There are so many great places to hike in Acadia National Park but one of the most popular is near Jordan Pond. This large body of water is surrounded by mountains on nearly all sides giving fantastic views from the shores and from the top of the surrounding mountains. There are numerous trails in the area ranging from easy strolls around the pond to strenuous leg workouts as you hike to the top to mountain peaks.
In this guide, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about these different trails so you can decide which Jordan Pond hike is right for you.
About the Jordan Pond Area
The trails around Jordan Pond intersect each other so in a way, you can make up your own route. This is great because it allows each traveler to decide how difficult of a trail they want to tackle.
I’m going to start by giving you all of the options and then I’ll talk about what I recommend for a Jordan Pond hike.
Jordan Pond Path
The Jordan Pond Path is the easiest of the trails at Jordan Pond. It circles the entirety of Jordan Pond and is mostly flat, making it a pretty easy trail. And yes, it’s worth hiking it because in my opinion, the views from the north side of the pond are better than the south side of the pond (where the parking lots are). As you hike you’ll be on a path that sometimes has trees blocking the pond and other times offers fantastic views.
This area is busy because the trail is an easier trail, which can be tough to find at Acadia National Park. Don’t be surprised to find yourself sharing the trail with plenty of other visitors.
To just hike the Jordan Pond Path, expect to hike 3.3 miles with about 60 feet of elevation gain.
Jordan Cliffs
Prior to my trip, I read that doing a loop of the Jordan Cliffs, South Bubble, and the Jordan Pond Path was a “quad killer”. I did not realize how accurate that statement was and now I can attest that this hike is a quad killer (my quads hurt for several days after this hike). I’ve already talked about the Jordan Pond Path, which is quite easy. The South Bubble, which I’ll cover later, is not easy, but it’s also not strenuous. The quad killer descriptor, in my opinion, comes from the Jordan Cliffs section.
So as you may have guessed, I would describe the Jordan Cliffs as strenuous. From the trailhead, you’ll have a steady uphill climb for 0.6 miles, but this is also a bike trail, so it’s not too terrible. Then you depart the bike trail and the trail starts to show you what it’s capable of. The steady uphill becomes steeper and the trail becomes more uneven as you keep climbing higher and higher. Eventually the uneven trail turns into rock scrambling as you push and pull yourself over boulders. It is quite the leg workout and this goes on for about a mile.
It’s here that you decide do you want to continue up to Penobscot Mountain (covered next) or if you’re ready to descend. My legs were already starting to feel tired (I’d also hiked the Beehive Trail that morning) and knew that I still wanted to hike up the South Bubble, so I skipped the mountain peak, and started the descent. Over the next 0.6 miles, you’ll descend the 650 or so feet of elevation that you had just gained as you pop out on the north end of the Jordan Pond Path.
I passed one other hiker on the Jordan Cliffs (technically he passed me), so if you want solitude, here’s a trail to do it. Just be prepared for a leg workout.
Overall, I struggle to recommend this hike. Despite climbing up over 650 feet, I never got a view that made me go “wow!”. So in my mind, hiking the Jordan Cliffs felt like a lot of work for very little payoff.
Penobscot Mountain
If you still have the energy, you can continue up another 0.5 miles to Penobscot Peak. I did not do this because my legs were already feeling tired and I was ready to be done with the Jordan Cliffs. Presumably if you made it all the way to the top of Penobscot Peak, you’d get that sweeping view that I had constantly been waiting for along the Jordan Cliffs.
The Bubbles
The Bubbles are two mountains nearby Jordan Pond. The South Bubble is adjacent to Jordan Pond and from my experience was more popular. There is a secondary parking lot for people wanting to hike The Bubbles but not the Jordan Pond Path, so that may be an option for you, depending on your plans.
I only hiked the South Bubble, but there is also a path to the North Bubble, if you so choose. I’m going to just focus on the South Bubble though because that’s where I have experience.
To climb the South Bubble, you’ll need to be prepared for a 500 foot climb. On the southern part of the trail, you’ll experience some rock scrambling, which I would highly recommend scrambling up. I scrambled down which I managed, but I can’t particularly say was fun. The trail on the north end of the South Bubble had hardly any rock scrambling and felt more like a rock stair case. This is what I ascended, but I definitely seemed to be going against the flow of most hikers.
From the top of the South Bubble you have excellent views of the area. These are the views I had been hoping to see as I made my way along the Jordan Cliffs, so thankfully I eventually got some awesome views after my strenuous hike.
Which Jordan Pond Hike Should You Do?
Ultimately the choice is yours. When I visited, I hiked up the Jordan Cliffs and then back down the cliffs. I walked for a tiny stretch along the north shore of the Jordan Pond Loop before heading up the South Bubble and then back down to join the Jordan Pond Path back to the trailhead. This was a workout, specifically due to the Jordan Cliffs. That’s not to say that hiking the South Bubble was easy, but it was definitely easier than the Jordan Cliffs. In total, I logged 4.9 miles and 1215 feet of elevation gain. In total, it took me just just under 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Now, I did spend some time stopping for photos and enjoying the views, so according to my tracker, I was only actively moving for about 3 hours. That’s still significantly slower than my normal hiking pace and it was the Jordan Cliffs that slowed me down. The second mile where I scrambled up and over and down the Jordan Cliffs was very slow going. So if you plan to hike the Jordan Cliffs, make sure you give yourself plenty of time.
