Parking
Use the small Blueberry Hill Parking lot on Schoodic Loop Road. The Alder Trail entrance is across the road, reached by a short access lane.
Overview
About Alder Trail
Why go
- Easy grassy walk through old-field habitat
- A good short stop for birding and butterflies
Heads up
- A short, subtle outing; it does not climb Schoodic Head
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Acadia alerts
- CautionAvoid water contact at Sand Beach LagoonDo not swim at Sand Beach Lagoon. - Bacterial levels have exceeded public-health standards, so the NPS has posted a Public Health Advisory.Official details
- ClosureSchoodic Mountain Road closed for repairsSchoodic Mountain Road is closed from Schoodic Loop Road to the summit of Schoodic Head. - The closure began August 31 for resurfacing, regrading, and ditching.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
Your drive to Alder Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Acadia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Blueberry Hill’s Island View0:00 / 0:18
“Blueberry Hill is ahead, a small roadside pullout overlooking Schoodic Island and Little Moose Island. People came here to picnic and pick berries before the historic parking loop was built.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Rockefeller Hall’s Navy Past
- Schoodic Point’s Dark Rock Bands
- Schoodic Head’s Wooded Summit
- East Trail’s Steep Schoodic Climb
- 116 audio storiesacross Acadia’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 142 trails, 72 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…As we drove through Acadia it gave us a tour, which was really cool. Lots of great info about the parks and how to avoid the crowds. It’s a great travel companion!”
Trail guide
Hiking Alder Trail
A short walk for slow lookingAlder Trail is an easy out-and-back on Acadia's Schoodic Peninsula, ending at Ranger Cabin Road.
Alder Trail is an easy out-and-back on Acadia's Schoodic Peninsula, ending at Ranger Cabin Road. From Blueberry Hill Parking, plan about 1.5 miles round trip and 45–60 minutes with birding stops. Published figures for the named path range from roughly 0.5 to 0.7 miles and do not all state their distance convention; the lot-to-road route here is about 0.75 mile each way, including the parking-lane access.
Follow the grassy pathStart at Blueberry Hill Parking off Schoodic Loop Road, cross to the trail entrance, and follow…
Start at Blueberry Hill Parking off Schoodic Loop Road, cross to the trail entrance, and follow the short access lane to Alder's grassy path. It runs inland through old farmland vegetation and finishes at Ranger Cabin Road; turn around there. A short continuation along the road reaches the start of the separate Schoodic Head Trail. That rocky climb and summit are a different hike, not part of Alder's route.
Look through the old fieldsThe draw here is the change from rocky coast to old farmland.
The draw here is the change from rocky coast to old farmland. Fruit trees and alder bushes line the path, with pitch pine, cedar, birch, and ash nearby. This is recognized birding habitat, and butterflies are common, though sightings are never guaranteed. Take it slowly and listen as much as you look.
Bring a leashed dogPets are allowed on most Acadia hiking trails.
Pets are allowed on most Acadia hiking trails. Keep dogs on a leash no longer than six feet (two metres).
Wildlife
Wildlife in Acadia
130 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
21 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
396 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
305 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
201 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
34 sightingsMinkMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Acadia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
