Hiking the Penobscot Mountain Trail in Acadia National Park
Distance: 3.0 - 4.1 miles / 4.8 - 6.6 km
Penobscot Mountain in Acadia National Park is arguably the best and most beautiful of the three major summits that surround Jordan Pond!
These include Penobscot Mountain, Sargent Mountain, and Pemetic Mountain. However, I personally find Penobscot to be the most beautiful because of the fun trails that climb from Jordan Pond to the summit.
By this, I mean that whether you take the Spring Trail or the Jordan Cliffs to the Penobscot Mountain East Trail, both are extremely beautiful and unique routes that I believe make for one of the best alternative hikes when visiting the Jordan Pond area, along with The Bubbles on the northern end.
Penobscot Mountain Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Penobscot Mountain Trail is located in the same trailhead parking lots used for the Jordan Pond Path.
That being said, it’s safe to say that if you don’t arrive early during the busy summer travel season, parking at Jordan Pond can be almost impossible to find.
With that in mind, there are three common places to park at Jordan Pond, which can all be used to hike Penobscot Mountain. First, there is the Jordan Pond Trailhead at the Jordan Pond House. Then, there is the overflow parking lot, just to the north of the main parking lot. Finally, there is a very small roadside parking area, which is the furthest option for Penobscot Mountain. This third option extends the hike by about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) each way, but it is the smallest area of the three to find a spot, which is why parking at Jordan Pond can be more practical.
Remember to purchase your National Park pass in advance and display your pass or entrance receipt here and at every trailhead in Acadia National Park, whether you went through an official entrance station or not. Yes, law enforcement officers check parked cars throughout Acadia, and I have seen tickets handed out to vehicles not following the rules of a U.S. fee area.
On a different note, be aware that Acadia National Park is one of the busiest parks in the country, and finding a place to park, even at less-known trailheads, can be incredibly challenging during the busiest times of the year.
Google Maps Directions: Jordan Pond Path Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Acadia
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Acadia National Park.
Hiking the Penobscot Mountain Trail
Whether you decide to hike along Jordan Pond first or climb the closer route from the south, as I have shown, the trail up Penobscot Mountain begins adjacent to the Jordan Pond House at the joint Jordan Pond–Spring Trailhead, which leads to both the Jordan Cliffs and Penobscot Mountain Trail.
Personally, I recommend going left to begin the Spring Trail, as it’s the fastest route to the summit of Penobscot Mountain.
This way, you can decide which route you prefer to descend at the summit, with the fastest option being an out-and-back hike the same way up, as shown below.
Read My Separate Post: Jordan Pond Path
Spring-Jordan Stream-Carriage Road Junction
When the Spring Trail meets the Carriage Road, go straight, then right to take the trail across Jordan Stream.
The smaller bridge on the right is where the Spring Trail continues across Jordan Stream.
Spring-Asticou Junction
Almost immediately after Jordan Stream, the Spring Trail splits once again, connecting with the Asticou Trail, which leads around the south side of Penobscot Mountain.
Here, go right to continue on the fastest route up Penobscot Mountain.
Spring-Jordan Cliffs Junction
The next split marks the beginning of the Jordan Cliffs Trail.
That said, both the Spring Trail and Jordan Cliffs make for really fun routes up Penobscot Mountain, but deciding which one to hike depends on what kind of adventure you’re looking to have.
What I mean is that both the Jordan Cliffs and Spring Trail follow very steep routes up the granite cliffs. However, the Jordan Cliffs Trail climbs a number of iron rungs and ladders, while the Spring Trail does not. Instead, the Spring Trail follows a moderate Class 2 route, with only a few spots that involves scrambling to reach the Penobscot Mountain Trail.
This is all to say that I choose to go left, continuing on the Spring Trail up Penobscot Mountain, as it is the fastest and most direct route to the summit.
Spring-Carriage Road Junction
Just up the hill from the beginning of the Jordan Cliffs Trail, the Spring Trail crosses one of the Carriage Roads beneath Penobscot Mountain.
After the Carriage Road, the Spring Trail begins what I think of as the most fun and beautiful section of the entire hike.
I say this because this area, above the Carriage Road and below the Penobscot Mountain Trail, traverses a number of narrow ledges and short scrambles along the cliffs below the top of the ridge, making it one of the most fun and scenic places on the entire hike!
The short and quick scrambles like this are as difficult as it gets on Spring Trail.
On a different note, if you’re looking for some good, light shoes with great grip for the granite trails around Acadia National Park, I highly recommend wearing the trail runners that I love, linked below.
This is another one of the short scrambles, almost immediately after the first.
As the Spring Trail starts to get close to the Penobscot Mountain Trail, the views above Jordan Pond, with Pemetic Mountain beyond, start to open up!
Penobscot Mountain-Spring Junction
The end of the Spring Trail is the point where the hike begins on the Penobscot Mountain Trail from the south side.
At this split, go right to continue up Penobscot Mountain, which will be much more gradual compared to the Spring Trail up to this point.
Penobscot Mountain Trail
Once on the Penobscot Mountain Trail, the hike to the summit continues for another 0.9 miles (1.4 km).
As the Penobscot Mountain Trail climbs above the tree line, the hike up the granite slopes becomes much more exposed, which is why I highly recommend traveling to Acadia with a hooded sun shirt.