If I were to hike again, I’d hike in the opposite direction. I’d hike along the Jordan Pond Path to the South Bubble and ascend to the top. I’d then take the trail down to the north side of Jordan Pond and complete the loop. This would likely be a moderate hike (though edging close to a hard hike) with some rock scrambling along the South Bubble, but I think it would be so much better for me than what I initially did.
But again, the choice is yours. If you want a challenge and are up for a quad workout, do the same hike I did.
General Tips for Hiking at Jordan Pond
Note that this area is popular so parking can be a challenge. I got lucky and someone happened to be leaving as I was entering, but when I arrived around noon, the parking lots were full and the only people getting a spot were people who happened to be there as someone else was leaving. Try to avoid this time if you want a easier parking experience.
How Long Do You Need at Acadia National Park?
At a minimum, you’ll need one full day at Acadia National Park. This gives you enough time to see the main sights along Park Loop Road and get in a few short hikes.
With two days at Acadia National Park, you can go a bit further. On your first day, spend your time exploring Park Loop Road. Then on your second day, branch out into some of the lesser visited areas of the park. I recommend the Beech Cliffs, Flying Mountain, and Bass Harbor areas.
If you have more than two days, you’ll still have things to do including visiting the small islands nearby. That said, if it were up to me, I’d spend my additional time exploring elsewhere in Maine. Acadia is beautiful, but so is much of Maine.
Entrance Fees for Acadia National Park
Entrance to Acadia National Park costs $35 per vehicle and your pass will be valid for seven consecutive days. Annual passes, such as the America the Beautiful pass are also accepted.
Note that visiting Cadillac Mountain Road comes with an additional fee. To visit Cadillac Mountain Road, you’ll need to pick up a reservation which comes with a timed entry. You can stay as long as you want, but you must have a valid entrance ticket in order to be permitted to drive up the mountain. Reservations cost $6 per vehicle.
Getting Around Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park surprised me with its transit system. While many national parks through the United States force visitors to have their own form of transportation, Acadia is different. You can bring your own vehicle, but if you don’t have a vehicle, you can still get to most places in the park.
A handy shuttle service connects Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Then within park, additional shuttles help to move visitors around. In total, there’s 11 lines that take visitors to all of the main sights throughout Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. And the best part? This shuttle is completely free thanks to a massive donation that LL Bean makes to Acadia National Park each year.
Where to Stay at Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor is the closest town and sits right outside Acadia National Park. This is where most visitors stay as it’s the most convenient. You’ll have about a 15 to 20 minute drive to the popular Park Loop Road. That said, prices for hotels in Bar Harbor are understandably high. Make sure to budget accordingly.
I travel on a budget so my accommodation situation looked a little different. I spent the night in Bangor, which is about an hour and a half away from Acadia National Park. I left Bangor early in the morning and spent the day exploring Acadia National Park. Then I spent one night in Bar Harbor since I had tickets for sunrise at Cadillac Mountain the next morning. After a second day of exploring Acadia National Park, I drove back to Bangor where hotels were cheaper.
When to Visit Acadia National Park
Acadia is best visited from May through October as this is when the top sights are open. During the winter months, you can still visit Acadia National Park, but some roads close and the hiking can become dangerous.
In summer, you’ll have the warmest weather, but you can also expect a decent amount of tourists. Normally as it gets later in the season, crowds thin out, but this is New England which is famous for its fall foliage. In late September and October, you can expect big crowds who come not just to see Acadia National Park, but also to see all the bright fall colors.
I visited in mid September and had really great weather. The trees had barely started to turn colors so if it’s important to you that you see the fall colors, I’d recommend early October. That said, there’s no guarantee when you’ll get peak colors as it changes slightly every year based on weather.
Final Thoughts
The Jordan Pond area of Acadia National Park is beautiful and absolutely worth a visit. There’s a lot of hiking options here, so it’s completely up to you where you hike. Just be prepared for whatever you choose to do since some of the trails are very difficult.
Continue Your Adventure
Acadia National Park: Tackle the popular Beehive Trail or one of Acadia’s easy hikes. Learn all about the top stops along Park Loop Road. Loop the highlights of Acadia together in this one day itinerary or if you have more time, try my two day itinerary.
Maine: In Portland, cruise the islands on a Mail Boat Tour. Nearby Portland is Cape Elizabeth which is home to the most photographed lighthouse in the United States. Learn more in my Maine Travel Guide where you’ll also find my five day Maine itinerary.
More in New England: Maine is just the beginning of adventures in New England. In Rhode Island, tour the over the top mansions in Newport. In Connecticut, visit the historic fishing village of Mystic or one of its many state parks. Take a quick detour through New York to visit Albany. And don’t miss out on Stowe, Vermont – it’s a favorite among many travelers. Loop together these highlights in a great itinerary in either 10 days or one week.
US National Parks: Start planning your national park vacation with my US National Park Travel Guide. You’ll find information about each park, photos, itineraries, budget tips, advice for non-hikers, and more. Plus, don’t forget to book your timed entry reservations in advance!