Buck Cove Mountain Trail

Buck Cove Mountain Trail is the longest continuous route in the Schoodic Peninsula network, and it earns that distinction honestly. You'll start in a quiet mixed forest — birch, spruce, the usual Acadia suspects — before the canopy opens into corridors of highbush blueberries that, come late July, will slow your pace considerably. The trail climbs steadily through increasingly rocky terrain to the summit of Buck Cove Mountain, where you get your first real views of Frenchman Bay and the main part of Acadia across the water. But the route keeps going, pushing up the north face of Schoodic Head for even bigger panoramas. At 3.2 miles with legitimate elevation changes, this one sits squarely in the moderate-to-strenuous zone — not a death march, but your legs will know they worked. Hikers who want Acadia views without Acadia crowds will find their trail here.