The impressively constructed trails up the steep eastern face of Dorr Mountain are one of many trails that can be used to ascend Dorr Mountain, the third highest peak (1,270′) in Acadia National Park.
The particular route described here is an out-and-back hike that begins at the Sieur de Monts Nature Center and ascends the Emery Path, then connects to the Schiff Path, which leads to the summit of Dorr Mountain.
The descent is made on the Schiff Path again, and uses Homans Path for the final descent back to the trail head.
Alternative trails up Dorr Mountain are briefly described as well.
I rate this hike as moderately strenuous only due to the hundreds of steps you climb up the east face of the mountain on natural rock staircases, but it is kid friendly and dog friendly.
There is no rock scrambling but there are a few steep sections with drop-offs that may be intimidating to people afraid of heights.
I logged just under 4 miles and a total cumulative ascent of about 1,400 feet, with 2.5 hours of hiking time.
The Emery Path
Park or get dropped off on Acadia’s free Island Explorer shuttle at the Sieur de Monts Nature Center. The trail head for Emery Path is located near the spring house.
The rock steps begin immediately upon entering the woods. You’ll climb hundreds of these steps on both the Emery Path and the Schiff Path on your way up to Dorr Mountain. I wish I counted how many steps there are. It’s a workout for sure! While it felt like being on a stairmaster, I was amazed at how well constructed these “paths” are, with large boulders perfectly placed to create a natural staircase up the side of the mountain.
The Schiff Path
After about a half mile, the trail intersects with Homans Path on your right and Schiff Path on your left. Continue on the Schiff Path where views open up of the meadows, the ocean and Champlain Mountain.
You’re not done with the rock steps though … Your incline continues as you make your way to the intersection with the Ladder Trail.
I looked at my trail tracker and was shocked that I had only completed a mile in the last 45 minutes! It definitely felt like more than that due to the elevation gain.
Shortly before reaching the intersection with the Ladder Trail, you have this gorgeous view of Champlain Mountain in front of you. It’s a bit taller than where you are now but you’ll be higher than it once you reach the summit of Dorr Mountain.
After the intersection with the Ladder Trail, continue on the Schiff Trail for the last half mile to the summit. There’s some more rock steps here but more challenging was the small section of bare rock that you walk up. Going down it was tough too. Pictures don’t do it justice. It was a thigh burner!
Dorr Mountain Summit
Shortly before reaching the summit, you’ll come to the 4 way intersections where all Dorr Mountain trails converge. To your right is the North Ridge Trail, straight ahead is the Cadillac – Dorr connector trail, and to your left, the trail you’ll follow briefly is the South Ridge Trail to Dorr Mountain’s summit.
From the summit of Dorr Mountain, straight ahead is Cadillac Mountain. You can wave to the tiny looking people on its summit. There are limited ocean views from here but walk around a bit and you’ll find a better view in the opposite direction of the ocean, islands, and Champlain Mountain.
After soaking up the views and enjoying the fresh air, head back the way you came. After going down Schiff Path, instead of going back down Emery Path, I took Homans Path, which leads to the Sieur de Monts parking lot, so that I could check out that trail.
Homans Path
Homans Path is similar to Emery Path, just a bit more muddy in the sections through the forest. I don’t think one is more difficult than the other so you could ascend Homans and descend Emery as well. Again, I’m just amazed by the work to construct this trail. Huge flat boulders are perfectly placed to create these natural staircases.
The Homan’s Path will eventually intersect with Hemlock Road and the beautiful Jesup Path. Continue a short distance on Homan’s Path to the parking lot, or turn right on Jesup Path to go back to Sieur de Monts with the option of visiting a small pond called The Tarn.
Alternative Routes
You can ascend Dorr Mountain from the north, south, east or west.
The Ladder Trail & South Ridge Trail
I think the most popular trail is the Ladder Trail, which begins a bit farther down the road from Sieur de Months on the other side of The Tarn. There is a small parking area on the side of the road by the trail head or you could take the Jesup Path and Kane Path to the trail head from Sieur de Monts.
The Ladder Trail has many rock steps like the Emery Path, but as the name implies, it has a couple of ladders to climb, as well as some iron rungs to assist in the climb. The trail connects with the Schiff Trail and then you summit Dorr Mountain the same way you do with the route described here.
A popular loop is to go up the Ladder Trail and down the South Ridge Trail, then back to the trail head on the Canon Brook Trail and Kane Path. You could also go down the North Ridge Trail then back to the trail head on the Hemlock Trail, Jesup Path and Kane Path.
Dorr Mountain North Ridge Trail
You can access this trail from the Gorge Trail, Kebo Mountain Trail or Hemlock Trail on the park loop road. Alternatively, you use the North Ridge Trail to make a loop hike with the eastern face trails like Ladder / Schiff or Emery / Schiff.
Cadillac – Dorr Connector
Finally, you could also climb up or down the western face of Dorr Mountain on the trail that connects Dorr Mountain with Cadillac Mountain. For example, after ascending the eastern face of Dorr Mountain, you could continue your hike down the trail connector to Cadillac Mountain and then return the way you came or take the shuttle from Cadillac Mountain back to the trail head.
In conclusion, while Dorr Mountain doesn’t provide the jaw dropping panoramic summit views of some of the other peaks in Acadia, it’s yet another great hike to do in Acadia National Park, and there’s a wide variety of trail combinations you can take to make your hike unique.
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Check out these other hikes at Acadia and in the Down-East region of Maine:
