Jordan Cliffs is one of the trails in Acadia National Park that includes iron rungs and ladders. Like the Precipice Trail and Valley Cove Trail, the Jordan Cliffs trail is closed in early summer while peregrine falcons are nesting and it usually opens in August.
Access the Jordan Cliffs Trail from the Spring Trail, 0.3 miles from Jordan Pond House. The Jordan Cliffs Trail itself is just 1.2 miles long and then you have several choices for returning to the trailhead at Jordan Pond House.
The most popular route is combining the Jordan Cliffs Trail with the Penobscot Mountain Trail (3 mile loop) as shown below:
Alternatively, you could continue farther on the Jordan Cliffs Trail and then:
(a) Ascend the Sargent East Cliffs Trail to Sargent Mountain and then take the Sargent South Ridge Trail to Penobscot Mountain Trail (4.6 mile loop, more difficult), or
(b) Descend the Deer Brook Trail then ascend the Bubbles Divide Trail to South Bubble and then return to the trail head on the eastern side of Jordan Pond Path (4.4 mile loop, more difficult), or
(b) Descend the Deer Brook Trail and return to the trail head on the western side of Jordan Pond Path (4.1 mile easier loop), or
My Hike
When I did this hike in October, I had recently hiked the classic Penobscot Mountain and Sargent Mountain loop so my plan was to ascend the South Bubble Trail after Jordan Cliffs, but when I reached the Jordan Pond Path, it was late in the day so I took the easier return to the trail head on the western side of Jordan Pond Path.
As I traversed along the Jordan Cliffs Trail, I wondered what all the hype was about … It was easy at first.
However, toward the end of the trail at its steepest section things get exciting!
There were some tricky sections where you had to climb up & down large rocks:
The trail becomes much more exposed:
There’s this bizarre narrow bridge that you’ll cross over …
The grand finale is this longer iron rung ladder:
There are a few sketchy sections but overall this trail is less exposed than the Beehive Trail and about equal to the Beech Cliffs Trail. I have not yet climbed the Precipice but from what I’ve seen and heard, that is the exposed iron rung trail in Acadia National Park.
In retrospect, I should have continued on the Penobscot Mountain Trail because that has more amazing views, and after this last ladder the trail goes back into the woods before the junction with Deer Brook Trail. The route I went passes Deer Brook Bridge and ends with a nice walk along Jordan Pond.
Check out these other hikes in or near Acadia National Park:
