Jesup Path and Hemlock Path Loop

This mostly level, 1.5-mile round-trip figure eight links Jesup Path and Hemlock Path at Sieur de Monts. Allow 30–60 minutes at an average pace. It is a short, easy way to move from birch wetland into open meadow and back through hemlock woods, with intermittent peeks toward Dorr Mountain. Expect a quiet nature walk rather than a climb or a long backcountry outing.

Start at the small wooden footbridge just before the Wild Gardens entrance. Cross Hemlock Path, then continue straight onto the boardwalk through a boggy white-birch forest. Benches and interpretive waysides give you places to pause over the wetland; the tread alternates between boardwalk, compact path, gravel and a broad fire road. When the boardwalk ends, cross Hemlock Path again and keep going through Great Meadow to Park Loop Road.

Cross Park Loop Road and turn right onto Great Meadow Loop. At the next junction, turn right again and cross back over the road to Hemlock Path. Follow it back into the meadow, past the boardwalk and through the hemlock forest to the Sieur de Monts lot. The two road crossings are the route’s main interruption, and the crossings have no crosswalk. The most open views appear along the meadow edge, where Dorr Mountain shows between the trees.

The large hemlocks along this walk are noted as survivors of the 1947 fire that burned much of Mount Desert Island. Great Meadow and the nearby spring parcel were outside the original 1916 monument boundary. George B. Dorr, Acadia’s first superintendent, built a canopy over Sieur de Monts Spring in 1909 and later helped bring this landscape into the park. The trail connects that preservation history to a living wetland rather than a summit viewpoint.

The route is mostly level, with boardwalk benches and pullouts. The boardwalk is listed as 3 feet wide and may not fit some wheelchairs or scooters; check clearance if your mobility device needs more room. Dogs are allowed on leashes no longer than 6 feet, and a park entrance pass is required year-round. Accessible restrooms are across the lot. In summer, the Island Explorer serves Sieur de Monts from mid-June through October, while parking is limited from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.