Gorham Mountain Trail

Gorham Mountain Trail is one of the relatively shorter and easy trails in Acadia National Park, and it's a perfect morning spot to catch a sunrise in Acadia (much less crowded than the highly-visited Cadillac Mountain).

To access the trail head, you'll need to drive into the park and down the Park Loop Road. A good access point if you're driving out of Bar Harbor on Route 3 is to turn left onto Schooner Head Road. This road will eventually lead to the Park Loop Road, which you'll want to take a left on (it's a one-way).

The parking lot for Gorham Mountain Trail is about a mile or so on the right, there are signs for this trail head. The parking lot is a good place to stop to enjoy the cliffs by the ocean, and there are also restrooms here. From the parking lot, you'll follow the signs for the trail and begin walking up a slight incline under a spruce covering.

The trail begins as very easy, and it's a lot of stepping from rock to rock as the path is made with granite stones. It's a good idea to have shoes with good ankle support for this. As you continue up the granite pathway, the trail gets a little steeper and eventually brings you to an opening which is a false summit.

The false summit gives a really awesome view of Otter Cove and the Cranberry Islands. Last time I was on this trail, I spotted a bald eagle circling above (unfortunately didn't have a good enough zoom to really capture it, photographers: bring a zoom lens!)

There are blue trail markers and cairns to guide you from this spot to the summit, which is not much further ahead. The summit provides a great view of Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. From here, you can continue on to the Beehive, or follow the trail back to the parking lot if you'd like.