The Beehive Trail | Best Hike in Acadia National Park

The Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park is on of the best hikes in the park. This short but exhilarating hike packs a real punch. Standing at only 539 feet, and overlooking Sand Beach, Park Loop Road, and the Atlantic Ocean, the shockingly narrow ledges, iron rungs, and strenuous rock scrambles up the face of the beehive is the talk of passersby. This trail is one of the most dangerous hikes on Mount Desert Island, second only to the Precipice Trail, which was closed due to the nesting of Peregrine Falcons. Although the thrill of the hike drives most people, the views along the way are priceless and abundant.

We have hiked 100’s of miles all over the eastern part of the country, including the Great Smoky Mountains, and sections of the Appalachian Trail. However, this is one of the toughest hikes we have ever completed. It is not the length, but the sheer vertical elevation gain over a short distance. It is important to note, if you are afraid of heights, narrow ledges, and climbing up iron rungs mounted to the side of cliffs, then this hike is not for you. I would advise not taking children on this hike. Dogs are not allowed on this trail per the NPS. We would also advise to leave trekking poles back at camp or the hotel. Also, a loaded backpack is probably not needed. I took one small pack, with four (1/2-Liter bottles of water), a couple protein bars, and a first aid kit. This was plenty for two people hiking the trail on a relatively cool June day. If you have a tendency to get cold at higher elevations or on exposed cliffs, then a light weight jacket may be beneficial. Finally, as far as gear is concerned, make sure you have shoes with plenty of traction.

As far as what to expect physically, this hike is difficult, you will need both leg and arm strength to complete this hike. Give yourself a couple hours to complete this hike. Waiting on slower hikers as they ascend up the side of Beehive is common. So it will take longer than a typical 2 mile hike. Plus you will want to take some time at the top and along the way to enjoy the views.

It is best to park at Sand Beach and take the nearby trail head to the Beehive and Bowl Trails. The trial starts out as a rock scramble for about quarter mile. Then you will reach a Rock Carin, and at this point a decision needs to be made. To the right is the beehive trail, to the left is the trail to the bowl, which then turns into the backside of the beehive and allows hikers to reach the beehive summit without tackling the steep cliffs, narrow ledges and iron rungs on the front side. If you choose to tackle the hard side of the Beehive know that there is no going back. This is not a two way trail. Once you start, you need to finish. Trying to descend down the front of the Beehive trail, may be more treacherous than going up the mountain. Be sure to follow the blue blazes and not just follow people in front of you. We made this mistake, and had to climb down a portion of the beehive to hook up with the correct trail.

There is a small metal grate bridge to walk across, and a narrow wooden bridge to transverse as well. Then there are countless metal rungs to climb. After reaching the main viewing area of Sand Beach, you are not at the summit. The summit is a little farther along on the trip. From there the hike down is not a piece of cake. There are steep boulders to maneuver and as you make your way down toward the bowl. However, this side of the mountain is not nearly as dangerous as the front side. You will pass several hikers making their way up this side of the Beehive trail, as you descend. Once at the bowl, (a small pond at the bottom of the mountain), you will take a brief left over some rocks and then a board walk / bog crossing. At the next trail junction, you will turn left to continue the loop and head back to the trail head at Sand Beach. Be sure to read the signs and follow the correct blazes. We saw hikers not doing this and went the wrong way. They had to backtrack to get on the right trail.

Acadia National Park is full of trails that intersect. So having a map or other navigation device like a downloaded map, with off-line navigation features is very helpful. We used All-Trails, but you need to have the trail map open and in navigation mode at the start of the trail for it to work properly. You will lose signal from time to time on the trails in Acadia and if the app is not already open and running, then you are out of luck.

After you are done, go to Sand Beach and kickback, go to Bar Harbor and celebrate with some adult beverages, or do like we did, and tackle another Acadia National Park Hike. Just enjoy one of the best hikes on the east coast.