The Beehive Loop Trail Acadia National Park
The Beehive Loop Trail Acadia Info:
Length: 1.4 miles
Height: 521 feet tall
Elevation Gain: 489 feet
Type: Loop & Connector
My Rating: Advanced
Dog Friendly: NO!!!!!
Would we do it again: Absolutely
About The Beehive Trail Acadia
Nestled in the sweeping hills of Acadia National Park, the Beehive Loop Trail is one of the park’s shining gems. People from all over the world come to Acadia to see the stunning combination of mountains and endless ocean views. The visitors who are able to stomach open heights and the thrill of climbing up metal ladders on the side of a mountain are the ones who are brave enough to take on the Beehive Loop Trail. The view from the top is more rewarding than watching your favorite rom-com in bed with a bottle of wine. And the views along the way will have you thinking “damn, how can it get better than this?!”…spoiler alert, it does.
Though this trail isn’t for the faint of heart, don’t let the description intimidate you too much. It is fairly slow-moving due to the scrambling and climbing. There are lots of spots to stop and take pictures! If you can keep your head clear and stay focused, you should be fine as long as you have moderate fitness abilities. The hardest aspect is the mental one, but it’s oh-so-worth-it!
The Beehive Trail Acadia Description
On the first bit of the trail, you’ll have to hop, skip, jump, and climb over some mid-sized boulders to get to the fun part. You’ll find yourself in a clearing where you can either go clockwise or counterclockwise on the trail. It’s recommended to go counterclockwise so you’re climbing UP the ladders and rungs instead of going the other way and dealing with them coming down. There’s often a park ranger standing in this area to ensure everyone goes counterclockwise to avoid traffic jams and lessen the chances of someone falling. Trust me, it’s way easier to go counterclockwise and climb up than try and come down some of these obstacles.
Once you head counterclockwise, you’re almost immediately hit with insane views of the ocean, lush greenery, and surrounding mountains. It was shocking just how quickly this hike started rewarding those who were brave enough to give it a try. After a little while (and a ton of pictures!), you’ll start to come across metal ladder rungs and bars to hold onto in areas where the footing may not be super easy. The first few are a little unsettling as you get started, but once you get the hang of these metal lifelines and decide to trust them because you have no other option, it becomes a very fun challenge.
One thing that was refreshing about this hike was that it was slow-moving. Everyone else is just as nervous as you are, so there’s no shame in being cautious and taking it slow. People were cheering strangers on and encouraging those dealing with fears and anxiety on the way up; there was a massive sense of camaraderie throughout the whole hike, and no one was rushing anyone else. I was nervous that people behind me would be impatient, or I would feel that “I’m a superior athlete and you’re cramping my style” vibe that some people can put off, but it wasn’t like that at ALL!
Is That Martha Stewart???
Funny enough, there was a middle-aged woman behind me, and we stuck close with her and her group throughout the hike. At one point, I turned around and jokingly said, “wow, thanks for helping me shove my ass up these rocks!” She laughed and we kept on moving. It wasn’t until we reached the top and I could see her for more than a few seconds at a time (I wasn’t exactly studying her face as I was clinging to rungs for my dear life on the way up!) that I realized it was MARTHA STEWART who had been literally pushing my ass up this mountain. What a hilarious experience.
Before you know it, you’ll reach the top where there’s a large area to sit. Here you can enjoy the view, have a snack, and rest before you head back down the other side. The backside of the hike is much easier and there are no rungs, ladders, or trolls under bridges that you have to get through. It’s just a leisurely downhill hike with some rock navigation needed. Getting to the top is the hard part, but it’s the best part. These views will make you never want to leave, or, they’ll make you want to do it all over again!
How To Get There
To get to the Beehive Trail, you’re going to need to enter Acadia National Park and pay the entrance fee. If you can, and you plan on visiting more than once or seeing other national parks within the year, I recommend the National Park Pass. It gets you into any NP in the US and it’s about $80. Almost every park has an entrance fee of $30+ for the day, so if you visit 3 parks within the year, it pays for itself. Once you’re inside the park, follow the map to Sand Beach (original name, Acadia! Lol), which is a very popular beach with a large parking lot.
If you can snag a spot in the parking lot, you’re golden. It’s a bit of a game of vultures, but there’s usually enough activity that it doesn’t take too long to find an open spot or get one from someone who is leaving. You’ll then walk up above the parking lot and follow signs to Beehive Loop Trail. If you don’t have AllTrails, I recommend getting it as it can guide you to the correct trailhead and you can ensure you stay on the path throughout the hike.
