Day Mountain Loop

Day Mountain Loop is a 5.3-mile carriage-road circuit on a wide, broken-stone surface. Follow intersections 16–17–37–36–38–37–17–16; the final stretch retraces the shared approach through 37 and 17 before returning to 16. The road circles Day Mountain, but the summit climb is a separate add-on. Allow about three hours for a steady walk, with extra time for stops.

This is a road rather than a narrow footpath: the carriage roads are about 16 feet wide, and their grades were kept manageable for horse-drawn travel. Intersection 38 is the route’s low point; the climb from there is similar toward 36 or 37. Expect broken stone and gravel, with occasional hoof prints and wheel ruts.

This is the named carriage-road loop closest to Wildwood Stables, so horse-drawn carriages are frequent. Yield to horses and step to the side as they pass. Bicycles also use the road, so stay right. Dogs are allowed on leashes no longer than six feet. A park entrance pass is required, and spring mud-season closures can keep carriage roads shut until they dry.

The route crosses Triad–Day Mountain Bridge over Day Mountain Motor Road. Built in 1940, it was the final one of 17 stone-faced carriage-road bridges completed on Mount Desert Island from 1917 to 1940. The carriage-road system was built between 1913 and 1940 as a motor-free way into the island’s landscape.

Begin at intersection 16 near Jordan Pond. The park map marks an Island Explorer stop nearby, but a dedicated lot at the junction was not confirmed; follow posted parking signs or use the shuttle. To include the Day Mountain summit, add a separate 3-mile round trip; it is not part of this loop or its mapped distance.