Maple Spring Trail

Maple Spring Trail is the 1.4-mile point-to-point climb from the lower Hadlock Brook junction to the Sargent South Ridge Trail. It follows Maple Spring Brook through a steep gorge between Gilmore Peak and Sargent Mountain. The mapped line measures 1.39 miles, and the route gains about 980 feet. Allow roughly 1¾ to 2 hours uphill. This is a connector, not a loop, and it ends below Sargent's summit. Continue on the ridge network, arrange a pickup, or return by the same path for about 2.8 miles round trip.

The trail tracks the stream beneath tall forest, then works through a narrow stone gorge with cascades and the rock feature called Pulpit Rock. The footing changes between old stone steps, bedrock, uneven paving and newer wooden bridges and boardwalk. The route stays close to the water, so wet streamside rock and condensation in the cool ravine can make footing slippery. At the boardwalk, include the brook and gorge walls in a photo to show how tightly the path follows the stream.

Maple Spring Trail was built in 1871 as an ascent of Sargent's South Ridge. Its stone steps, rubble walls and patio-stone paving are part of Mount Desert Island's historic trail network. A 2021 storm tore up about a quarter mile between Hemlock Bridge and the Giant Slide junction. The feature-by-feature repairs retained sound historic stonework and used a taller bridge, wood-and-stone steps, an elevated boardwalk, a short bridge and a steel handrail where the stream bank and trail had been undermined. Look for the places where old paving meets newer woodwork.

The National Park Service directs drivers to the shared Giant Slide roadside access on ME 198, about a mile south of ME 233. Parking is along the road, and there is no road sign; the mapped Maple Spring segment starts at the lower Hadlock Brook junction nearby. The exact pullout-to-junction connection is not clearly pinned, so check the marked public access and stay off private property. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet; consider whether your dog can handle the steep, rocky footing. The shared trailhead has no accessible restroom.