Champlain North Ridge Trail, Acadia National Park, Hancock County, ME

From collection Place

Champlain North Ridge Trail (ACAD #10), begins near the north base of Champlain Mountain at the Park Loop Road trailhead just east of the Beaver Dam Pool and ascends to the summit of Champlain Mountain, a one mile distance. The trail starts in an easy and gradual climb through a hardwood forest, interspersed with some steep ledge areas. Near the trailhead are interesting vestiges of cut stones and excavations, part of the nearby old George Dorr quarries. This northern 0.4 miles section of the trail has portions of both log check and stonework steps. Excellent views along the way include the Frenchman Bay to the east, Dorr Mountain to the west, and the Beaver Dam Pool and inland mountains to the north. As the trail arrives at the top ridge there are fewer trees and more open ledge. Here along the route can be found faint remnants of old painted arrows on ledges indicating now abandoned trail junctions. Continuing along the ridge, the Orange and Black Trail (#12) intersection appears on the east side of the trail. The trail then becomes steeper until it arrives at the Champlain Mountain summit. At the summit the Beachcroft Path (#13), Precipice Path (#11), and South Ridge Champlain (#9) all converge together. There are spectacular panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding mountains. For the very observant hiker, at the summit one can find three interesting sets of initials and the date May 1904, carved into the ledges immediately NE of the summit sign, and a bonus of three geodetic survey markers too!

Use Date/Range

1800 - 1960

Place Class

Trail

Organization Associated

Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association
Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)

Historical Context

Champlain North Ridge Trail follows an early American route to the summit of Champlain Mountain, formerly called Newport Mountain, that was traveled by local families for many years. An island newspaper account described a tragic death in 1853 of a young resident girl who had strayed off the ‘path’ while picking blueberries with her family. An 1855 map drawn by local Postmaster A. L. Higgins shows a path beginning on Schooner Head Rd and following the long north ridge to the summit of Champlain Mountain. Clara Barnes Martin described in an 1867 travel guide book turning left off Otter Creek Rd and onto a path that led her up a gradual ascent following small piles of stones until she reached the Newport Mountain summit. In 1871, B. F. DeCosta described the approach to the path as follows, “Just below the junction of the Otter Creek and Schooner Head Roads, a cart track leads away to the right towards the foot of Newport, terminating in a path, which turns to the left and runs up to the lowest ridge. Reaching this path, the climber makes his way upward….and the ocean appears on the left. Little cairns piled up at intervals now indicate the way.”

In the 1891 sketch of the path system produced by the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association, a path beginning on Schooner Head Rd led to the Champlain Mountain Ridge and summit. In 1895, Dorr constructed a new carriage road to link the Schooner Head Rd to the Otter Creek Rd. In the same year, he built a bicycle path that came in from Schooner Head Rd. These constructed features altered the entrance to the old route to the Champlain North Ridge Trail, moving the start of the trail to the beginning of the Bicycle Path next to the Beaver Dam Pool. In the Bar Harbor Record, July 1, 1896, Herbert Jaques described the Newport Mountain Path System as a color coded system with the main Black Path being the route up the Newport Mountain to the summit and continuing along the ridge to the Bowl.

In 1932, the National Park Service developed a plan to construct the Bear Brook campground near the Beaver Dam Pool. With assistance from the Civilian Conservation Corp, CCC, a new entrance to the Champlain North Ridge Trail was created a short distance to the southwest of the previous entrance. However, in 1958, a new section of the Park Loop Road through the Beaver Dam Pool area obliterated the approach to the trail entrance. A new entrance for the trail was constructed that began along the Park Loop Road a short distance southeast of the former entrance. A small parking lot was added on the right hand side of the road next to the trailhead. In 1986, the parking lot for the trailhead was discontinued Parking for the trailhead is available on the left hand side of the road. The new start of the trail met up with the original trail about fifty yards along the trail. Presently, some remnants of stone steps from the original entrance are still visible in the area.

Some abandoned trails led to the Champlain North Ridge Trail. The Red and Yellow Path traveled from the east side of the mountain to the ridge top while the Blue and Black Trail traveled from the northwest side of the mountain to the ridge. The Precipice Trail constructed in 1915 intersected from the east with the trail at the summit, while the upper portion of the Beachcroft Trail, formerly part of the Black and White Trail, arrived at the summit from the west. The Champlain South Ridge Trail, #9, was a continuation of the old Black Path leaving from the summit and traveling south to the Bowl. On the 1972 Phillips path map of the eastern side of Acadia National Park, the trail is named the Bear Brook Trail. After 2008, the name was changed to its current name Champlain North RIdge Trail.

Distance (e.g., miles)

1.0 miles

Route (e.g. trail)

The Champlain North Ridge Trail begins along the Park Loop Road near the Beaver Dam Pool and travels south up the spine of Champlain Mountain to the summit.

Latitude (decimal)

44.3573

Longitude (decimal)

-68.197

Significance

The historic trail system of Acadia National Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its national significance and ties to the history of Mount Desert Island and establishment of the park. The system's period of significance starts in 1844 and ends in 1942. The listing encompasses 109 trails traversing 117 miles on Mount Desert Island (some extending outside the park) and includes 18 memorial plaques, 12 viewpoints, and unique engineering features.

GNIS/GNS Feature ID

1911393

NRHP Property ID

100007602

ACAD Trails ID

Authoritative Source

Gary Stellpflug and Terese Miller substantially edited in January 2026 the entry for Bear Brook Trail from the Microsoft Access database used in preparation of report Pathmakers: Cultural Landscape Report for the Historic Hiking Trail System of Mount Desert Island by Coffin Brown, Margaret, Jim Vekasi, et. al. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC (2006); accessed June 2024.