Our Not So Funny At The Time Experience
The way up was phenomenal. I had taken my niece on a four-day hiking trip where we planned to do some of the best hikes in Acadia. This was the first hike of our trip and boy did it get us excited for what was to come. However, that reality came crashing down shortly after we summited the Beehive Traill. Don’t worry, no one fell down the mountain or plummeted to the earth below after slipping on a handrail!
My niece, bless her heart, isn’t the most graceful human being. Which maybe I should have considered before taking her on this technical climbing hike! Once we got to the top, she was eating a snack, walking around, and enjoying the views, when out of nowhere, she trips and rolls her ankle. My first thought was, “We made it up this entire hike without an incident on any of the obstacles, and now, we’re at the top and she’s walking along like a normal person, and THIS is when she trips?!” Shortly after this thought, I realized her ankle was quickly swelling and would likely not be able to make it down the mountain. We had a nurse right behind us who confirmed our fears. We made the tough decision to call search and rescue.
Help Is On The Way!
No one wants to be the hiker that has to call search and rescue. However, accidents happen, and these experts exist for a reason. If you’re an avid hiker, chances are, something is going to go wrong at some point. Stay calm, work through it, and get help as soon as you can. Luckily for us, we were able to have enough cell service to call search and rescue. Many hikes don’t have cell reception and search missions become much more difficult. But we lucked out in terms of being able to call for help.
To my surprise, search and rescue doesn’t immediately send a rescue team. See, even I’m still learning stuff on my hiking journey! They first send a scout or two to find you, get your exact location, assess the situation, and call for the necessary backup. Then, the scout begins his or her medical assessment and treats you as best as possible until the rest of the team arrives.
Five Hours Later
As we were waiting with the scout, he was telling us that we were the fourth rescue call this week, and all the other rescues required the team to carry out the injured hikers. Out of the three other hikers, the smallest was 300 lbs, so the rescue team was quite happy to hear that my niece weighed only 95 lbs! It was the middle of July, it was hot, and things happen while hiking. The amazing team carried her back down the mountain to safety. This whole search and rescue experience took about 5 hours from when she hurt her ankle to when we returned to our vehicle. She healed up just fine with time. It did put a damper on the rest of our hiking trip since a bum ankle and crutches weren’t exactly mountain-ready.
Preparing To Hike The Beehive Loop Trail Acadia
You’ll need a moderate level of physical fitness in order to best enjoy this hike, but it’s the mental aspect that’s so important. You need to remind yourself to stay focused and calm, while still having fun and enjoying the views on the way up. If you want to test your ability to work through open heights and rock scrambles, find a hike near you that’s a bit more moderate and features some of these aspects without being too difficult. That way, you can get an idea of how you’re going to handle your trip up the Beehive Trail. Acadia is ready when you’re ready!
It’s a quick hike from a mileage perspective, so you don’t need too much gear. Here are some of our top picks for hiking gear. I recommend bringing plenty of water as it gets hot and is exposed to the sun pretty much the whole way up, as well as a snack to refuel at the top. Though it would have been nice to have trekking poles on the way down, most hikers left theirs at home so they didn’t get in the way during the ladders and scrambling on the way up.
Plan Your Trip
If you don’t feel like making a trip just for this hike in particular, turn it into a bigger excursion! You can stay in Bar Harbor, Maine, which is a charming coastal town with lobster that’s out of this world! Or, if you want to camp near Acadia National Park there are plenty of options for that as well. I can understand why you might think, “I’m not going all the way to Maine for a 1.4-mile hike”! Honestly, it was the only hike we were able to do during our trip in Acadia National Park, and it was STILL worth it. Despite needing to be rescued, it was STILL worth it. Do you get the point? It’s WORTH IT! Don’t wait to plan your trip and try to get to the trailhead early. This way you can avoid the afternoon heat, and, more importantly, the afternoon crowds. Happy hiking!
Friendly Reminder To Support Search & Rescue Groups!!!
Search and Rescue efforts save lives in the wilderness. Though our situation wasn’t one in which I felt a life was threatened, I felt so fortunate to have the amazing professionals come to help us. You never think you’re going to need their help until you do! If you’re feeling extra thankful for them (like I am), consider making a donation here. Don’t forget to check out there facebook page to see the training they go through! Thanks!
