Sand Beach is a must-see at Acadia National Park and there’s perhaps no better view of it than from the Great Head Trail.
This easy hike with postcard views starts on beautiful Sand Beach and then loops around the rocky coastline of the Great Head peninsula.
Great Head Trail is one of the easier and family friendly hikes in the park and offers incredible views with minimal effort compared to other top hiking trails at Acadia National Park.
Park at the usually bustling Sand Beach parking lot. This parking lot is always always full in the summer, so I recommend using Acadia’s free Island Explorer shuttle.
At the opposite side of the beach from the staircase coming down from the parking lot, you’ll find the trail head for Great Head Trail.
Take a right at the first trail junction and within a few minutes you’ll be treated to the first of many scenic look-outs of Sand Beach and The Beehive behind it.
The views keep getting better as the trail follows along the coast.
You could just soak up these views and turn around the way you came, or continue along the loop around the peninsula for more ocean views.
After about a mile, there’s a trail junction where you can turn left for a short cut back to Sand Beach, or continue on the full loop which only adds about a half mile to your hike and takes you to a small rocky beach.
I consider this an easy hike because of the short length and very minimal elevation gain but there are a few short sections of minor rock scrambling as you can see in the photos below.
Note that dogs are not permitted on Sand Beach from June 15th to September 8th. However, there is a small parking lot at the end of Schooner Head Rd which gives you alternative access to Great Head Trail and circumvents Sand Beach.
Check out these other hikes at Acadia and in the Down-East region of Maine:
Hope to hike this trail this fall.