Acadia National Park, ME
A short spur to a rocky cove on Isle au Haut.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
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 tour“…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
Deep Cove Trail is a short out-and-back from Duck Harbor Trail to a rocky cove on Isle au Haut’s west shore, near Sharks Point Beach. The mapped spur is about 0.15 miles one way, or 0.3 miles round trip. Allow around 10 minutes to walk out and back. The park lists 0.2 miles and five minutes but doesn’t state the distance convention; the app distance follows the mapped trail both ways. This is a quick cove stop, not the longer Duck Harbor and Deep Cove hike. The park rates this spur easy but doesn’t describe its exact footing or grade.
The spur branches from Duck Harbor Trail. Isle au Haut is reached by passenger ferry from Stonington. Ferry service runs year-round to Town Landing and adds a stop at Duck Harbor Boat Landing from mid-June through late September. Space is limited and first come, first served, and visitor numbers on the island are limited. Plan the boat and walking connection before making this short spur your main outing.
The trail ends at Deep Cove, beside the island’s rocky west shore. No food or water is listed on the spur; the park map marks drinking water and composting toilets at Duck Harbor Campground near the boat landing, away from this trail. Camping at the designated campground requires a reservation. Dogs are allowed, but must stay on a leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateLong Pond Trail (Isle au Haut)3.4 mi · 2 hr · 0.5 mi awayOld stone walls and “dinosaur egg” rocks line this pond loop
EasyNat Merchant Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 0.5 mi awayA short inland crossing through a stretch of dark hemlocks.
EasyEben’s Head Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 0.6 mi awayA 1.1-mile shoreline loop over cobble beaches to a granite headland.
ModerateBowditch Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayPlank walks and a wooded ridge through Isle au Haut's interior
EasyWestern Head Road2.1 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.1 mi awayAn easy, mostly flat dirt-road walk on Isle au Haut.
ChallengingDuck Harbor Mountain Trail1.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA steep rock climb to Duck Harbor views and a cove descent.
ModerateGoat Trail (Isle au Haut)2.1 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA rough coastal traverse from Merchant Cove to Deep Cove.
EasyMedian Ridge Trail1.8 mi · 1 hr · 1.5 mi awayPitch pine and bare rock give way to cooler island woods.
Sight · 1 mi awayDuck Harbor Boat LandingThe direct ferry stop for Isle au Haut’s Acadia trailheads.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayDuck Harbor CampgroundFive backcountry lean-tos on an island reached by boat or trail.
Sight · 7.8 mi awayIsle au Haut Boat Services — Stonington WharfA 45-minute boat ride turns the mainland into an island visit.Parkwolf’s Acadia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
