Dorr Mountain

Overview

Named after the "Father of Acadia", George Dorr, Dorr Mountain provides hikers with all the views afforded by its more popular neighbor but without the same level of traffic.

Dorr Mountain is the second highest peak in Acadia National Park and is located on Mount Desert Island. There are multiple trails that will take you through the 4 different zones on the mountain. The zones include Hardwood Forest, Hemlock, Mixed Pine, Birch Grove, and Alpine. There are also 2 "scramble" trails that lead to the open summit, a loop trail that will take you through a glacial gorge around the base of the mountain, and many "hidden" trails such as Homan's Pathwhich were created early in the park's history but for some reason became inactive and are not depicated on most maps. An additional geological feature at the eastern base of Dorr Mountain is a glacial-melt pond called The Tarn.

Dorr Mounatin contains many trails with "stone stairs", carved granite meticulously laid and maintained,
along with iron rungs and ladders. All of the trails should be considered class 1/2 hikes and can be done by all ages.

Getting There

There are multiple trailheads from which Dorr Mountain can be hiked.

These include:

Kebo Mountain, Jessup, Hemlock, and Strath Eden off of Park Loop Road
Tarn Trail off of Rte 3, or
Cadillac/Dorr Trail off of Cadillac Mountain.

Directions from the Town of Bar Harbor to Park Loop Rd:

At the intersection of 3 and 233, turn right (west) on 233. Travel a little over a mile and turn left (south) at Park Loop Road. Travel approximately 1/2 mile and then turn sharply to the left (headed east) at a Y inetresction continuing on Park Loop Road. Park Loop becomes a one-way road with the trail-heads on the right.

Directions from the town of Bar Harbor to The Tarn:

Take Route 3 (headed south) from Bar Harbor for approximately two miles until you see clear signs on the right for The Tarn.

Because there are many different winding roads, in typical New England fashion, it is recommended a map be used to navigate around the island.

Red Tape

An Acadia National Park pass is required to park at the trail heads.

Night hiking is not allowed.

Camping

Camping within Acadia is extremely limited. There are two campsites, Blackwoods and Seawall. Link to information on the campsites.

Blackwoods provides fire-pits, toilets and sinks, drinkable water (spigots), trash and picnic benches. The sites are made of tiny gravel so it is recommended that you bring a sleeping pad.

Blackwoods site is the closest to Dorr and does have a trail leading from it to Cadillac Mountain, from which you could then traverse to Dorr Mountain.

Due to the limited number of sites and high volume of traffic during peak season, June 15th through September 15, reservations must be made 4-5 months in advance for Blackwoods. For reservations:

Call 1-800-365-2267
Visit to make a reservation on-line.

Seawall campsite reserved on a first-come basis. During peak season the site is usually full by 9:30 a.m.

In addition to these campsites there are multiple hotels, bed and breakfasts, motels, cabins, and inns located in the towns outside of the park but still on Mount Desert Island. It is recommended that reservations be made well in advance for these as well.

Weather

Bar Harbor, ME




The open summit will expose hikers to high winds and sun.

Images

View Dorr Mountain Image Gallery - 25 Images