The loop hike from Jordan Pond to Penobscot Mountain and Sargent Mountain is an Acadia classic. It’s only a mile between the two peaks so you can bag them both in this great half day hike from Jordan Pond House.
Penobscot Mountain is the 5th highest peak in Acadia National Park and Sargent Mountain is the 2nd highest peak in Acadia National Park.
From the top of the mountains there are wonderful 360 views of the surrounding mountains, ponds and the ocean.
Looking east from Penobscot Mountain, directly across from Jordan Pond is Pemetic Mountain, and Cadillac Mountain behind it. To the northeast is a unique view of The Bubbles and Eagle Lake in the distance.
Looking west from Sargent Mountain you’ll see Gilmore Peak, Bald Peak, Parkman Mountain, and beyond those peaks are Norumbega Mountain and Beech Mountain, and in the far distance Blue Hill Mountain.
Looking north from Sargent Mountain you can even see Schoodic Mountain and Black Mountain in Donnell Pond Public Lands on the mainland in the distance.
Penobscot & Sargent Mountain Loop Trail
The loop hike described here leaves Jordan Pond House and ascends Penobscot Mountain on the steep Spring Trail, continues to the summit of Penobscot Mountain on the Penobscot Mountain Trail, then continues onto Sargent Mountain on the Sargent South Ridge Trail, descends the mountain on the very steep Sargent East Cliffs Trail and the lower portion of the Deer Brook Trail and finally returns to the trailhead on the flat Jordan Pond Path.
The hike took about 5 hours to complete and I logged 5.8 miles and total cumulative elevation gain of about 1,900 feet.
The hike can be shortened by making it an out-and-back hike from Jordan Pond House to Penobscot Mountain.
I saw other hikers with dogs but I don’t recommend taking your dog on this particular trail because it was steep and rocky going up the spring trail to Penobscot and even steeper going down Sargent East Cliffs Trail.
For a more gradual but longer dog-friendly trail, you could get off the Spring Trail at the carriage road before it gets steep and follow the “Around Mountain” carriage trail until it connects with Penobscot Mountain Trail. If you continue to Sargent Mountain, come back the way you came. Do not try to descend Sargent East Cliffs Trail if hiking with your dog.
Spring Trail and Penobscot Mountain Trail
The trailhead for “Penobscot and Sargent Trails” is located next to Jordan Pond House. There are two large parking lots near here but this is a busy spot so you should consider using Acadia’s free Island Explorer shuttle. The #4 Loop Road and #5 Jordan Pond shuttles both stop here.
This hike begins with an easy 15 minute walk through the woods to the junction with the “Around the Mountain” carriage road. Cross the road and continue up the stone stairs for the steep section of the Spring Trail.
Alternatively, for a more gradual ascent you could turn left here and follow the carriage road until it intersects with the Penobscot Mountain Trail and ascend from there.
I didn’t think the Spring Trail was bad at all … Just a few steep and narrow sections to climb up. It would be more difficult going down, but still do-able.
After only a half mile, the Spring Trail intersects with the Penobscot Mountail Trail which you’ll follow for another mile to the summit. It’s an easy gradual ascent from here and the views are fantastic.
Don’t forget to turn around and see the great view behind you of Long Pond, Bracy Cove and the Cranberry Islands. To your east is Jordan Pond, with Pemetic Mountain rising above it, Cadillac Mountain behind it, and the Bubbles to your northeast. Directly north is Sargent Mountain.
From Penobscot Mountain’s summit, you have several options. You can simply turn around and return the way you came. You can descend on the Deer Brook Trail and return on the Jordan Pond Path, you can return on the Jordan Cliffs Trail if it’s open (closed 3/15 to 8/15 for falcon nesting), or you can continue as I did onto Sargent Mountain to your north, only about a mile away.
Sargent Mountain South Ridge Trail
Before reaching the Sargent South Ridge Trail, you’ll briefly descend into the woods and pass by a glacier pond. What a gem! This is a great place to stop for a swim before continuing your hike to Sargent Mountain.
The trail to Sargent Mountain’s summit has a gradual ascent with true 360 views. Notice the peaks to the west on your left … You could take an alternative approach to Sargent Mountain and traverse those peaks by beginning your hike on Route 3 and connecting with the Sargent South Ridge Trail on either the Maple Spring Trail, Grandgent Trail or Sargent Northwest Trail.
Sargent East Cliffs Trail
OK, now you have to get back to the trailhead … You could turn around the way you came or descend the Sargent East Cliffs Trail as I did.
As you make your way on this trail, the view of Jordan Pond will open up again, and you can clearly see the summit of Penobscot Mountain that you were standing at earlier.
The Sargent East Cliffs Trail gets very steep … There’s some rock scrambling involved here. I thought that this trail was much steeper and more difficult than Penobscot’s Spring Trail. At this point, I just wanted to get back to the trailhead but you have to take it slow and be really careful of loose rocks and slippery leaves as you descend to Jordan Pond below.
When you get to the junction with Deer Brook Trail and Jordan Cliffs, the worse is over and the lower portion of the Deer Brook Trail isn’t bad.
Jordan Pond Path
Next you’ll connect with the carriage road which you can take back to the trailhead at Jordan Pond House or continue a bit farther on the Deer Brook Trail down to Jordan Pond and return to the trailhead on the Jordan Pond Path.
We took the Deer Brook Trail to Jordan Pond Path. After crossing the carriage road, you’ll have a nice view of Deer Brook Bridge. The creek was dry at the end of June but in spring you may find a waterfall here.
After a short descent, you’ll reach Jordan Pond Path and it’s very easy going the rest of the way.
The trail follows the perimeter of the pond and you’ll walk on a log boardwalk for much of the trail.
We were rewarded with the sight of two loons close to shore before concluding our perfect day hike!
The loop hike ends in front of Jordan Pond House, where you’ll have this classic view of Jordan Pond and The Bubbles.
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Check out these other hikes at Acadia and in the Down-East region of Maine:
