Acadia National Park, ME
A boulder scramble beneath cliffs beside Somes Sound.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
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
Flying Mountain and Valley Cove“Flying Mountain's trailhead is ahead, for a short loop pairing Somes Sound views with the rocky shore at Valley Cove.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…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
Valley Cove Trail is a one-way, roughly 1-mile segment beside Somes Sound. From the Valley Cove Fire Road junction at the south end of the cove, it follows a boulder-strewn shore beneath steep slopes to the northern junction with Valley Peak and Acadia Mountain trails. The very uneven granite and repeated rises and drops make this short route slow underfoot; allow about an hour each way. Blue rock blazes mark the tread. The mile covers the segment only, so plan to retrace it or use connected trails for your return.
The Civilian Conservation Corps built the trail between 1933 and 1942. Acadia’s later rehabilitation added 384 stone steps, retaining walls and bog walks; drill marks in granite show where workers split stone for the stairs. Watch for the small blue blazes on rock as the tread crosses broad boulder fields.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateValley Peak Trail1.6 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.4 mi awayClimb to a cliffside view over Valley Cove and Somes Sound.
ModerateFlying Mountain Loop1.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short summit loop with Somes Sound views and a rocky cove.
EasyCarroll Homestead Interpretive Trail0.1 mi · 30 min · 0.5 mi awayA few wooded minutes to an old Mount Desert family farm.
ModerateLedge Trail, St. Sauveur0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.8 mi awayA short, steep climb into Saint Sauveur’s wooded trail network.
ChallengingBeech Cliff Trail2.1 mi · 3 hr · 1.1 mi awayIron ladders lead to granite cliffs above Echo Lake.
ModerateGolf Course Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.2 mi awayA 1914 spur on Norumbega's wooded southwest flank.
ModerateBeech Mountain South Ridge Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 1.2 mi awayStone steps climb a steep ridge to Beech Mountain's fire tower.
ModerateSaint Sauveur Mountain Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA forested summit walk with occasional Echo Lake views.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayCarroll HomesteadAn old farmhouse that brings Mount Desert Island's early years close.
Beach · 1.1 mi awayEcho Lake BeachA sandy freshwater swim with a cliff view from shore.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayAcadia MountainA rugged granite summit above Somes Sound
Sight · 1.4 mi awayBeech Mountain Fire TowerA steel lookout over Long Pond, ocean, and island peaks.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayIkes PointA paved launch puts canoes and kayaks straight onto Echo Lake.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayBrown Mountain GatehouseA 1932 stone-and-brick gate marks the carriage-road entrance.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayLong Pond South Boat LaunchA four-mile lake for paddling, away from coastal wind and tides.
Sight · 2 mi awayHadlock Brook BridgeA small stone arch on the car-free Hadlock Loop.Parkwolf’s Acadia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
