1-minute hike: Dorr Mountain, Mount Desert Island, ME

Difficulty: Moderate

How to get there: Follow Route 3 from Ellsworth onto Mount Desert Island and continue to downtown Bar Harbor. Drive through downtown, continuing south on Route 3 (Main Street). Turn right at the Sieur de Monts entrance to Acadia National Park, just after Jackson Lab. From the Park Loop Road, exit at Sieur de Monts. There will be a big parking lot before the Nature Center. Take Emery Path to the right of the Nature Center.

Information: Dorr Mountain, with an elevation of 1,270 feet above sea level, was named after “The Father of Acadia,” George Dorr, and is the third tallest peak on Mount Desert Island. There are several trails up and around the mountain. The Emery Path consists of granite steps and brings hikers to a summit trail, which is a combination of steps and slanting rock faces marked by cairns. At the eastern base of Dorr Mountain is a glacial-melt pond called The Tarn.

Personal note: I tried to hike Dorr Mountain two times before I made it to the top. The first time, I was with a group that didn’t want to climb to the summit, and the second time I had to rush down the mountain to take care of a time-sensitive work issue. This time, I finally made it to the top!

The Emery Path had some icy spots in late December when we hiked, but I would still consider it a safe climb. The summit trail reached from the Emery Path had some dangerously icy rock faces that need to be carefully hiked around, even if wearing crampons or ice cleats.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. A view from Dorr Mountain on Dec. 11, 2011.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.