Anvil Trail. To reach the summit, follow the directional signs towards Schoodic Head and Schoodic Woods. There is another intersection just up ahead, so follow the same directions.
The Schoodic Head summit is marked with a sign stating its elevation (442 feet). This is also the southern terminus for the Buck Cove Mountain Trail that begins at the Schoodic Woods Campground, passing Buck Cove Mountain on the way.
There are no views at the summit, but if you follow the directional sign to the Overlook you will be rewarded with some great views of Buck Cove to the east and numerous islands to the west. The overlook is approximately 100 yards from the summit.
Panoramic view of Buck Cove from the top of Schoodic Head in Acadia National Park (click to enlarge)
When done, you can head back down to the parking lot the same way that you came, or make a loop hike around the area using the Anvil Trail, Alder Trail, and a short section of Schoodic Loop Road. To hike the loop, return to the intersection with the Anvil Trail and take it back down the mountain to the road. From there, turn right and walk a tenth of a mile to the Alder Trail. This is an easy trail that leads back to the parking area on Blueberry Hill Road. The round trip hike is 2.6 miles.
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Last updated on August 29, 2023