Long Pond Trail (Mount Desert Island)

Long Pond Trail runs 2.9 miles one way from Long Pond Road at the pond’s south shore to the Great Notch Trail junction. It follows the western shore for nearly two miles, then turns inland over rolling slopes. Allow about two hours for this leg. The trail itself isn’t a loop: retracing it makes a 5.8-mile outing. A separate Great Notch loop uses connecting trails to bring the walk back toward the road in about 4.6 miles.

Open rocky sections alternate with forest beside the water. Duck Rock is the broadest northward view over the pond and a good place to pause before leaving the shore. The Perpendicular Trail branches toward Mansell Mountain; it’s a separate route, and dogs aren’t allowed on that spur.

After the pond, the trail turns southwest and climbs over rolling Western Mountain slopes to a forested junction with Great Notch Trail. The mapped Long Pond route ends at the junction; Great Notch itself is another roughly 0.4 mile southeast and uphill. Don’t expect the trail’s endpoint to be a summit viewpoint.

Use the Long Pond Road access near the pump house on the south shore. Parking is limited, and busy days can mean parking farther up the road. If you want to make the 4.6-mile loop, follow the connecting trails rather than improvising a shoreline return. Some shore parcels are private, so stay on the established path.

A Civilian Conservation Corps camp stood just south of Long Pond beginning in 1933. Crews working on the island’s western mountains expanded trails from there, including the Great Pond Trail. That older name is part of this route’s history: the current Long Pond trail follows a corridor once listed as the Great/Long Pond Trail.