ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - GREAT HEAD TRAIL: 4/19/12

Another glorious sunny day in Acadia. Before making the long drive home to NH, we took a morning hike on the Great Head Trail, which makes a loop around a rocky headland and provides ocean and mountain views. We started from trailhead parking at the end of Schooner Head Rd. and soon veered left at a trail junction.

 

Within a few minutes a short side path provided our first ocean view, looking north.

The trail led through some birches that grew up after the big 1947 Mount Desert Island fire. I read somewhere that the blaze burned itself out in a big fireball out here on Great Head.

A sign marks the 145-ft. "peak" of Great Head.

A view across to the Schoodic Peninsula, part of which is included in the park.

Looking south to Otter Point.

Gazing out over the vast Atlantic.

Carol gets a shot from a rocky promontory.

Classic Maine coastline.

We spent some time on a ledge with a great view across Newport Cove to The Beehive. Down in the water we saw several Common Eiders and a Black Guillemot.

From the ledge, the trail climbed back up to the Great Head ridgecrest, passing this view of Gorham Mountain.

There were several fine views of Champlain Mountain, home of the famed Precipice Trail.

A view down to Sand Beach.

The return loop led across a unique ledgy plateau carpeted with gnarled pitch pines.

More ocean views on the way back down into the woods - a great way to end an Acadia vacation.