There are more than a few adventures where one can come in handy, including Penobscot, Pemetic, The Bubbles, Cadillac, and Norumbega Mountain, to name just a few.
On top of the sun, the wind can be much more extreme on these exposed summits, which is why I want to encourage hiking with layers on the New England coast, as the weather can be much more variable in Acadia than in areas further inland.
Within the last 0.2 miles (0.3 km) of the summit, the views toward Jordan Pond to the east begin to open up again.
Penobscot Mountain
According to the National Park Service, Penobscot Mountain stands at 1,184 ft. (361 m), making it the fifth-highest summit in Acadia National Park.
After reaching the top of Penobscot Mountain, visitors have the option to either turn back down Jordan Ridge to the Spring Trail, continue forward toward the Deer Brook Trail and Jordan Pond Path, or go right to begin the Penobscot Mountain East Trail to the Jordan Cliffs.
Personally, I chose to go straight down the easier Penobscot Mountain Trail to the Deer Brook Trail because I think that the hike on the Jordan Cliffs Trail is much more fun to go up than to descend.
Once the Penobscot Mountain Trail re-enters the trees, the rest of the hike continues through the forest all the way back to the Jordan Pond Trailhead.
Penobscot Mountain-Deer Brook Junction
At the low point between Penobscot and Sargent Mountain, the Penobscot Mountain Trail splits with the Deer Brook Trail that leads down to Jordan Pond.
That said, hiking over to the Sargent Mountain South Ridge Trail to reach the summit is one of the most popular routes up Sargent Mountain. However, I personally recommend hiking Sargent Mountain from the west because I find it much more scenic.
This is just one person’s opinion, but I don’t believe Sargent Mountain is one of the most scenic trails in Acadia National Park, despite being the second-highest peak in the park.
However, both Parkman and Bald Peak, located on the western slopes of Sargent Mountain, are two of the prettier summits in Acadia.
For this reason, my personal recommendation for hiking Sargent Mountain is to take the Parkman-Bald Peak Loop, as these summits are much prettier on the way up—especially when planned as a sunset hike!
This is all to say: go right if you’re interested in descending the Deer Brook Trail to Jordan Pond, effectively completing the Penobscot Mountain Loop Trail.
Read My Separate Post: Parkman-Bald Peak Loop Trail (Sargent Mountain)
In total, the Deer Brook Trail measures about 0.9 miles (1.4 km), from the Penobscot Mountain Trail to Jordan Pond.
Deer Brook-Jordan Cliffs-Sargent East Cliffs Junction
After about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) on the Deer Brook Trail, the loop crosses the Sargent East Cliffs Trail on the left and the Jordan Cliffs Trail on the right.
If you’re interested in hiking the Jordan Cliffs back to the beginning, go right; otherwise, go straight to continue down to Jordan Pond.
I chose to go straight to the Jordan Pond Path.
Deer Brook-Carriage Road Junction
With only about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) left until Jordan Pond, the Deer Brook Trail crosses over one of the Carriage Roads below Penobscot Mountain.
Here, go straight to find the rest of the trail back down to the bottom.
Jordan Pond-Deer Brook Junction
The Deer Brook Trail ends on the west side of North Beach, where the hike back to the trailhead continues along the Jordan Pond Path in either direction.
That being said, go right to begin the fastest route back to the beginning. However, if you’re interested in seeing the full hike around Jordan Pond, you can learn more in my separate post using the link below.
Read My Separate Post: Jordan Pond Path
The rest of the hike simply utilizes the western half of the Jordan Pond Path, which is why this section will mirror my separate Jordan Pond article, should you decide to read both.
After the Penobscot-Sargent junction above, there are no more splits on the west side of the Jordan Pond Path until the trail returns to the beginning.
With about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) left before reaching the end of the Jordan Pond Loop, the trail follows a 0.8-mile (1.3 km) raised boardwalk, which is in place to protect the fragile, soft-soil ecosystem along the shores of Jordan Pond.
That being said, the boardwalk can make trail running on the Jordan Pond Path much more challenging when it’s wet, even if you’re wearing good shoes like my preferred trail runners linked below.
This is where the raised boardwalk ends, with only 0.2 miles (0.3 km) remaining to return to the beginning of the Jordan Pond Loop.
Jordan Pond-Carriage Road Junction
When the Jordan Pond Path meets the Carriage Road at the far southern end, go left to cross over Jordan Stream and return to the beginning.
On the far side of the bridge, go left once again to complete the loop.
Jordan Pond Loop Junction
This is the original loop split, where the Jordan Pond Path left the Jordan Pond House Restaurant, located just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) away to the right.
Overall, I think the Penobscot Mountain Trail is one of the more beautiful day hikes on Mount Desert Island, largely due to the Spring Trail and Jordan Cliffs Trail that hikers can opt for to reach the summit.
However, it’s almost impossible not to talk about Penobscot Mountain and Jordan Pond without first mentioning the crowds that this area inevitably attracts. For this reason, I highly recommend hiking the Penobscot Mountain and other trails in the area early in the day, so that you can branch out and enjoy other, less busy places in Acadia afterward.
Read My Separate Post: Jordan Pond Path
