1-minute hike: Huguenot Head, M.D.I., Maine

Difficulty: Moderate-strenuous, depending on whether you continue past the summit of Huguenot Head to the summit of Champlain Mountain. The trail up Champlain Mountain is steeper and more difficult. 

How to get there: Drive to Mount Desert Island and through the town of Bar Harbor. Continue on Route 3. The Sieur de Monts Spring entrance to Acadia National Park will be on the right. Continue past the entrance on Route 3 and take the next right into a parking lot. From the parking lot, walk along a narrow dirt path towards The Tarn (a pond you can just south of the parking lot). This path is directly beside the road. At the end of the path, look across the road to see a wooden trailhead sign beside stone steps. The Beachcroft Trail up Huguenot Head starts there.

Information: Built nearly 100 years ago, the Beachcroft Path up Huguenot Head is one of the more beautiful, well-groomed trails on Mount Desert Island. Switchbacking up Huguenot Head, the trail consists of about 1,500 stone steps, according to Earl Brechlin, author of “Hiking Mount Desert Island: Pocket Guide 2nd Edition” After about 0.5 mile, the trail skirts the 731-foot summit and offers breathtaking views from a wide, flat ledge. Hikers can enjoy views of The Tarn and Dorr Mountain to the west. From the top of Huguenot Head, Beachcroft Trail continues east, around the “hill,” and dips down into forest and a small pond between Huguenot Head and Champlain Mountain. The trail then climbs steeply to the summit of Champlain Mountain, 1,058 feet above sea level. This part of the trail is more strenuous and travels over large, irregular rocks rather than a stone path. The summit is marked by a wooden sign and other signs directing hikers to a number of trails. The only way to return to the correct parking lot is to retrace your steps down Beachcroft Path.

Personal note: Wear sunscreen and sunglasses; most of the trail is in the open.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. Beachcroft Trail travels over Huguenot Head and up Champlain Mountain to rocky terrain with stunted trees on April 16, 2012. Most of the trail is in the open, so be sure to bring sunscreen.

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.