Dorr Mountain North Ridge Trail

Dorr Mountain North Ridge Trail is an approximately one-mile, one-way climb from the Hemlock Trail junction in the saddle between Kebo and Dorr to the upper junction just below Dorr's summit. The published length is 1.1 miles, while the connected mapped trail measures 0.95 mile and other route descriptions are around 0.9. That small but unresolved difference may reflect where the summit route ends; treat the distance as approximate. Allow roughly 1 to 1.5 hours for the ridge itself, then add time for your approach and return. The Dorr summit marker is about 0.1 mile beyond the upper junction on a connecting path.

The northern end starts in pine forest. As you climb, the trees thin and bare granite takes over near the summit. Reported ascent estimates range from about 850 to 980 feet, a steep gain for a mile. The upper rock is uneven, so expect to watch your footing. North Ridge is shorter and more gradual than Dorr's South Ridge route, but it is still a hard climb.

The payoff comes where the forest gives way to granite: Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands spread out to the east. Near the upper junction, western openings look over the Gorge toward Cadillac Mountain. For a photo, keep some of the bare granite in the foreground with the islands behind it; that shows the ridge texture as well as the view.

The north start is a trail junction, not a car park. Reach it on Hemlock Trail from the Kebo Mountain Trail. The Kebo Mountain Trailhead marker is on Park Loop Road, but parking there is poor; a few roadside spaces are by Stratheden Trail about 0.1 mile farther along. From Stratheden, use the Kebo Brook connector or carefully walk the road back to the Kebo marker, then follow Kebo Mountain and Hemlock to the North Ridge. This line is point-to-point, so retrace it or plan a loop on other trails. An Acadia entrance pass is required.

Dogs are allowed on North Ridge on a leash no longer than six feet. The nearby Ladder Trail to Dorr Mountain is off-limits to pets, so choose a different connector for your return if you bring a dog.

Dorr Mountain is named for George B. Dorr, a leading park founder who became Lafayette National Park's first superintendent in 1919. He championed the park's trail network, but the construction date of this particular ridge route was not established.