Precipice Trail
Acadia National Park • Bar Harbor, Maine
Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park is a 2.1-mile loop trail with +1,060 feet of elevation gain, rated as Strenuous (SAC T4). Best hiked between August, September, October, the route requires approximately 2 - 3 hours and does not require an advance day-use permit.
Trail Overview
The Precipice is not a conventional hike—it is an exposed non-technical climb featuring open cliff faces, wooden footbridges, and dozens of iron rungs, ladders, and safety handholds pinned into granite. Beginning off Park Loop Road, hikers scramble through talus fields before confronting the sheer eastern precipice of Champlain Mountain. Hikers pull themselves up exposed cliff faces where vertigo-inducing drops plunge directly to the Atlantic coastline below. Reaching the summit rewards climbers with uninterrupted ocean panoramas before descending safely via the gentler Orange and Black Path.
Key Route Highlights
- Over 1,000 feet of climbing in just 0.9 miles
- Iron rungs, ladders, and granite catwalks
- Nesting Peregrine Falcon cliffs
- Atlantic Ocean and Frenchman Bay views
- DO NOT hike down the Precipice Trail; descend via North Ridge or Orange & Black Path to avoid ladder collisions.
- Never attempt this route during rain, fog, or winter ice; wet lichen on granite makes rungs slippery.
- Hikers with acute vertigo or fear of heights should avoid this trail.
Calculate Your Time on Precipice Trail
Customize with your specific pack weight and rest intervals using Naismith's formula.
Logistics & Regulations
Acadia National Park entrance pass required. Trail closed mid-March to mid-August for Peregrine Falcon nesting.
August, September, October
No water on trail. Bring your own.
Not Allowed
High Traffic