6 Best Hikes in Acadia National Park with Dogs

Acadia National Park is one of the best travel destinations with dogs. It’s beautiful, and a majority (if not all of) the national park is dog friendly. That’s rare, because most national parks in the US are not dog friendly.

There are so many hikes in Acadia that it’s hard to narrow down the list to what is suitable for your specific dog and activity level.

I did a little bit of research to prep for our two weeks in Maine and I think I found the best hikes for all dogs – from big lazy Ezra to toy breeds. Check them out!

What is Acadia National Park?

Acadia National Park is located in Maine. It’s a coastal park, featuring beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. A majority of the park is on Mount Desert Island, and the locals call the area Down East.

It’s thousands of acres of park land, with rocky beaches and granite mountains (like Cadillac Mountain). The main part of Acadia National park is a loop road and that is where most of the hikes are, and Cadillac Mountain. It’s 27 miles long and very scenic, even if you don’t want to hike. Sometimes it’s nice to just drive and stop at the scenic overlooks to take in the views.

If you want to do just that and avoid the crowds, take a trip to Schoodic Peninsula. It’s the only part of Acadia that’s found on the mainland. It’s about six miles to drive around scenic loop of Schoodic Peninsula. There aren’t many worthwhile hikes there, but it has few tourists and fantastic view points.

Aside from hiking and the beauty of nature, Acadia has one major town called Bar Harbor that is pleasant to walk through. Parking is available but can be limited during peak season. The town is highly walkable and small, but has many restaurants and shops to explore. Definitely recommend spending at least an afternoon in Bar Harbor.

Six Acadia National Park Dog Friendly Trails

Hike 1: Wonderland Trail

This trail is located in Southwest Harbor and is nearly entirely flat. It’s a loop trail that is 1.3 miles in total. It was a total breeze – Ezra and I did it in 45 minutes, and that includes some breaks to enjoy scenery, go to the bathroom, and grab some water.

There were plenty of small paths off the trail that led to beautiful shoreline scenery. With Ezra’s size and rambunctious puppy nature, it was really nice that this trail is wide. You can see in the picture below that he isn’t taking up the whole trail, which is great!

This was my number one pick because I think puppies to elderly dogs big and small could enjoy this hike. I also think that if you have a puppy that still isn’t 100% leash trained, it’s beneficial to pick a wide trail. You have more space to handle the dog without scaring other hikers on the trail. Lastly, it was a very beautiful hike that allows you and your family to adventure beyond 45 minutes if you wanted to. The major disadvantage of this trail is that there are no garbage cans at the trail head.

Hike 2: Ship Harbor Trail

Clocking in at 1.4 miles, this hike is another quick and easy hike! It also has some spectacular views. Located in Southwest Harbor, this hike is only 0.25 miles away from Wonderland Trail.

This hike had stunning views and because it was short, it was easy for my big lazy pup to handle. The terrain also changed between being a dirt path to walking through large rocks, yet it was still easy to navigate. The views were also stunning.

This is very popular so it will get crowded during the day. If you are still leash training your puppy or if this is your dog’s first experience hiking, I’d recommend going very early in the morning to avoid crows. The trail is also very narrow, and we had to pull off the trail entirely at one point because a couple hikers were passing by that are afraid of dogs.

Hike 3: Jordan Pond Loop

This hike is 3.5 miles and loops around the Jordan Pond. You can park in the North Parking Lot nearby Jordan Pond House. I brought Ezra to this hike around dinner time and we completed it in 1 hour and 45 minutes. This included four water breaks and a bathroom break.

The trail is pretty narrow and there are areas of the trail that require rock scrambling. I almost turned around because I was worried Ezra would struggle over the rocks and potentially get hurt. He ended up navigating it just fine.

The main thing I didn’t like about this trail is that a good portion of it is narrow boards to walk on. Ezra needed to lay down a few times and he took up the entire walking path. That made it a bit uncomfortable for other hikers too. The other thing I didn’t like about this trail is that the best view is right at the restaurant, so you don’t even need to hike to see it.

Hike 4: Sand Bar Trail

Sand Bar Trail is located in Bar Harbor. It is only accessible in the 1.5 hour windows before and after low tide. You can find Bar Harbor’s tide time chart here. This hike takes you from Bar Harbor, across the ocean floor (locally referred to as the Sand Bar or Bar Island Land Bridge), to Bar Island. The trail in total is 1.9 miles long and takes you on a gravel/sand bar to a dirt road and a forested path through Bar Island. The end of the trails gives you beautiful bay views.

Most people just enjoy hanging out on the Sand Bar and playing in the tide pools. We saw many other dogs walking through the Sand Bar too. It’s very wide, so even if it’s busy you can likely avoid close contact with other rambunctious dogs or hikers.

The biggest disadvantage of this trail? If you don’t cross the Sand Bar before low tide ends, you are stranded on Bar Island.

Hike 5: Great Head Trail

So this hike almost didn’t make the cut for this post. The reason is because it is a moderate level hike and it includes a rock scramble. Some dog owners may not want to venture a rock scramble with their pup. Small dog owners or elderly dogs should consider skipping this hike.

It’s a loop trail and it’s pretty short at only 1.4 miles around. The views from the top of Great Head are very pretty – you get to see the ocean and mountains in the distance. Further along the trail you will get views of Sand Beach, but only if you complete the rock scramble. While this is a loop trail, you can skip the rock scramble and still complete the whole hike without having to backtrack.

In addition to the rock scramble, a lot of this trail is uphill and has a lot of exposed roots and rocks. If your dog pulls a lot and you don’t have the best hiking gear, be careful. You don’t want to twist an ankle. The best part about this hike? It begins and ends in a gem of a beach in Acadia National Park called Sand Beach! It’s one of the few sandy beaches you’ll find in Acadia and we loved it.

Hike 6: Ocean Path Trail

In full transparency, Ezra and I didn’t actually hike this trail. It was our top pick to hike all week, and we drove to Sand Beach in order to complete it, but we accidentally hiked Great Head instead of Ocean Path. It was a big bummer, and it’s on our list for the next time we are able to go hiking in Acadia National Park.

The reason it’s still on our list of top easy hikes in Acadia National Park that are dog friendly is because it’s nearly flat and has beautiful ocean views. The one downside of this trail for some types of dogs is it’s length – it’s 4.4 miles out and back. Given Ezra’s age, I don’t think we would have completed the full trail, but we would have still done part of the hike for the views.

FAQs

Conclusion

Acadia National Park is a perfect spot for family vacations with your dog, with plenty of simple hikes that are beautiful. If you had one hike in Maine you’d love to do with your pup, which would you do? Comment and let me know!