Acadia National Park · Maine

Compass Harbor Trail

0.4 mi of trail, end to end · Hike Compass Harbor Trail: 0.8 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · 40 ft of descent · 15 ft–56 ft · earth surface

55 ft 15 ft · 0.2 mi high 55 ft

Hike Compass Harbor Trail 0.8 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

30-45 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Compass Harbor

Visitor sitting on rocks looking out at the ocean

The Compass Harbor Trail provides an easy walk through the woods to the shore just outside the village of Bar Harbor. The land is the former estate of George B. Dorr, who was instrumental in the creation of Acadia National Park as well as its first superintendent. Explore the historic site and enjoy a dramatic shoreline with views of Frenchman Bay and Ironbound Island.

Distance: 0.8 miles round trip

Terrain: Forested path, rocky coastline

Hike Description

Start at the Compass Harbor Trailhead and travel 0.1 miles from the parking area before the first junction.

Turn left at the junction and follow as the trail circles around to a dramatic shoreline over looking Frenchman Bay and Ironbound Island.

From the shore, the trail continues back into the woods to the remains of the former home and grounds of the Dorr estate, including the cottage's foundation, stone steps leading down to the ocean, remnants of a saltwater pool, and the remains of gardens and apple trees.

Go 0.1 past the foundation to loop back to the first junction.

Continue 0.1 miles back the trailhead.

Accessibility Compass Harbor Trail is mostly accessible. The trail is fairly level to the historic site, but becomes rocky and uneven near the shoreline. There is no accessible restroom at the trailhead.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 219 trails in Acadia National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.