26 peaks in Acadia National Park

Have you ever hiked the 26 peaks of Acadia? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about it, and it’s on your Acadia National Park hiking bucket list?

Now there’s a way to earn a medal for bagging the peaks, or even for virtually “climbing” them, by signing up for the 2020 Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race, which runs from Aug. 9 through Dec. 31, 2020. Register now. See details below.

List of Acadia National Park mountains

Hike all 26 peaks of Acadia, virtually, and show your love for Acadia by supporting Friends of Acadia. Opt for this medal, featuring a an “I LOVE Friends of Acadia” ribbon when you register for the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race, and at least 5% of proceeds from this medal goes to support the nonprofit. See additional medals available, below.

Here’s a list of the 26 peaks in Acadia National Park. The list includes the old names for 11 of the mountain peaks and the height of each of the mountains. This list is hard to find. It used to be prominent on the park Web site, but we found it most recently at the Cadillac Summit Gift Shop.

Two of the peaks listed below do not have maintained trails on them, and there are two popular mountains that were not included, for whatever reason, in the park’s original list.

So for the Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race route, we have added Kebo Mountain and Conners Nubble, but left out McFarland and Youngs Mountains.

Hope to see you on the trails of Acadia in real life – or in virtual reality!

A rare double rainbow (look closely) forms below dark clouds beyond Cadillac Mountain.

1) Cadillac (Green) – 1,530 feet.

2) Sargent – 1,373 feet.

3) Dorr (Flying Squadron) – 1,270 feet.

4) Pemetic – 1,248 feet.

5) Penobscot (Jordan) – 1,194 feet.

6) Bernard (of Western) – 1,071 feet.

7) Champlain (Newport) – 1,058 feet.

8) Gilmore – 1,036 feet.

Fall colors light up the shore of Jordan Pond and the Bubbles. These twin mountains are featured on the Amazin’ Maine Virtual Race Medallion, which you can earn by registering now.

9) Bald – 974 feet.

10) Mansell (of Western) – 949 feet.

11) Cedar Swamp – 942 feet.

12) Parkman (Little Brown) – 941 feet.

13) North Bubble – 872 feet.

14) Norumbega (Brown) – 852 feet.

15) Beech – 839 feet.

16) South Bubble – 766 feet.

17) Huguenot Head (Picket) – 731 feet.

18) McFarland – 724 feet, no official trail.

19) The Triad – 698 feet.

20) Acadia (Robinson) – 681 feet.

21) Youngs – 680 feet, no official trail.

22) St. Sauveur (Dog) – 679 feet.

23) Day – 580 feet.

24) Gorham – 525 feet.

25) The Beehive – 520 feet.

26) Flying – 284 feet.

Source: National Park Service.

Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race – climb Acadia peaks, earn medal

The virtual race helps support Friends of Acadia, Millinocket Memorial Library, Our Katahdin and Mount Desert Island Marathon, all 501(c)(3) charities.

Between Aug. 9 and Dec. 31, 2020, racers are virtually heading over the 26 peaks of Acadia and passing by such Maine icons as lighthouses and Stephen King’s house in Bangor. A special detour takes you virtually along the Boston Marathon route, and then there’s the big finish with a marathon-length distance up and down the trails of Katahdin.

Begin the 2020 Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race by virtually climbing the 26 peaks of Acadia in the first 50 miles. Included for the first time in this virtual race: Isle au Haut, the most remote part of Acadia National Park. Plus there’s a section of Schoodic, the only part of the park on the mainland, that’s featured in this edition of the virtual race. Sign up now and backdate miles to Aug. 9.

Start by virtually climbing all 26 peaks of Acadia, move on to virtually run the Mount Desert Island Marathon and Half, then criss-cross the state, covering some or all of the real-life routes of such races as Bridge the Gap, Down East Sunrise Trail Relay and Millinocket Marathon and Half, before ending with a marathon up Katahdin.

Along the way, you’ll get to virtually visit Isle au Haut and Schoodic, the more remote parts of Acadia National Park, stops along a Stephen King tour, and other scenic spots along the coast of Maine.

And in a special detour, you’ll get to virtually run the route of the Boston Marathon, also cancelled this pandemic year, and the setting of the 17th annual New Years Boston Run slated for Jan. 1, 2021 (crowathletics.com/boston-new-years-run).

(This virtual race is not officially affiliated with Boston Marathon or any of the other real-life races, other than as the virtual edition of the Maine Sea to Summit Series, co-sponsored by acadiaonmymind.com and runmdi.org.)

Wherever you are in the world, you can participate virtually by running or walking and logging your miles. Watch your avatar move along on a map from Acadia to Katahdin, jumping from segment to segment.

You have 145 days, until December 31, to complete the segments. To ensure you cross the finish line and to take into account any mileage rounding issues, be sure to log a few extra tenths of a mile. And if you opted in for special finisher’s medal(s), they will be mailed beginning in mid-October, upon your completion. Everyone is a winner, with final medals mailed soon after December 31, whether you completed the segments by then or not.

Register now, and you can backdate your miles to Aug. 9, 2020, if you don’t start right away.

Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race medal options, and gift giveaways

Below are the medal options available in this race, ranging from the new “Maine STRONG” medal ($18 each) to two special fundraising medals, ($12 each), plus three classic medal options ($10 each), to help raise funds for the Acadia -area and Millinocket charities. Make your choice when you sign up for the virtual race. All virtual racers automatically are entered into a gift giveaway, details of giveaway to be announced once the list of gifts is finalized.

This is just the rough draft for the 2020 Maine STRONG medal ($18), to be updated once the artist’s rendition is complete. Being made by Ashworth Awards, the same company that makes MDI and Boston Marathon medals.

Show your support for Friends of Acadia (photo above) or Millinocket Memorial Library (photo below) when you opt for one of these medals ($12 each) when you sign up for the 2020 Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race.

Your option of ribbon to go with this classic Acadia to Katahdin medal ($10 each), neon moose (top); lobster (middle); or multiple moose (bottom), when you sign up for the 2020 Acadia to Katahdin Virtual Race.