Bubble Rock

If we could pick one scenic trail for your first visit to Acadia National Park it would be Bubble Rock. First, it is a modest climb, well suited to small children looking for adventure and those who can’t remember their childhood but would like to, rising about 500 feet from the parking area to North Bubble and 400 feet to South Bubble. You will feel like you are in a very remote area, as the wild forest surrounds you at the start of the climb.   Bring or find a walking stick if you are not used to hiking or have knee issues, as the trail is filled with large boulders and stone steps.    Second, the trail asends quite rapidly, but it’s worth the views of Jordan Pond and the ocean beyond.  Finally, when the hike is over you will be two miles away from the world famous Jordan Pond House, where you can relax by the fire with popovers and chowder after the hike before returning to Seacat’s Rest, 35 minutes away.

The trail to either peak is about ½ mile over rocky soil which the park service has fashioned into steps for the ascent. Within 100 feet of the summit the trail becomes, as most Acadia climbs, bare granite. Trail markers are blue stripes painted on the rock. Within .3 mile of the top there is a choice between South and North Bubble.  On our most recent trip we decided to try North Bubble since it seemed less traveled, and we had never been. South Bubble features an awesome balanced rock, the subject of our daughter’s eighth grade field trip, where the kids were expected to estimate the weight of the boulder. From South Bubble another trail leads down a rocky slope (not quite as easy!) to link up with the Jordan Pond trail. From this point it is 1.8 miles to the Jordan Pond House around the west side of Jordan Pond.

Fall is a great time for these hikes; foliage views show up the sharp line between conifers on the tops and deciduous trees below. Bring your camera!

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