Great Head Trail facts for kids

Great Head Trail is a fun hiking path in Acadia National Park in Maine. It's about 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) long. This trail wraps around a beautiful area called the Great Head Peninsula. It's a great way to explore the rocky coast and enjoy amazing ocean views.

Exploring the Great Head Trail

The Great Head Trail is considered a moderate hike. This means it's not too easy, but not super hard either. The trail goes all the way around the Great Head Peninsula. This area is on the east side of Sand Beach in Acadia National Park.

To start your adventure, you'll find a parking area on the left side of Park Loop Road. From there, you'll walk down some granite steps to reach Sand Beach. Look ahead towards the cliffs; that's where the trail begins! It's a good idea to walk on the firm sand next to the water. This makes the walk much easier.

Near the bottom of a rocky spot called The Bee Hive, you might see a tidal pool. This is a small pool of water left behind by the ocean when the tide goes out. Many hikers also climb to the top of a 520-foot (158-meter) summit nearby. From the summit, it's an easy walk to Great Head. Here, you'll get incredible views of the rocky coastline, the vast ocean, and Otter Point.

Discovering Otter Point

From the top of Great Head Trail, you can look across to Otter Point. This is another beautiful rocky area. Slightly smaller cliffs, called Otter Cliffs, rise above the shore. A thick forest of spruce trees and a quiet area called Otter Cove make this a peaceful spot. It's perfect for hiking and even camping.

One of the best roads in the park, Park Loop Road, goes around Otter Point. As you drive, you'll see amazing sights. These include the ocean, dark forests, pink granite rocks, and sparkling light. You might also spot old parts of cottages. There's also a former U.S. Naval Radio Station. This area is now known as the Fabbri rest area.

History of Great Head

The land where Great Head and Sand Beach are now was once part of a large gift. It was given by the Massachusetts General Court to a family called the De Gregories. Later, this property was sold to a woman named Louisa P. Satterlee. She was from Manhattan and bought the land for $100.

The property was quite large, about 166 acres. It included lots of forest and the sandy beach. When Louisa passed away in October 1946, she left the land to her husband, Herbert L. Satterlee. He then passed away in the spring of 1947. The land then went to their daughter, Eleanor Morgan Satterlee.

Eleanor decided to give the land to the United States Government. This happened on May 25, 1949. That's when this beautiful area officially became part of Acadia National Park.

Trail Facts