Parking
Roadside access on Route 3, roughly one mile south of Sieur de Monts Entrance.
Overview
About Canon Brook Trail
Why go
- Canon Brook runs through a distinctive granite cleft.
- Links Route 3 with the Dorr and Cadillac trail network.
Heads up
- Steep climb with about 820 feet of gain.
- Point-to-point logistics require a return or continuation plan.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Acadia map
Full mapElevation131–1,066 ft
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 Canon Brook 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
Canon Brook’s Granite Cleft0:00 / 0:23
“Up ahead is the roadside start of Canon Brook Trail, a steep woodland climb to a brook running through a granite cleft.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Dorr Mountain’s Ladder Trail
- Precipice Trail’s Cliff Climb
- Beachcroft Path’s Memorial Stairway
- The Falcon That Returned to Precipice
- 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 Canon Brook Trail
A one-way brook walkCanon Brook Trail is a 2-mile point-to-point connector from roadside Route 3 to the Cadillac…
Canon Brook Trail is a 2-mile point-to-point connector from roadside Route 3 to the Cadillac South Ridge Trail beside The Featherbed. Allow 1–2 hours for about 820 feet of gain on a fairly steep forest path. It is not a loop, so plan a continuation or return before setting out. One park listing gives 2.7 miles without a distance convention; the mapped corridor is 1.91 miles, matching the trail-specific two-mile one-way figure.
Follow the junctionsFrom the Route 3 access, the path heads west over small marshy ponds to a junction.
From the Route 3 access, the path heads west over small marshy ponds to a junction. Kane Path branches north toward The Tarn; stay with Canon Brook as it curves clockwise around Dorr Mountain’s south side, passing the Dorr South Ridge and A. Murray Young Path junctions. The route then climbs Cadillac’s south flank to The Featherbed. From there, Cadillac South Ridge continues north toward the summit, while Bubble-and-Jordan-Ponds Path heads west; both are separate trails.
The brook through graniteThe walk’s standout feature is a rock cleft where Canon Brook trickles through exposed granite.
The walk’s standout feature is a rock cleft where Canon Brook trickles through exposed granite. The trail climbs around the notch’s south side, opening a view northeast toward Dorr and Champlain mountains. From the open rock, frame the brook against the granite walls so the cleft’s scale comes through.
An old footpathCanon Brook Path was among Acadia’s routes built between 1924 and 1930.
Canon Brook Path was among Acadia’s routes built between 1924 and 1930. Its first section was once known as the Tarn Trail, a name that reflects the northbound Kane Path junction near The Tarn.
Access and footingLook for roadside parking on Route 3, roughly a mile south of Sieur de Monts Entrance.
Look for roadside parking on Route 3, roughly a mile south of Sieur de Monts Entrance. Expect a steep climb and uneven rock near the cleft. Dogs may accompany hikers on this route on a leash no longer than six feet; Acadia bars pets from ladder and rung trails.
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.
