Schoodic Mountain was my absolute favorite hiking spot in Downeast Maine during the summer of 2019. Located just 10 minutes from my home base of Flanders Bay Cabins, Schoodic Mountain has become a popular “quiet side” hiking destination for those looking for an alternative to the hustle and bustle of the Acadia National Park’s Bar Harbor region.

Difficulty: Moderate. The loop hike is 2.8 miles long and includes a few steep, rock areas but no hand-over-foot climbing, ladders or rungs. There are long stretches of constant, gradual climbing.

How to get there: From Route 1 in Sullivan, turn onto Route 183 (Tunk Lake Road) and drive about 4.5 miles. Take a left onto the gravel Schoodic Beach Road, which is marked by a Donnell Pond Public Lands sign. Follow Schoodic Beach Road for 2.3 miles to the end, where there is a large gravel parking area. The trailhead for Schoodic Mountain Trail is near the outhouse, and the trailhead for Schoodic Beach Trail is at the far end of the parking lot by the kiosk.

Information: Rising 1,069 feet above sea level in eastern Maine, Schoodic Mountain is a popular hiking destination. A 2.8-mile loop trail on the mountain travels through a mossy forest filled with boulders and up rocky slopes to the mountain’s bald summit, which offers a 360-degree view of the region. The hike also visits the beautiful, sandy shore of Donnell Pond, a location known as Schoodic Beach.

Schoodic Mountain is located in the state-owned Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land, which is comprised of more than 15,000 acres of remote forestland in Hancock County between the towns of Franklin and Cherryfield. The land unit features several mountains, as well as crystal clear lakes, ponds and brooks. In addition to hiking trail on Schoodic Mountain, the land features trails on Caribou, Black and Tunk mountains, and trails into scenic waterfront day use areas and campsites.

Starting at the parking area at the end of Schoodic Beach Road, the loop hike of Schoodic Mountain can be traveled clockwise or counterclockwise. A trail map on the kiosk at the far end of the parking area will help you map out your hike.

If you decide to hike it clockwise, you’ll start on the Schoodic Mountain Trail, which starts off by traveling gradually uphill through a mossy, mixed forest filled with exposed tree roots and rocks. Early on, the trail travels between two large boulders. If you look around, you’ll notice this area of the forest is filled with these glacial erratics, some of them covered with ferns.

Marked with blue blazes and the occasional rock pile, the trail becomes increasingly steep and rocky then levels off for a stretch before traveling gradually up through a stand of beech trees to come to a trail intersection 0.9 mile from the trailhead. At the intersection continue straight up the mountain to reach the summit in about 0.4 mile.

The wide open summit of the mountain features a fenced-off communications tower and countless places to sit and enjoy the views. In addition to the natural features of the region, the views include an interesting perspective of the Down East Sunrise Trail, a wide, gravel multi-use trail, as well as a line of wind turbines in the distance. Schoodic Bog, area lakes and ponds, and the mountainous profile of Mount Desert Island can also be easily seen from the summit.

Cruise ship visiting Bar Harbor in the distance

From the summit, backtrack to the trail intersection and turn left to descend the mountain on a 0.6-mile trail that leads to Schoodic Beach. This trail is fairly steep in places, so watch your step. Near the shore of Donnell Pond, the trail levels off and widens before crossing a footbridge over a brook and ending at a campsite by the beach.

As I descended the mountain on my 7/21/19 hike, I encountered an adult black bear foraging just a few yards off the trails path. Fortunately for me, my presence startled her and she quickly scurried off into a thicker strand of trees. Needless to say, the remaining few hundred yards down the mountain to the beach was traversed on high alert!

At the beach is a kiosk displaying a trail map that you can use to get your bearings. Not far from the kiosk is the Schoodic Beach Trail, which leads gradually uphill to the parking lot in 0.5 mile. Most of this trail, which travels through a mossy, mixed forest, is wide and smooth. (Be sure not to turn east onto Black Mountain Cliffs Trail, which spurs off the Schoodic Beach Trail near the beach to travel up Black Mountain.)

Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land is open year round, though the access roads may not be plowed in the winter. Admission is free. Dogs are permitted if under control at all times, and dogs must be on leash while at the beaches and campsites.

For a trail map, visit www.maine.gov/doc/parks/maps/donnellpond.pdf. For information, call the Eastern Public Lands Office at 207-941-4412.