Beech Mountain Loop Trail

Beech Mountain Loop Trail is a 1.2-mile circuit from the northwest side of Beech Mountain parking lot to the summit fire tower and back. Most hikers take 1 to 1.5 hours. The park calls it moderate, but the ground asks more of you than the mileage suggests: granite underfoot, steps on the climb, and a steep slabby descent. Choose it for two different outlooks over Long Pond and the east side of Mount Desert Island; skip it if uneven rock or wet granite will make the day uncomfortable.

Start at the trail marker in the northwest corner of the lot. The first stretch climbs gradually through forest, then gets rockier as you gain height. At the first junction, take the right-hand, longer route toward the summit. Around half a mile in, the trees open onto granite slabs with Long Pond below and Mansell Mountain across the water. This is a worthwhile stop even before the tower, and one of the route's best places to see late light. For a photo, include the bare granite at the front of the frame so the pond and mountain have some scale.

About a tenth of a mile beyond the slabs, keep left at the junction for the summit. Granite and wooden steps take you toward the tower; just below it, keep right for the top. From the first platform, the view turns toward Somes Sound, Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and peaks on the island's east side. Tower access can vary with staffing, so treat the granite outlooks as the sure payoff. Dogs may hike on a leash no longer than six feet but cannot go on the tower.

After the summit, retrace to the junction below it and follow the return route toward the parking area. The loop drops over steep bare granite before re-entering the woods, with another short, rocky descent near the lot. That section is a poor choice in wet weather; take the slabs slowly and don't treat this as an easy walk just because it is short.

The fire tower is more than a summit prop. Civilian Conservation Corps crews built the original wooden lookout, which was used from 1941 into the mid-1950s and helped with fire warnings during the 1947 blaze on Mount Desert Island. When it deteriorated, a steel tower was flown to the summit by helicopter in 1960 in an effort called “Operation Beech”; it reopened in 1962 and was last staffed in 1976. It is the only remaining official fire tower on Mount Desert Island and one of more than 140 still standing in Maine.

The open slabs are part of a much older island story. Mount Desert Island's granite bedrock formed about 420 million years ago, then glaciers rounded and scraped the landscape. Here, the trees give way to smooth expanses of rock, so the geology is right under your boots rather than hidden in a cliff face.

Drive to the Beech Mountain parking lot at the end of Beech Hill Road and use the northwest-corner trailhead; restrooms are near the lot, though they are not accessible. The shared Beech Mountain and Cliffs trail system is busy on weekend days, and if the lot is full, choose another hike instead of parking elsewhere. The trail is listed as available year-round, and no reservation or separate activity fee is required, but an Acadia entrance pass is. The route has no public transportation to its trailhead.