Precipice Trail is the most popular, exhilarating and adventurous hike in Acadia National Park. But it is not for the feint of heart. We’re going to walk you through iron-rung ladder climbs, narrow cliff edges and stunning scenery as we climb the Acadia Precipice Trail to a spectacular summit panorama.
Many of the best hikes at Acadia National Park have very similar trail types, elevation gains and views. However, the two hiking trails with a difference are Precipice and Beehive.
Beehive Trail is essentially a miniature version of Precipice Trail. So, if you have any doubts or concerns after reading this guide, we recommend you hike Beehive Trail first to see how you get on.
If you love it, head straight over to Precipice and prepare to be blown away by an epic climb.
We will explain exactly what you can expect from hiking Acadia’s nerve-racking Precipice Trail, how to climb the iron bar ladders and scale cliff sides as you soak up special views over the Gulf of Maine.
Let’s get right into hiking the awesome Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park!
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Precipice Trail Video
Before you get started reading about the hike, watch our Acadia Precipice Trail video on YouTube.
It is the polar opposite to a cinematic video so please don’t expect anything fancy here! However, it does capture the raw footage of this exhilarating climb from our old GoPro attached to a head strap.
Expect lots of motion, point of view ladder climbs and see the steep drop offs from various parts of the hike.
Important: For best quality, click the gear icon and select 1080p resolution.
What Is Precipice Trail In Acadia National Park?
Precipice Trail is a thrill-seekers dream come true in Acadia National Park. We have included this unique hike in our popular guide to the 50 best hiking trails in the USA.
There is something special about a heart clapping, adrenaline pumping, butterflies bouncing climb up a sheer rock face.
Acadia’s other adventure hike Beehive Trail is so named simply because it looks like a beehive in appearance. Precipice Trail is exactly what you might expect with the word “precipice”, meaning a very steep rock face or cliff, especially a tall one.
Acadia’s hikes are certainly named appropriately!
Precipice Trail will challenge the average hiker. Not only is it almost a vertical climb, it is also has a penchant for inducing vertigo, hearts in mouths and wobbly knees to those who look down.
This hike is a test both physically and mentally. As long as you’re in a good frame of mind, you will have no problems here.
Descent Options
Precipice Trail continues to Champlain Mountain summit at which point you have two options:
- Descend via Champlain N Ridge Trail onto Orange and Black path and rejoining Precipice near the trailhead.
- Take a turn off Orange and Black path leading back to Park Loop road, walking back on the main road to the parking lot. Take care of traffic on Park Loop road.
Important: Do not descend via the Precipice Trail climbing rock face. It is very dangerous to you and everyone else climbing.
Precipice Trail Safety And Difficulty
With a hike such as this one, which is actually more of a climb than a hike, it is important to address safety. In this case, safety applies to yourself but also to everyone else who is climbing at the same time.
If you’ve ever climbed the scary razor thin trail to Angels Landing in Zion, Precipice Trail should be a walk in the park for you. Some of the same attributes are required for this hike in Acadia:
- Stamina
- Ability to climb uneven ladders
- Patience
- Most importantly – NO fear of heights
Precipice Trail is rated as ‘hard’ on All Trails and we can’t argue.
If you’re an experienced hiker, you might find this ‘easy’ from a physical perspective but due to the jeopardy involved, a rating of ‘hard’ makes sense.
The climb is NON technical, which means you don’t need any climbing experience. Personally, we feel as though we’ve hiked far more challenging hikes labeled with ‘easy’ and ‘moderate’ tags.
Safety Concerns
One of the major safety problems you will face on this trail is overcrowding and waiting around on steep ledges. It isn’t fun when you climb a ladder, wait for 5 minutes, move around a rock face, wait 3 minutes, climb a ladder etc.
Arriving at sunrise or not long after is the perfect remedy to overcrowding on the Acadia Precipice Trail. Not only will the hike be quieter but you’ll also get a parking spot.
Another cause for concern on the Precipice Trail hike is inclement weather. Strong winds and rain are going to cause problems for hikers.
