Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail

Bar Harbor, Maine

5.0/5

based on 2 reviews

Save

View all 6 photos

All 6 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

3.6 miles

Elevation Gain

1100 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by Danielle Tourigny

Quick ascent leads to 360 degree views of Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, and the surrounding water without the crowds on Cadillac Mountain!

To find the trail head, drive out of Bar Harbor down Route 3. There are no signs for the trailhead or for parking, so as soon as you pass Tarn Lake on the right, you can pull off and park on the side of the road.

Elevation on the ladder trail starts immediately and doesn't let up until you reach the summit, which is the downside of summiting a 1200ft mountain in one mile. The trail is 90% rock stairs, 5% large, sloping rocks, 3% ladders and 2% flat. About 0.75 miles up, you start to get a good view of the water and the views only get better from there. There are a couple of trail junctions, but just keep following the signs for Dorr Mountain!

From the summit take the Dorr South Ridge trail down to enjoy amazing views for the first quarter of the way down. At the first junction go left on the Canon Brook Trail and then take that straight onto Kane Path to lead yourself back to the Ladder Trailhead. The entire descent is 2.6 miles.

We wrapped up our hike with a stop at Lompoc Cafe, which has some of the more delicious and cheap food in Bar Harbor!

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Download GPX File

Features

Photography

Hiking

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail Reviews

Kathryn Jarrell

Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail

08/11/18

We hiked this trail in September of 2017. We started off at the nature center and followed the tarn a long a swamp/pond until we got to the ladder trail. The ladder trail is mainly stairs with 2 or 3 sets of small ladders and once you get closer to the summit a sloping flat surface. The tarn, stairs, and ladders are relatively covered over head by trees but once you get to the flat sloping part of the trail you will start to see all the views! Beautiful and challenging trail would climb again in a heart beat :)

5.0

Sarah Dahlberg

Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail

06/29/17

We accessed the Ladder Trail by hiking along The Tarn from the nature center parking lot. The Ladder Trail was definitely challenging due to the amount of stairs, but it was totally worth it. The views were gorgeous as we neared the summit, and even better at the top! We descended on the North Ridge trail, which I recommend, as the Ladder Trail's large steps might be precarious on the way down.

5.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike the Jesup Path & Hemlock Road Loop

This easy hike starts over a wooden foot bridge to the left of the Wild Gardens Of Acadia. Here you will take a right on the Jesup Path paralleling the gardens. You will soon cross the Hemlock Road which will be where you return. The path now becomes a boardwalk taking you along a boggy area of white birch. The boardwalk will end as the trail passes the Hemlock Road again. Here you will ta...

HIke the Dorr Mountain Loop via the Tarn Trail

This hike starts from the parking lot of Sieur de Monts Nature Center parking lot, walking on the Wild Gardens Path to the Tarn Trail. This is a section of the Kane Path so you will not see any mention of a Tarn Trail on the maps for Acadia National Park. The trail runs right along the lake edge which is very rocky the entire length. However, the park service has done a great job moving large ...

Precipice Trail of Champlain Mountain

The Precipice Trail is one of the most well known trails in Acadia, probably for its difficulty and the fact that it is along the exposed edge of Champlain Mountain. Much of this trail is more of a climb rather than a usual hike. You will have to climb and scramble over large rocks as well as climb iron rungs and ladders. Additionally, there are sections where you are just standing on a smal...

Explore Cadillac Mountain

Seeing the sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain is an absolute must when in Acadia National Park. Not only is it awesome to catch the first sunrise in the U.S., but the views from Cadillac Mountain are unparalleled. At 1,532 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard, and because of it's close proximity to the ocean, it feels even higher than inland mountain t...

Hike the Beehive Trail, Acadia National Park

This 1.6 mile round trip trail starts with a moderate grade as you leave the sand beach parking area. After a half a mile you will see a rock pile and you have the option of heading strait for the slower sloping (but less views) trail ahead of you or you can turn to the right and see the steep trail up the Beehive. If you look hard you will be able to make out some of the hikers scrambling alon...

Hike to The Bowl in Acadia NP

The Bowl is a small pond nestled in the mountains of Acadia National Park. Although it is a great way to relax after completing the challenging Beehive Trail, it can also be reached via a less strenuous out-and-back hike that is just under 1.5 miles. The trailhead is located on Park Loop Road, just across from the Sand Beach parking lot. After 0.2 miles on the Bowl Trail, you will reach a ju...

Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail

Details

Description

Download the Outbound mobile app

Features

Summit Dorr Mountain via the Ladder Trail Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Hike the Jesup Path & Hemlock Road Loop

HIke the Dorr Mountain Loop via the Tarn Trail

Precipice Trail of Champlain Mountain

Explore Cadillac Mountain

Hike the Beehive Trail, Acadia National Park

Hike to The Bowl in Acadia NP

Discover

Community

Company

Follow Us

Mobile Apps