The Schooner Head Trail

Places To Go and Things to Do

It rises about 347 feet, but you mostly don’t notice that until the beginning or the end.

Schooner Head Path is a 5.6 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Bar Harbor, Maine that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

In May 2018, a commenter named $15 $40 said on an Acadian National Park trails site,

“Good if you have no other options. Can cut over on Murphy Lane to the Precipice Trail and avoid some of the parking issues at Precipice trailhead. But the Schooner Head Path parallels the road is unremarkable.

And I’ve got to tell you that $15 $40 makes me sad. This isn’t just because I had to fix $15 $40’s capitalization issues to include the quote. It’s because that commenter somehow thinks that nature is unremarkable.

THIS IS WHY.

THIS IS WHAT’S UNREMARKABLE.

Apparently, we can’t all be dollar-sign-name worthy and even trails don’t meet some people’s approval.

What’s remarkable about it isn’t just the scenery. What’s remarkable is that parts of the path were one of the first walkways that the white inhabitants of Bar Harbor (Eden) created. Back in the beginning of the 20th century before Acadia National Park existed, they would stroll and saunter and limp down this path. Parts of it looked out over the bay. Most of it gave beautiful views of the mountains. The trail is pretty much a sidewalk that alternates between dirt and gravel.

Yes, much of it follows a road that is barely used in the winter season, but is used in the summer. It terminates at Sols Cliff and Schooner Head. If you go on a bit, you can venture onto the Compass Harbor Trail, which we will talk about soon. At Schooner Head there’s a parking lot, tourists, locals and a little path. In the middle of the trail you can connect to Murphy Lane and the Orange And Black Path, which saunter up Champlain Mountain.

It’s not a well-used trail by the tourists. The most I’ve ever come across in the distance has been eight. Usually, you meet a runner, a Jackson Lab employee on her lunch break, some cyclists entering the park from this way. Or Penny Read and one of her friends. Penny is a local. Ask her a question, she’ll tell you everything you ever will need to know and she’ll do it with a smile.

This trail? It’s quiet and lovely and wooded. It’s full of peace and history.

But that’s not remarkable, right?