Penobscot Mountain; Jordan Cliffs Trail

Hiking buddy: Becca

Weather: High 40s, partly cloudy, evening hike

Mountain: Penobscot Mountain (Acadia National Park)
Elevation: 1,194ft
Ascent: Jordan Cliffs
Descent: Deer Brook Trail and Jordan Pond Path
Miles of trail: 4.6

Total miles this year: 42.8

Jordan Cliffs.

Probably one of my favorite trails in Acadia National Park. It's right up there with Precipice, Beehive, Gorham, and Northwest Trail of Pemetic (my favorite). 

A huge "thank you" goes out to the Peregrine Falcons for not choosing the Jordan Cliffs for their seasonal nesting experience. The trail is open and free to use, not a falcon in sight. 

What I love about this trail:

• Rungs and ladders!
• The BEST wooden bridge in ANP, actually, it's a very narrow staircase.
• Cliff hanger views... seriously, don't look down.
• A mix of incline, decline and level trails.
• Hiking along Jordan Pond, rising above.
• Many scrambling obstacles!

The Jordan Cliffs Trail runs along the East face of the mountain, parallel to the Penobscot Mountain Trail, which you can read about here from a previous blog entry.

After a "few" stone steps along the Spring Trail, you'll reach the trailhead for the Jordan Cliffs. The trail winds through the forest with a few steep faces to scale. You can catch a glimpse of the cobalt water of Jordan Pond through the tree branches. An interesting section of the trail is composed of intertwining roots. Be very careful, they are slippery when wet!

Another interesting section... an old and narrow wooden staircase that will lead you down a 10 foot cliff. Remember, I did mention that one of the trail's quirks is its inability to decide whether or not to go up or down. You will endure many inclines, declines and straight stretches. Repeat.

 

Soon, the trail opens up completely as it takes you along the cliff ridges. Scrambles, narrow paths, handrails and rungs! It's what I live and breathe for.

 One last section of iron rungs, and you're almost there! (... to the summit trail junction, at least!)

Take a left at the sign post, and continue along the East Trail to the summit. Don't be fooled by the views around you; it may look like you are high enough up the mountain to have gained most of the elevation... this last 0.4 mile route to the top is strenuous!

We enjoyed stopping at all the overlooks to take in the sights; beautiful they are.

After a few scrambles and open-face inclines, the sign post is just within eyesight. A couple dips down into the woods and back out again, and you're there. Celebrate. Enjoy the 360° view of the surrounding mountains, lakes, ponds, inlets and the ocean. It will make the sweat and tears totally worth it. 

You know me and loops... I'm also a fan of taking trails that I haven't done yet this hiking season. Therefore, we went back down the 0.4 mile stretch to the junction and continued on down toward the Deer Brook Trail and Jordan Pond Path. The Deer Brook Trail can be quite strenuous; if you're hiking from Jordan Pond. Going down is a breeze!

One of my favorite sights along the way is a stone bridge along the carriage road that the trail intersects. This beauty was finished in 1925!

After a half mile from the junction, the trail lands on the North Shore beach of Jordan Pond...

I love the Jordan Pond Path. If you're looking for a relatively flat hike with beautiful Maine scenery, this path is a must-do. I enjoy the side that winds along the base of Penobscot mountain; it has a rockier terrain (as opposed to the other side of the pond) and my favorite; planks!

We had hit the start of the Jordan Pond Path around 7:30pm... with the sun clearly going down, and a chill settling in, we knew we needed to make good time and complete the last mile and a half in under 30 minutes. Halfway home, the moon decided to make its appearance for the night.

And, of course, no trip to Jordan Pond is complete without this kodak moment:

Ah, The Bubble Butt.

What a peaceful evening of hiking! Not another soul was found along our route. Interesting, because the parking lot was full when we arrived. Needless to say, we were one of the last to leave.

Happy Hiking!