10 Best Maine Hikes
Maine has some of the best hiking trails around, However, finding which ones you want to do is incredibly difficult! We use Alltrails to find our perfect fit for the day but it can be hard to weed through all of the “destination” hikes. We won’t focus on Acadia National Park or Baxter State Park where a majority of the hikes in Maine reside. You will notice we did feature one from each though, because they won their spot on the list.
1) Mt. Katahdin
Baxter State Park
7-15 miles depending on trail choice
Mt. Katahdin is by far the winner on most every “best hikes” list in Maine and for good reason. Mt. Katahdin will forever be one of our favorite, yet most difficult hikes. Check out our Mt.Katahdin guide for more information on the hike. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is completable for most ages.
2) Tumbledown
Four Ponds Public Reserved Land/Mt.Blue State Park, Weld
4-8 Miles depending on trail choice
Parking can fill up fast on the prime summer days, the day we visited we did not have much of a problem parking. We usually arrive at hikes quite early in the morning though. We parked in the second parking lot, about a mile up the road from the first lot. We took the loop trail up, and the Parker Ridge Trail down. Doing the trail in this direction has you climbing up the steepest part and going down the longer, more flat part. The way down was still quite the descent.
Highlights: The pond at the top of the mountain is beautiful! We took a plunge before we hiked back down. Just as we were leaving we crossed paths with a couple going up for fly fishing. We could visually see the fish while swimming so you could say that would be a hit.If you intend to do the same we highly recommend water shoes, the rocks are both sharp and slippery. Quite a ways up the Loop Trail there is a chimney that requires a technical move. We ended up throwing our backpacks over the boulder and hoisting ourselves up because the hole doesn’t allow for much movement with backpacks on. In total it took us 6 hours including our swim and lunch.
3) Fire Wardens, Horns Pond and Appalachian Trail Loop
Bigelow Preserve, Stratton
This trail is part of the Bigelow Range, a very popular multi day hike. This trail is 13 miles long, and took us 8 hours including rest stops. Heading toward the parking lot you’ll drive down what looks like a residential dirt road but it does lead to the trailhead.
We took the counter-clockwise route, starting by Stratton Brook Pond. There is a water source on near the first summit as well as several tent platforms. We wished we were able to camp there when we saw them, the views must be spectacular for sunrise and sunset. At the top of Avery Peak there is an old fire tower base that makes for an awesome photography spot. We are frequent hikers and did not find this trail overly difficult.
4) Gulf Hagas
AMC 100 Mile Wilderness
Visiting Gulf Hagas requires travelling about 11 miles down the Katahdin Iron Works Road, which is a high traffic logging road. It is an active logging road, and logging trucks have the right of way. Make sure to keep that in mind if you do visit. There is an entrance fee to get into Katahdin Iron Works which has been increasing slightly each year. On the way in (or out) check out the historic iron furnace right next to the gate house.
There are multiple routes that you could take to hike the Gulf Hagas loop, but the Rim Trail from Pleasant River Tote is the most popular. This hike is a long one even though there isn’t a significant elevation change, there are a lot of ups and downs. To get to some of the key features you may need to boulder or go down steep slopes.
You’ll start the hike off with a river crossing, so come prepared with some water shoes! When you get to the trail junction to the Rim Trail if you go left you will hit all of the attractions first, starting with Screw Auger Falls. From Screw Auger Falls you’ll move on to Hammond Street Pitch, Cole’s Corner, Buttermilk Falls, Billings Falls and Stair Falls. Each one is beautiful and you’ll often see people swimming where they can. If you choose to swim be aware that leaches do dwell in the water rather plentifully, don’t let that stop you though! Just be prepared in the event that they are around.
5) The Beehive Loop Trail
Acadia National Park
The Loop Trail is 1.5 miles and very heavily used. Acadia National Park is an exceptionally busy place, so this is not a very secluded trail. That does not take away from the beauty! It is a must do trail if you are in the area. I do not recommend it if you are afraid of heights, however. The views are among some of the best ocean views you’ll see from a hike.
6) Borestone Mountain Trail
Guilford
The trail is 3.5 Miles long and took us 2.5 hours with lunch. The views are great and we marked this as an easy hike.
7) Table Rock Trail
Grafton Notch State Park
This trail is 2.7 Miles long and took us about 2 hours to complete with a quick rest to take in the views. Be careful on trail to make sure you stay on the marked trail, it was a little easy to get off course. Completing this trail does require nimble feet and some minor bouldering.
8) Speckled Mountain via Spruce Hill
White Mountain National Forest
The drive out to this hike is equally as beautiful as the hike itself. The trail is 5.8 miles and it took me about 4.5 hours to complete. I didn’t take many breaks and kept moving so I would plan for a bit more time if you choose this one.
9) Caribou Mountain via Bog Road
White Mountain National Forest
This is a great springtime or fall hike. We hiked it in the spring as a warm up hike to the hiking season. The trail is 5.6 miles long and took us about 3.5 hours to complete. Lots of cool flora and fauna to see along the way up!
10) Mt. Megunticook
Camden
There are a few different paths to summit Mt. Megunticook. We took the path from Camden Hills State Park Campground. This is a great afternoon hike that won’t take you much time and gives you the great views of a larger hike.