Bowditch Trail

Bowditch Trail is a 2-mile one-way point-to-point walk across Isle au Haut’s interior, from the Duck Harbor Trail junction to the Long Pond Trail junction. It crosses a marsh, climbs through forest on Jerusalem Mountain, and follows a wooded ridge toward Bowditch Mountain. It’s a moderate woods walk, not a summit hike. Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours one way; returning along the same trail makes a 4-mile outing.

The western end heads east through a large wetland. Old wooden planks carry hikers over the soggy sections, but after heavy rain parts of the path can be underwater. The trail then climbs gradually through the woods on Jerusalem Mountain.

Near the high point, the trail passes an overgrown blueberry meadow and briefly crosses beyond the park boundary. Stay on the signed route and respect the boundary markers. From there it follows the island’s north-south ridge to the Long Pond Trail junction near Bowditch Mountain. Both named mountains are wooded hills without an obvious summit or open view, so come for the marsh and the quiet interior walk rather than a lookout.

The mapped trail ends at the Long Pond Trail junction; it does not return to the start. Retrace Bowditch for the return, or use the Long Pond Trail connection to make a longer outing. The starting junction is by the first road crossing on Duck Harbor Road, about 1.5 miles south of the ranger station. Isle au Haut is reached by passenger ferry from Stonington: service runs year-round to Town Landing and also stops at Duck Harbor Boat Landing from mid-June through late September. Ferry boarding is first come, first served, visitor numbers are limited, and there are almost no island services.

Bowditch Mountain was named for Ernest Bowditch and his family, who donated much of the land that became Acadia on Isle au Haut. The name marks a real piece of the island’s conservation history, even if the wooded high point itself feels more like a ridge than a summit.