Schoodic Mountain in downeast Maine has a nice 3 mile loop trail up to its bare summit with 360 views of the surrounding mountains and ponds and the trail passes by a sandy beach and picnic area near the end of the hike.
Difficulty is rated easy to moderate, the total elevation gain is around 900 feet and it takes most hikers about 2 hours to complete the loop. Dogs are permitted on a leash.
I suggest doing this hike in the summer or fall. Avoid spring when the black flies could make it a miserable hike.
Schoodic Mountain is a great alternative to the busier trails in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island if you’re looking for more solitude.
Schoodic Mountain Trailhead Directions
Schoodic Mountain is located within Donnell Pond Public Lands, located about a half hour from Ellsworth. From Route 1, take a left onto Route 183 and drive for 4.3 miles, then take a left onto Schoodic Beach Rd. Stay on Schoodic Beach Rd for 1.9 miles and arrive at the parking lot.
There is a Donnell Pond Public Lands trail map and a toilet at the parking lot.
Hiking The Schoodic Mountain Loop Trail
I suggest hiking this trail in a clockwise direction, leaving the beach as a nice reward at the end of the hike.
It’s a gradual ascent up the mountain and generally pretty easy.
After just under a mile of hiking through the woods, the trail intersects with the beach trail that you’ll take on the way down but don’t get on that trail yet … Continue about another half mile and these summit views await!
On your way back, instead of taking the same trail that you took up, at the trail junction take the trail toward Schoodic Beach, a great place for a picnic! From the beach the parking lot is a short distance away.
