Ship Harbor Trail — Attraction in Southwest Harbor

We visited on a late Sunday afternoon in late June 2025.

Parking was all along the street but you pull in and it's not parallel parking. There were about 15 parking spots. I think some folks were parked parallel on the other side of the street as well. The lot was full but there were always a couple spots open.

The trail was very easy. It's about a mile loop and fairly flat. Probably one of the easiest trails in Acadia National Park.

You kind of walk through a few different biomes which was cool. It's also a figure eight trail so it connects in the middle. So if you decide to turn around half way it's not the end of the world.

This was great for younger kids. We had a 3 year old with us who enjoyed the hike and also a 1 year old in a carrier. The biggest downside when we visited was the mosquitos near the trail head. i think it got way better further down the trail but at the trailhead for some reason they were everywhere. Maybe it was because we were moving on the trail.

There is also a missing trail head sign. There was a small laminated piece of paper with the trail info on it. I'm guessing it just had not been completed yet.

There is also a pit toilet and trash cans next to handicap parking spot in parking lot. The trail is crushed gravel and compact dirt so not he best for wheelchair or stroller but it could work. There are some pretty rocky parks and not sure how a wheel chair would do but a light stroller with thick wheels should be okay. There are some steps as well.

There are some great views at the end. We had like a rocky beach area the kids walked out onto and played and explored for a bit and also ledges further on with lots of rocks. It was a great place to take leisurely pace and let kids explore nature. Lots of very photogenic spots. It was a great sunset end of day hike.

We would definitely visit this one again. It was easy and big rewards with very little effort. Dogs are allowed but bikes, camping and...

A very beautiful and easy hike.

Duration: approximately 40 minutes. From the road, where there is plenty parking space until 10 am, you walk through a forest partly along a narrow wooden path until you reach the beautiful rocky coast, where you can linger for a while. After the coast, you can reach a small lagoon before heading back through the forest toward the starting point.

Afterwards, you can proceed the hike at the nearby Wonderland Trail (30 min hike).

Both easily doable with families.

After the hike, I highly recommend Charlotte‘s Legendary Lobster Pound, 10 minutes away by car. As Coffee aficionado I’d also recommend Vacationland Coffee Roasters in South Harbor, that is 15 minutes...

Great, moderate/easy trail to hike with a huge amount of variety. You walk through a dense, mossy forest, then come out to a mud flat cove. If the tide is low you can go out and look for tide pool critters. The tide was rushing in when we got there, so not a good idea. Seagulls were going nuts. The trail then snakes back over root covered trail over boardwalks and hugging the rocky coast. It then loops back into the dense forest back to the parking lot. Such a fun, scenic trail with so many interesting...