Parking
Start at the north end of the Echo Lake Beach parking area off ME 102. The lot and beach can be busy on summer days. Seasonal Island Explorer service reaches Echo Lake; check its current timetable before relying on the bus.
Overview
About Beech Cliff Trail
Why go
- Four iron ladders lead to a real cliff-top scramble.
- Granite viewpoints open over Echo Lake, the Cranberry Islands, and Somes Sound.
- Canada Cliffs gives you a gentler way down.
Heads up
- Exposed ladders and cliff edges are a poor fit if heights bother you.
- The Echo Lake lot can be busy in summer.
Beech Cliff is a steep loop above Echo Lake: climb the cliff trail, circle the exposed granite top, then descend through the Canada Cliffs trail system toward the beach lot. The complete mapped circuit is about 2.1 miles, including the walk through the Echo Lake access; some directions give 1.8 miles, so plan for the longer figure. Allow 2 to 4 hours; about three gives you room for the ladders and views. This is a short but strenuous route, not a gentle walk to the water. If ladders or heights are a hard stop, take the short overlook spur at roughly a quarter mile and turn around before the climb.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Acadia alerts
- ClosureSouthern Ocean Path section closed for repairsThe southern section of Ocean Path is closed for repairs from the trailhead across from the Otter Point parking lot to the trail’s southern terminus.Official details
- ClosureSchoodic Mountain Road closed for repairsSchoodic Mountain Road is closed for repairs from Schoodic Loop Road to the summit of Schoodic Head.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
Your drive to Beech Cliff 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.
See the Acadia audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Echo Lake Beach Below Beech Cliff0:00 / 0:31
“Echo Lake Beach is coming up, a small freshwater swimming spot with Beech Cliff rising across the water. I'd choose it for a lake swim rather than a long beach walk; the sandy strip is small.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Beech Mountain’s Airlifted Fire Tower
- Acadia Mountain’s Summit Loop
- Ikes Point on Echo Lake
- Carroll Homestead’s Seafaring Family
- 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 Beech Cliff Trail
Stairs, boulders, and the preview viewThe path leaves the lot through forest, then climbs stone stairs almost right away.
The path leaves the lot through forest, then climbs stone stairs almost right away. It crosses a broad boulder field where the tread can be hard to follow; look for the blue blazes instead of trying to pick a line across the rocks. Around 0.25 mile, a short spur to the right gives you a preview over Echo Lake. Back on the main route, the stairs get steeper, with handrails in places. One low tree grows straight out from the cliff and makes you duck underneath.
Four ladders to the cliff topThe defining stretch is four iron ladders fixed to the sheer rock face.
The defining stretch is four iron ladders fixed to the sheer rock face. The first is about 8 feet tall, the second roughly twice that, and the last two come one after the other. Between them, the trail hugs the base of the cliff; after the final ladder, it's a short climb to the top at about 0.4 mile. Keep three points of contact on the ladders. The drop is real, and the steep rock and height make this a poor fit for young children or anyone unsteady on their feet.
Take the cliff-top loopAt the top, turn right for the roughly 0.4-mile Beech Cliff Loop.
At the top, turn right for the roughly 0.4-mile Beech Cliff Loop. Granite outcrops open views down to Echo Lake and its sandy beach, with the Cranberry Islands and Mount Desert Island's eastern peaks beyond. Farther around, you can see the northern end of Somes Sound. These ledges are very exposed; stay well back from the edge rather than backing toward it for a photo. The loop brings you back to the ladder-trail junction.
Descend by Canada CliffsAt that junction, continue straight onto Canada Cliffs instead of climbing down the ladders…
At that junction, continue straight onto Canada Cliffs instead of climbing down the ladders against people coming up. The return is longer and gentler, winding through forest to the Echo Lake access and back to the parking area. The trail's steepest work is concentrated in the first 0.4 mile; the walk back still has uneven natural tread. Echo Lake Beach sits beside the lot if you want a swim after the hike.
Access and a little historyStart at the north end of the Echo Lake Beach parking area.
Start at the north end of the Echo Lake Beach parking area. Summer parking can be busy, and seasonal Island Explorer service reaches Echo Lake; check its timetable before relying on the bus. A park pass is required, dogs aren't allowed, and peregrine nesting closures sometimes occur between March 15 and August 15, so check signs and current trail status before setting out. The trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and was once called Beech Cliff Ladder Trail—a name that still fits.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Acadia
131 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
21 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
403 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
307 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
205 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.