Slick rock surfaces and iron bars will become slippery and that’s the last thing you want to do half way up a sheer rock face.
Important: If you do have a fear of heights, vertigo or claustrophobia, please do not attempt to hike Precipice Trail. You will struggle and once you start climbing, it is very unsafe for yourself and others to climb back down.
Precipice Trail Statistics
- Hike Distance: 2.3 miles roundtrip (Champlain mountain / Orange and Black)
- Type: Loop trail
- Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
- Hike Time: 2-3 hours depending on crowds and stops
- Elevation Gain: 1,050 ft (320m)
- Trailhead: Precipice on Park Loop Road
- Age: Over 12 recommended
- Recent Comments: All Trails
Preparing To Hike Precipice Trail
Hiking Precipice Trail is among the very best things to do in Acadia National Park. But what do you need to do in order to prepare for hiking Precipice Trail?
Aside from the obvious fact you should be OK with several steep drop offs, please be aware that this hike is open and exposed on sheer granite rock.
In peak season between 8am-4pm or between 10am-2pm in off season, you can expect a degree of waiting around for climbers above.
In Summer, that means sunscreen is a necessity. Also consider sunglasses, caps and the usual sun protection gear.
In Spring and Fall, layers are key for the same reasons. If it’s windy, cold or wet, you need a lightweight windproof / waterproof.
Our top recommendation is for hikers to wear a strong and sturdy pair of shoes with good grip. Having a grippy shoe sole is going to help you get traction on the iron rungs and narrow granite rock faces as you climb.
Read our essential guide to the best things to bring on a day hike for important trail packing details.
We started out with the camera but quickly packed that up and just used our smartphones. If you have a GoPro, don’t forget your head or chest strap.
Top tip: You need two hands free for this climb. Pack water in a backpack and try not to take too many things that will distract you, such as loose clothing or cameras.
Directions To Precipice Trail From Bar Harbor
Precipice Trail begins along Acadia Park Loop road, very close to Bar Harbor. Remember that traffic is going to be chaotic in peak season and in particular between 10am-2pm.
The key thing to note is that you don’t have to officially ‘enter’ Acadia National Park to hike Precipice Trail. It’s highly unlikely you are visiting the area just to hike this trail and you will pay to enter other areas of the park.
But technically, you can hike this trail without paying the US$ 30 entrance fee.
Sieur de Monts Entrance – Drive South on Main Street, turn right onto Sieur de Monts Road and take a right onto Park Loop road. Follow the road until you reach Precipice trailhead.
Parking is very limited and the majority of vehicles will park on the roadside stretching for quite some distance. Early arrivals have a greater chance of parking in the lot or close by.
- Distance – 4.2 miles
- Drive Time – 10 minutes
Top tip: You can enter as many national parks as you like in 1 full year with an America the Beautiful National Parks Annual Pass.
Precipice Trail Hiking Walkthrough
That’s all of the important details and logistics out of the way, now let’s get onto the fun part!
We’re going to walk you through hiking the Acadia Precipice Trail with plenty of images so you can visualize the trail and see what you’re up against.
This is one of the most popular hikes in one of the best USA national parks so be sure not to miss it on your visit to Acadia.
Get Parked Up Early
Arriving early is advised for anyone who would prefer to climb Precipice Trail with relatively fewer other hikers around. We made sure to plan our Acadia itinerary so we could arrive right after a sunrise photo shoot nearby.
See our detailed list of the best hotels in Bar Harbor to find the perfect hotel for your budget.
Remember, if you book a hotel further out from Bar Harbor to save money, you will need to set off earlier for this trail.
Even if you’re not so bothered by crowds, arriving early gets you a better parking spot so it’s still worth the effort. Plus, you get to watch the sun rising low in the sky above an open blue ocean.
By the time we finished the loop trail and arrived back to the parking lot cars were lining the roadside as far as we could see in both directions.
