Acadia National Park: Wonderland Trail (Blog Hike #166)

Trail: Wonderland Trail

Hike Location: Acadia National Park

Geographic Location: south of Southwest Harbor, ME (44.23376, -68.31994)

Length: 1.4 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Last Hiked: August 2004

Overview: A short, level walk to the rocky pink granite shoreline.

Park Information: http://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=719316
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Southwest Harbor, head south on SR 102.  Take SR 102 for 1 mile to its intersection with SR 102A.  Turn left on SR 102A.  Take SR 102A 4 miles to the signed trailhead for the Wonderland Trail.  Park in the small gravel parking lot on the left side of the road.

The hike: For general information on Acadia National Park, see the Ocean Path hike.  The trail described here is situated on the quieter western section of Mount Desert Island.  While numerous people still hike this trail, you won’t find the massive crowds that populate the region around Bar Harbor.  This trail is best hiked at low tide when the largest portion of the rocks along the ocean is visible and can be walked over.

Start from the left (east) corner of the parking area and pick up the trail, which heads into the woods away from the road.  The trail follows an old gravel road for its entire length, so the walking is very easy on wide, flat trail.  The trail reaches the highest point of its journey in 0.2 miles and begins descending gradually.  The forest consists of scrubby cedars no more than 15 feet high.  The granite bedrock is very close to the surface here, thus precluding the growth of tall, mature, established broadleaf trees.

At 0.7 miles, the trail comes to a small loop that marks the furthest point along the trail.  This loop takes you around a small peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean on all sides.  The trail stays in the forest all the time, but you should certainly take a detour out onto the pink granite rocks that line the side of the ocean.  Just be careful of your footing: since there is no established path down to the ocean, you will have to scramble over some boulders to get to the flat, pink granite bedrock that borders the ocean.

My backpack near the tidal pools

View at end of Wonderland Trail

            Once you get over the boulders, you will see why this is called the Wonderland Trail.  Whereas at most places in Acadia you can see the ocean from high above it, at this point the Atlantic Ocean crashes onto the bedrock only feet away from you.  At low tide, you can see the tidal pools just inland from the ocean itself.  Tidal pools are small, shallow ponds of sea water on top of the bedrock that have been left behind by the receding tide.  Look for seaweed and other ocean life in the tidal pools, and realize that you are standing in an area that will be underwater the next time the tide rolls in, which is only a few hours away.  After taking in the scenery in the Wonderland, retrace your steps along the gravel trail back to your car to complete the hike.