Parking
Start at Parkman Mountain Carriage Road Trailhead off ME Route 3. Follow the carriage-road approach to Parkman Mountain Trail; this is separate from the Norumbega roadside access.
Overview
About Parkman Mountain Trail
Why go
- Open granite summit with views toward Somes Sound.
- A one-peak outing with a clear turn-around point.
Heads up
- Uneven, steep granite and an iron rung make the upper climb awkward when wet.
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 Parkman Mountain 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
Parkman Access to the Carriage Roads0:00 / 0:27
“Parkman Mountain's carriage-road access is coming up, joining the Around Mountain loop and its seven stone bridges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Norumbega Access to Bald Peak
- The Life on the Rocks
- Brown Mountain Gatehouse and Its Bells
- The Periwinkle's Toothed Tongue
- 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 Parkman Mountain Trail
Parkman on its ownParkman Mountain Trail is a direct out-and-back from Parkman Mountain Carriage Road Trailhead…
Parkman Mountain Trail is a direct out-and-back from Parkman Mountain Carriage Road Trailhead to the granite summit. Counting the carriage-road approach and return, this version is about 2.4 miles round trip, with roughly 590 feet of climbing; allow about two hours. It makes a good one-peak outing without committing to a longer day. The route follows the carriage road to Parkman Mountain Trail, climbs to the summit and returns along the same corridor.
Published figures differ: a bare listing for Parkman Mountain Trail gives 2.7 miles without defining its endpoints, while the separate 2.7-mile Bald Peak–Parkman outing starts at Sargent Mountain Trailhead and adds a second summit. This entry counts the mapped walk from the Parkman carriage-road lot to Parkman’s summit and back.
From carriage road to open graniteThe approach begins on the broad carriage-road tread, then leaves it for a narrower mountain…
The approach begins on the broad carriage-road tread, then leaves it for a narrower mountain path. The trail climbs through forest and onto bare granite shelves near the top. The open rock is uneven, with a short steep step that uses an iron rung; the climb is more demanding than the mileage alone suggests.
Granite can be slick when wet, so choose a dry day for the exposed upper section. Keep to the walked line over the bedrock and take the rung slowly.
The summit viewParkman Mountain rises to 941 feet.
Parkman Mountain rises to 941 feet. Its open granite summit looks toward Somes Sound and Northeast Harbor, with a broad sweep of wooded coast beyond the rock. Pause long enough to pick out the islands and inlets rather than turning straight around. For a photo, keep the cracked granite in the foreground and the coastal water along the horizon; the bare slabs give the view its scale.
Before you startPark at Parkman Mountain Carriage Road Trailhead and follow the carriage-road approach to the…
Park at Parkman Mountain Carriage Road Trailhead and follow the carriage-road approach to the mountain trail. A park entrance pass is required. Dogs are allowed on most trails and carriage roads, but park guidance recommends avoiding routes with ladders and rungs; this route has an iron rung. If you bring a dog, keep it on a leash no longer than six feet and consider whether it can manage the rocky step safely.
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.
