The Great Head Trail is a scenic coastal hike that visits the remnants of an early 1900s tea house while offering views of Sand Beach and the famous Beehive mountain along the way. This trail makes a loop of moderate difficulty that sees less traffic than many other hikes in the park. If you walk it in the morning or evening you can find an ocean vista all to yourself.

The Beehive Loop is a stong contender for the #1 hike in Acadia National Park. It’s one of the famous “iron rung” trails which use metal ladders and cables drilled into the rock for support, but it’s far from the toughest of them. Therefore, the Beehive is the perfect objective for first-time visitors who are interested in Acadia’s more difficult adventures.

A 4.5-mile loop combines the three summits of Acadia Mountain, Saint Sauveur Mountain, and Valley Peak. It’s a strenuous circuit that’s loaded with views, and it’s far less crowded than other hikes in the park to the east. You can choose to visit one, two, or all three summits—or even add on Flying Mountain for an extra challenge.

If you only have time for one hike in Acadia, Cadillac Mountain should top your list. It’s an easy loop to the highest point in the park at 1,500 feet above sea level. This mountain is also famous as the first piece of land in the USA to see the sunrise during most of the year. As such, photographers willing to set their alarms early are rewarded with an unbeatable spectacle. At dawn, low clouds and fog often paint the horizon, contributing further to the wondrous views from the summit.

The Precipice Trail on Champlain Mountain is famous for a 1000-foot vertical ascent and death-defying drop offs! Granite slabs and ledges comprise much of this “iron rung” route. Cables anchored to the rock make the climbing relatively safe, but fatalities have occured nonetheless. You’ll need to use all your limbs to clamber up and hold on tight. This hike would not be so popular if the views weren’t totally worth it, however––so consider trying it if you’re not too afraid of heights!

An epic "iron rung" route pairs the Beech Cliff and Canada Cliff trails into a 2-mile loop from Echo Lake Beach. There’s no shortage of views, but this one is not for the faint of heart. The brief mileage belies the difficulty of this hike, which uses a series of ladders to ascend vertical cliffs near the very start of the trail. If you’re wary of heights, consider trying a different trail in Acadia first.

The Wonderland Trail, when paired with the Ship Harbor Trail, make for two of Acadia's best easy and family-friendly day hikes. The Wonderland is an out-and-back to a coastal point with tide pools, where kids will love to explore. The path wandering through beautiful pine forest is mostly flat and maintained with gravel, so it can even be suitable for some strollers and wheelchairs.

This is a short hike with spectacular coastal views, birding opportunities, and unique granite outcroppings. Along with the Wonderland Trail next door, this is one of Acadia's best family-friendly hikes. The Ship Harbor trail makes a figure-8 loop through the forest on mostly level ground. It takes you to a beach of pinkish stone with tide pools and wave action, where the whole family including leashed pets are welcome to explore.

There’s an incredible loop route you can make from Jordan Pond, starting on the easy Jordan Pond Trail, and combining the scenic South Ridge Trail plus the steep and rocky Northwest Trail to the top of Pemetic Mountain. The hike achieves incredible ridge-top views without the same crowds as some other trails in the park, so it’s definitely worth doing if you have the time.

Nicknamed the "Bubbles Nubble Loop" by the National Park Service, this route links the exposed granite summits of North and South Bubble mountains with the lesser-visited views on a mountain called Conners Nubble to the north. Along the way, you will enjoy vantage over nearby Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond, while views to the south stretch as far as Cranberry Isles. You can do this hike just for the satisfaction of saying its name, but you’ll get the most out of it by going in fall for the foliage!