Parking
Use the Blueberry Hill parking area off Schoodic Loop Road, then follow Alder Trail 0.6 mile to the start of Schoodic Head Trail. The parking area is small. Vehicles entering Schoodic Loop Road need an Acadia entrance pass.
Overview
About Schoodic Head Trail
Why go
- A short route to the peninsula’s highest point and a broad coastal view
- A clear blue-marker route through woods and onto granite
Heads up
- The upper path is rocky and uneven
- The named trail starts 0.6 mile from the parking area on Alder Trail
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 Schoodic Head 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
Blueberry Hill’s Island View0:00 / 0:18
“Blueberry Hill is ahead, a small roadside pullout overlooking Schoodic Island and Little Moose Island. People came here to picnic and pick berries before the historic parking loop was built.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Schoodic Head’s Wooded Summit
- Rockefeller Hall’s Navy Past
- East Trail’s Steep Schoodic Climb
- Schoodic Point’s Dark Rock Bands
- 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 Schoodic Head Trail
A short way to the summitSchoodic Head Trail is a rocky 0.
Schoodic Head Trail is a rocky 0.6-mile ascent from the end of Alder Trail to the summit area and upper trail junction. The climb tops out on 440-foot Schoodic Head, then returns by the same path for 1.2 miles total. Allow about an hour for the named trail. It is a good pick for a quick summit walk with a proper coastal view, though the uneven rock makes it more than a stroll.
What the climb feels likeThe route starts under dense trees and climbs onto granite slabs along the ridge.
The route starts under dense trees and climbs onto granite slabs along the ridge. Expect roots, rocks and occasional steps underfoot. Small blue metal bird markers help identify this trail where paths meet; follow them to the summit area, then turn around if you are doing the out-and-back. Other junctions lead toward the Anvil and the wider Schoodic trail network.
The view at the topSchoodic Head is the highest point on the peninsula, a wooded granite knob that stands out from…
Schoodic Head is the highest point on the peninsula, a wooded granite knob that stands out from the lower shore. The open view is a small east-facing window over the peninsula, water and low islands, rather than a bare summit with a view in every direction. Take a minute to look back through the trees toward the coast; the evergreen canopy helps show how high the trail has climbed.
Starting from Blueberry HillThe named trail begins at the end of Alder Trail, not at the parking lot.
The named trail begins at the end of Alder Trail, not at the parking lot. Park at Blueberry Hill and follow Alder 0.6 mile each way to reach it. That makes the full parking-to-summit outing about 2.4 miles round trip; allow roughly 1½ to 2 hours including the approach and a stop at the view. Vehicles entering Schoodic Loop Road need an Acadia entrance pass. Dogs are allowed on Schoodic Peninsula trails under the park's pet rules.
If you want a loop, the Alder–Schoodic Head–Anvil circuit is about 2.5 miles from Blueberry Hill. It adds the Anvil route, which is steeper and rougher; that is a different walk from the mapped out-and-back here.
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.
