Acadia Mountain Trail: Hike Above Somes Sound
The park's best views of Somes Sound — the quiet west side of MDI
The best views of Somes Sound are from above it — and Acadia Mountain is where you go for that. The summit, 681 feet above sea level, looks directly down into the Sound, a narrow, fjord-like inlet flanked by steep cliffs that is the most dramatic landform on Mount Desert Island. On a clear day, the light on the water below is striking in a way that the more photographed east-side summits simply can't match.
Somes Sound is often called 'the only true fjord on the US East Coast' — technically it's a fjard, slightly less deep than a true fjord, but the effect is the same: a deeply incised channel carved by glacial action, opening to the sea at its southern end. The cliffs on the western wall are 600 feet high.
The trail is steep on the initial ascent through mixed forest, gaining elevation quickly from the Route 102 trailhead. The summit is open granite, and the descent loops via Valley Cove along the water's edge — a forested, quiet path that follows the Sound itself before climbing back to the trailhead. The combination of summit and waterfront makes this one of the most complete loops in the park.
This is the quiet side of MDI. The trailhead parking lot is small and rarely full. The west side of the island sees a fraction of the traffic of the Park Loop Road corridor — the same quality of experience, a quarter of the people.
Key Waypoints
- 1
Summit
1.0 mi from start · 681ft elevation
Open granite top with views of Somes Sound. The sound is directly below, flanked by forested cliffs. Southwest Harbor visible beyond.
- 2
Valley Cove Junction
1.4 mi from start · 200ft elevation
Fork in the trail — Valley Cove Trail turns left toward the water. The loop descends here along the shoreline of the Sound.
- 3
Valley Cove Shore
1.8 mi from start · 10ft elevation
The trail follows the rocky shoreline of the Sound. Tidal pools, barnacle-crusted rock, and the near-silence of the west side MDI.
Seasonal Notes
Open year-round. The summit is exposed to northwest wind in fall and winter — significant chill factor in shoulder season. The Valley Cove section can be muddy after rain. Fall foliage on the descent is excellent in early October.
Conservation Note
Somes Sound hosts harbor seals that haul out on ledges at the water's edge. If you're walking the Valley Cove section, stay on the trail and keep noise down — seals disturbed from haul-out sites expend energy they cannot easily recover in the cold Gulf of Maine.