Parking
Giant Slide Trailhead is on the east side of ME 198 about a mile south of ME 233. Look for the trail marker; there is no road sign. Parking is along the road, and capacity was not found.
Overview
About Giant Slide Trail
Why go
- A distinctive crawl beneath huge granite blocks
- A shaded brook ravine with varied footing
Heads up
- Several crossings and damp rock can be slippery
- Low squeezes and rough footing require confident movement
Giant Slide Trail is a 2.1-mile one-way climb from ME 198 to an upper junction in the trail network. Walking back the same way makes an approximately 4.2-mile out-and-back; allow about three hours for the climb, boulder passages and return. It starts as a gradual forest walk, then steepens beside Sargent Brook into a ravine of crossings, granite blocks and low squeezes. Choose it for close-up rock scrambling; the short mileage hides awkward footing. Older maps may call it Pulpit Rock Trail.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the rough little hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
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 Giant Slide 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
Giant Slide’s Boulder Passages0:00 / 0:26
“Giant Slide Trail's roadside start is coming up, for a wooded scramble beside Sargent Brook. The unusual part is squeezing beneath huge granite boulders, including an overhanging slab that makes a cave-like passage.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Why a Seal Comes Ashore
- Parkman Access to the Carriage Roads
- The Life on the Rocks
- The Mountains Behind the Name
- 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 Giant Slide Trail
Up Sargent BrookThe first section crosses privately owned conserved land.
The first section crosses privately owned conserved land. Stay on the marked path and respect the owners’ privacy; the park asks visitors to protect the moss and lichen. Past a carriage road the trail climbs beside Sargent Brook. Stream crossings and cool ravine condensation can make the rocks slippery. In several places the path passes beneath large boulders, with tight, low-clearance gaps. One overhanging granite slab forms a cave-like passage. To show how low it is in a photo, keep some of the rocky path below the slab in the frame.
Where the route endsThe Giant Slide route stops at an upper junction with other trails.
The Giant Slide route stops at an upper junction with other trails. Sargent Mountain’s summit is a separate continuation on Sargent Northwest, with more climbing beyond the 2.1-mile trail. The 5.7-mile Giant Slide Loop is a different, longer circuit that adds Sargent, Gilmore Peak and Parkman Mountain before returning by other trails. Turn around at the upper junction to keep this outing to about 4.2 miles. Leashed pets are permitted on most park trails, but the tight boulder squeezes are a poor fit for many dogs; use a leash no longer than six feet.
Finding the startLook for the Giant Slide trail marker on the east side of ME 198, about a mile south of ME 233.
Look for the Giant Slide trail marker on the east side of ME 198, about a mile south of ME 233. There is no road sign, and parking is along the road rather than in a formal lot. There is no public transportation to the trailhead and no accessible restroom there.
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.
