Pemetic Mountain, the fourth highest peak in Acadia National Park, rises to the east of Jordan Pond, across the pond from Penobscot Mountain.
From the peak of Pemetic Mountain, enjoy ocean and island views to the south, Cadillac Mountain to the east, Jordan Pond, Penobscot Mountain and Sargent Mountain to the west, and an especially gorgeous view of The Bubbles, Conners Nubble and Eagle Lake to the north.
The four mile moderately difficult loop hike described here begins at the Jordan Pond House parking lot and traverses up Pemetic Mountain’s South Ridge Trail, then down the steep and rocky Northwest Trail, and returns to the trail head on the leisurely Jordan Pond House Trail. The hike should take about 2 or 3 hours to complete.
I suggest doing the hike in a counter-clockwise direction as described here, so you enjoy the summit views first, then a fun scramble down the wild northwest trail, and end with an easy walk along Jordan Pond. You could do it in a clockwise direction, but going up the Northwest Trail would be grueling.
Alternatively, you could do an out-and-back hike on the South Ridge Trail to make the hike slightly shorter, easier, and dog friendly.
Pemetic Mountain Trail Guide
Park at one of the two parking lots for Jordan Pond House and begin your hike on the Jordan Pond Path or Jordan Pond Nature Trail. This is a busy parking area, so I recommend using the free Island Explorer shuttle. The Park Loop and Jordan Pond routes will stop here.
After passing by Jordan Pond, you’ll bear right on the Bubbles and Jordan Ponds Path which crosses the Park Loop Road. At just over a half mile is the trail junction where you’ll turn left to begin ascending the South Ridge Trail.
The South Ridge Trail ascends about 750 feet in just over a mile to the peak of Pemetic Mountain. It’s definitely a workout but you’ll quickly forget how difficult the hike up was when you’re enjoying the views at the top.
After reaching the summit marker, continue a bit farther and you’ll reach what I think was the best view, looking north at The Bubbles, Eagle Lake and Frenchman Bay in the distance.
At this point you have a decision to make … Turn around and return the way you came or continue and descend the Northwest Trail to make it a loop hike. As my heart was pounding and I was breathing heavy on the ascent, I planned on just doing an out and back hike, but after taking a break at the summit, I was re-energized and decided to check out this sketchy Northwest Trail!
The descent down the Northwest Trail was interesting, that’s for sure! It’s not really as much of a trail as it is a boulder field with markers to follow as you carefully make your way down the wooded side of the mountain. Expect to be on all fours and on your butt a couple of times!
The most interesting part of the trail is when you reach a junction for the cliff trail or ravine trail. Take the ravine trail and you’ll climb down two ladders in a dark, wet space between rocks.
After the ladders, it’s boulder scrambling the rest of the way down, but I was surprised by how quickly I reached the end of the trail at the Park Loop Road.
Cross the road, walk briefly on the Bubbles Divide Trail, then follow the Jordan Pond Carry trail to the Jordan Pond Path for the final part of the hike. Alternatively, if you want to bag a few more peaks, you could continue on the Bubbles Divide Trail and hike to South Bubble and North Bubble before returning to the trail head on Jordan Pond Path.
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Check out these other hikes at Acadia and in the Down-East region of Maine:
