Parking
Use the Sieur de Monts parking area off Park Loop Road or ME Route 3, then follow signs toward the Nature Center and Wild Gardens. The fare-free Island Explorer also stops at Sieur de Monts.
Overview
About Wild Gardens Path
Why go
- A quick way to see a range of Acadia’s native plant habitats.
- The south end connects with other Sieur de Monts walks.
Heads up
- It is point-to-point; returning to the Nature Center adds another 0.3 mile.
George B. Dorr bought the Sieur de Monts Spring area in 1909 and named it the Wild Gardens of Acadia. In 1916 he established the Wild Gardens of Acadia Corporation to acquire land for public use, education, and scientific study. The path sits among the spring, gardens, museum, and memorial walks that make Sieur de Monts more than a single trailhead.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy this corner mattersMap & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Acadia alerts
- CautionAvoid water contact at Sand Beach LagoonDo not swim at Sand Beach Lagoon. - Bacterial levels have exceeded public-health standards, so the NPS has posted a Public Health Advisory.Official details
- ClosureSchoodic Mountain Road closed for repairsSchoodic Mountain Road is closed from Schoodic Loop Road to the summit of Schoodic Head. - The closure began August 31 for resurfacing, regrading, and ditching.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Acadia Tour Guide
Your drive to Wild Gardens Path, 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Sieur de Monts and the Wild Gardens0:00 / 0:34
“Sieur de Monts is ahead, with the Wild Gardens of Acadia beside the Nature Center. More than four hundred native plant species are grouped into habitats such as seaside, heath, and conifer forest.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Acadia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Beachcroft Path’s Memorial Stairway
- Trillium Seeds Travel with Ants
- Champlain North Ridge and the Old Quarry
- Dorr Mountain’s Ladder Trail
- 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 Wild Gardens Path
A short path through the gardenWild Gardens Path is a 0.
Wild Gardens Path is a 0.3-mile one-way connector from the Sieur de Monts Nature Center end to the southern trail junction. It climbs about 75 feet as it heads south. Allow roughly 15 minutes for the path itself; turning around makes it a 0.6-mile walk, while the junction gives you the option to continue on other marked trails.
Make time for the plantsThe path passes through the Wild Gardens of Acadia, where more than 400 labeled native plants…
The path passes through the Wild Gardens of Acadia, where more than 400 labeled native plants are grouped into 13 sections modeled on park habitats such as heath, seaside, conifer forest, and bog. It’s a good short add-on if you’re already at Sieur de Monts. The gardens open seasonally, so check access before making a special trip. Pets aren’t allowed in the Wild Gardens, including on this route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Acadia
130 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
21 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
396 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
305 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
201 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.
