Another in a series of “Ask Acadia on My Mind!” Q&As

If you have a question about Acadia National Park on your mind, whether you’re a first-time visitor or long-time fan, leave a comment below, or contact us through the About us page. We may not be able to answer every question, or respond right away, but we’ll do our best. See our page linking in one place all the Q&As.

I am coming to Acadia next week and would like some advice on hiking trails. It will be me, my wife and 18-year-old son. I watched videos of the Beehive Trail and it looks nice but how would I get back to my car after hiking up? What trails would you recommend in December? Thankfully, there is no ice or snow forecast for when I’m going but the island hopper bus is not running either. Thanks, Steve

Dear Steve,

Good to hear you’re doing some research in advance of your off-season trip to Acadia, and checking the weather. And you’re right to ask about how to get off the Beehive, as it’s not recommended to go back down the same way, as the cliff face is best hiked up, not down.

The Beehive is one of Acadia’s toughest climbs, featuring iron rungs and ladders. It’s not recommended for people who are afraid of heights, out of shape or unprepared, but we know that many people make it a tradition to climb it, especially in the summer.

For example, Martha Stewart has blogged about climbing Beehive with family or friends, most recently this past August. She includes a couple of videos on her Web site of her and Charlie Jacobi, Acadia natural resource and visitor use specialist, hiking the Beehive together a number of years ago. (She owns a home in Seal Harbor, and is a big supporter of Friends of Acadia and other area charities.)

But you wouldn’t want to do the Beehive in bad weather, whether during Acadia winter hiking or summer seasons.

To see if there might be any visible snow, check out the live Acadia air pollution monitoring webcam that overlooks Frenchman Bay, or a series of Bar Harbor area webcams. The park Web site features a winter activities page with links to local weather and other useful information.

If you, your wife and son are experienced and well-equipped hikers, then the Beehive can certainly be a fun family challenge, especially since there’s little or no snow or ice so far this December, and it won’t be an ice-climbing expedition. Do take the necessary precautions however. If the Beehive is beyond your comfort level, there are plenty of other Acadia winter hiking trails to consider, from easy to more difficult.

Acadia winter hiking can include Beehive in right conditions

Here’s how to get to the Beehive, and off it, no matter what the season:

From the Sand Beach parking lot, which is along the approximately 2-mile portion of the one-way Park Loop Road that did not close for the off-season on Dec. 1:

• Cross the Park Loop Road and take the Bowl Trail for 0.2 mile to the base of the Beehive
• Turn right onto the Beehive trail and climb carefully to the top, reached in another 0.3 mile
• Continue down the backside of the Beehive to circle down to the Bowl Trail, to loop back to the trailhead and the Sand Beach parking lot.
• You can either turn left on a spur to the Bowl Trail, reached about 0.1 below the Beehive summit, and turn left again to circle back. Or you can continue straight another 0.4 mile all the way to the mountain pond known as the Bowl, bear left along the Bowl, and then turn left to follow the Bowl Trail back to the trailhead, for a 1.9-mile loop.

The Beehive Trail is a chapter in our Falcon guide, Hiking Acadia National Park, which includes more detailed directions and a map. Autographed copies of the book are usually available locally at Sherman’s bookstore in Bar Harbor, or you can buy it online on Amazon or through our online shop. (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about Amazon links in this blog)

If the Beehive is too tricky, and you’re looking for easier hikes to do in December, here are some favorites, all of which are featured in Hiking Acadia, as well as in a slimmer volume of ours, Best Easy Day Hikes, Acadia National Park. With little or no snow, these are easy to moderate trails. But if there is significant snowfall or ice, you will want to be sure to have the right equipment for the conditions, as we wrote about in an earlier Acadia winter hiking post. (PLEASE NOTE: See sidebar about Amazon links in this blog)

• Ship Harbor Trail or Wonderland, on the “Quietside” of Mount Desert Island – easy, ranging from 1.3 to 1.4 miles
• Ocean Path, which also begins from the Sand Beach parking lot – easy, taking you by Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff, 4 miles round trip
• Sand Beach and Great Head – moderate, 1.7 miles
  

  Winter in Acadia, as seen from Cadillac. (NPS photo)

• Jordan Pond Path – easy, 3.3 miles
• Bar Island Trail, accessible only at low tide – easy, 2 miles round trip
• Cadillac Mountain, which can be hiked via the Cadillac Summit Road since the summit is closed to cars as of Dec. 1, or the Cadillac North Ridge Trail – moderate, more than 8 miles round trip
• Carriage roads – The network of 45 miles of carriage roads in Acadia can be accessed during the winter at a number of places, whether for hiking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, depending upon the conditions: On ME 233 at the Eagle Lake parking lot; at the Jordan Pond House, accessible from the 2-way section of the Park Loop Road via the park’s Stanley Brook Entrance in Seal Harbor; Brown Mountain Gatehouse on ME 198 in Northeast Harbor; and other spots.

Visiting in December and the rest of the Acadia winter hiking season can be a delight, even if it’s cold, it gets dark early, and there’s the possibility of snow and ice.

You might get the chance to see a Snowy owl. You won’t have to fight the crowds. Plus there are year-round places to stay and dine on Mount Desert Island, and you don’t have to pay an entrance fee.

One recent change for winter: To get basic information about visiting the park,  you should stop by the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce at the corner of Main and Cottage Streets, where a ranger is now stationed.

Other links that may be helpful in planning an off-season trip to the Acadia region:

• Mid-January each year – Bar Harbor Winter Beerfest
• Page linking to year-round lodging, dining and other services in the Acadia region
• Facebook group page we host for Acadia National Park hiking

Enjoy your off-season hiking trip in Acadia, Steve. Thanks for asking Acadia on My Mind!