Begin The Ascent
The trail begins by walking up huge granite rock faces, at times fairly steep but nothing to worry about just yet. Follow blue painted stripes on trees as the trail becomes surrounded by light forest.
A wooden bridge and the first taste of iron handrails are provided to reach the beginning of your ascent.
There’s one enormous boulder right near the start of the trail with iron bars (pictured above) and it actually proved to be one of the trickiest sections to navigate on the entire hike.
If you find yourself struggling at this early stage, don’t worry, it doesn’t get any more difficult technically!
Boulder Field
It’s time to gain some elevation. After a few fun obstacles and gaps in rocks you can climb through, the trail turns directly upwards via a boulder field.
Just follow the blue painted lines as you climb vertically.
The boulders are medium to large sized and require a bit of strength to move from rock to rock with larger steps than usual. Hands may need to be used here.
Sideways Traverse
Now that your heart rate is raised nicely from the directness of the vertical climb, it’s time to level out again. Follow as the blue paint leads away from the boulder field and along a sideways trajectory.
This is where the fun really starts.
You will get your first taste of dramatic drop offs, iron bars at shoe level to push your weight into the rock face and ‘bridges’ to cross.
Some of this section goes down and some up but it is mostly flat. Views by this point are already amazing but you know they are only going to get better the higher up you get.
Time To Climb
Just like that, the sideways section ends and the trail again turns vertical. However, this time there’s no boulder field, but narrow ledges and lots of iron protruding out of rock faces.
This is the point you really begin to heighten your senses, double check footing and pay more attention to gripping bars.
We don’t want to scare you or make this sound overly dramatic but you will feel your heart rate increase at this point.
Ladders, Ladders, Ladders
The one thing we were most surprised about on the Acadia Precipice Trail was the amount of ladder sections. We expected a handful but they just kept coming and coming, which we couldn’t get enough of!
How many ladders? We don’t know, we were too busy riding the wave of adrenaline and enjoyment at such a unique hike.
Be careful if it is busy, give others space and if people aren’t giving you enough space, ask them to back up a little so you feel comfortable. Most hikers will let people pass if they are going much slower.
Some of the sections as you get closer to the top are quite serious. Watch your feet and if you’re going to be distracted by the stunning view, grab hold of the iron rails with two hands!
Precipice Trail Summit Views
Enjoy every step of this hike because before you know it you’ll be standing at the summit wishing you could do it all over again.
Views over Frenchman Bay and the Gulf of Maine are spectacular. Tiny islands floating in the bay, sunlight shimmering on the ocean and a mixed feeling of relief and exhilaration will take a moment to sink in.
If you’re smart you’ll pack breakfast! This is the time to find a secluded spot, absorb the view and let your blood pressure stabilize.
Once you leave the summit of Champlain Mountain, you will find the descent a breeze. There are some narrow winding staircases but after climbing Precipice you’ll be walking on air.
Precipice Trail Photos
Best Time To Hike Precipice Trail In Acadia
Precipice Trail is best hiked early in the morning before the crowds arrive or later in the afternoon once the crowds have thinned.
For the most experienced hikers, a very early climb to summit for sunrise would be epic and something we will do next time we’re in Acadia.
Spring offers a much quieter experience hiking in Acadia versus Summer and Fall, which are both peak seasons due to the typical Summer holidays and Fall foliage leaf peeping season.
Precipice Trail is the most adventurous hike in one of the most popular places to visit in the USA and we hope you have a fantastic time no matter which season you decide to book your trip.
Our Popular Acadia Guides
- Activities – 17 best things to do in Acadia National Park
- Beehive – How to hike Beehive Trail in Acadia
- Hikes – 10 best hikes in Acadia National Park
- Hotels – Best hotels near Acadia National Park
- Fall – 10 things to know about visiting Acadia in the fall
We hope this guide to hiking Precipice Trail helps with planning your visit to Acadia National Park!
What are you favorite hikes in Acadia?
Please let us know if you have any questions or need help planning your hike.
Happy hiking,
Mark and Kristen
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