The loop hike up Perpendicular Trail to Mansell Mountain and down Razorback Trail is 3 miles, with about 1,000 feet of elevation, and many stone stairs to climb on the way up. Mansell Mountain is located on the west side Mount Desert Island, next to Long Pond, opposite of Beech Mountain.
It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in July, I wanted to go for a hike in Acadia but I didn’t want the crowds or difficulty finding parking, so I headed to the Western Mountains on the quiet side of the park.
I drove past the line of cars parked on the side of the road opposite of the Acadia Mountain trail head and worried that perhaps the crowds would be inescapable. Thankfully, however, I had no problem finding a parking spot on the side of Long Pond Road, close to the trail head.
This would be my first time doing this hike, and in fact my first time at Long Pond, which is yet another gem in Acadia National Park.
Perpendicular Trail
The hike starts on Great Pond Trail; a very pretty trail that skirts the western edge of Long Pond and would be a good trail for a less-challenging hike. Access to the trail head is behind the pumping station on the shore of Long Pond.
You are only on this trail briefly and will soon see the sign for the Perpendicular Trail on your left.
Like many of the trails on the steep eastern or western sides of the mountains in Acadia, the Perpendicular Trail wastes no time climbing elevation.
You’ll soon encounter your first set of sturdy well-constructed rock stairs. You’ll climb hundreds of them. I actually tried to count the number of steps but I gave up because it was distracted me from enjoying the hike. My Garmin watch says I climbed 75 flights of stairs, so there’s that.
The Perpendicular Trail reminded me a lot of the Emery Path on Dorr Mountain. I couldn’t help but think about how much work it was to construct this natural staircase of giant boulders. I also thought about how I really need to climb stairs more often, as my heart was pounding and my thighs were burning, and I had to take several short breaks on the way up.
There’s also one quick/easy section with iron rungs and a ladder.
It was challenging for sure, but not overly strenuous, and I reached the end of the 1 mile climb in 1 hour. There weren’t any scary sections with exposure, unlike other trails in Acadia like The Precipice, Beehive, Jordan Cliffs and Beech Cliffs, and I think that athletic children and dogs could do this trail.
View from the Top of Perpendicular Trail
I wasn’t expecting much for views because I knew that Mansell Mountain had a wooded summit, but I was thrilled with the view from the lookout at the top of the Perpendicular Trail.
Below you is Long Pond and opposite of the pond is the steep western side of Beech Mountain, with the larger mountains on Acadia’s eastern side behind it. Look closely and you can see the fire tower on the top of Beech Mountain.
It’s also a nice ocean view of Southwest Harbor and the Cranberry Isles.
I saw several falcons flying, so maybe they nest on the eastern cliffs of Mansell Mountain, thankfully away from the trail.
The craftsmanship of the rock stars and this view were the highlights of my hike, but I did enjoy the next part, walking to the wooded summit of Mansell Mountain and to the trail junction for Razorback Trail. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful up there and I certainly didn’t mind some walking on flat ground.
Razorback Trail
Next was the descent on Razorback Trail back to the trail head.
Alternatively I could have descended on Mansell Mountain Trail but the Razorback Trail was recommended for this loop. They both looked pretty steep on the map, but much easier to descend than the Perpendicular Trail because there are no rock stairs that would be hard on the knees.
The Razorback Trail offered some views of Bernard Mountain to the west and ocean again to the south, particularly at the beginning of the trail. There were a couple of steep, tricky sections that I took my time on to prevent rolling an ankle, and some minor bouldering, so I wouldn’t recommend doing this trail when its wet.
At the end of the Razorback Trail, turn left onto Cold Brook Trail, a flat trail through the woods that takes you back to Long Pond.
Check out these other hikes in or near Acadia National Park:
