Buck Cove Mountain Trail

Buck Cove Mountain Trail is the longest route in the Schoodic hiking network, running from the Schoodic Woods group sites over Buck Cove Mountain and up Schoodic Head. The NPS lists 3.2 miles to the summit; retrace the same trail for about 6.4 miles round trip. Allow roughly 4 to 5 hours for the full outing. It is a half-day forest hike with more climbing than the peninsula’s shorter options, chosen for a half-day woodland walk ending at a rocky coastal viewpoint.

From the group-site area, the path enters forest and passes patches of highbush blueberries. It climbs gently to Buck Cove Mountain, whose lichen-cracked granite top is mostly screened by dark spruce, with laurel along the rocks and only brief glimpses through the trees. This is a small summit on the way, not the main view. Past it, the trail descends through mossy woods and an open blueberry clearing before turning uphill again.

The route continues up the north face of Schoodic Head and ends on its rocky summit, about 440 feet high. The open top gives the broad coastal view; that is the payoff for the long approach. For a photo, keep a little of the summit granite in the foreground with water and wooded shoreline behind it, so the frame shows both the rocky high point and the coast.

Park at the ranger-station lot in Schoodic Woods Campground, then walk toward the group sites; the trail begins near the G1 area. The trail itself has no confirmed food or potable-water stop, so carry what you need for the return. Pets are allowed on most park trails; keep dogs on a leash no longer than six feet.