Acadia National Park Trail Series: Jordan Pond Loop

Exploring select trails in America’s National Park System one at a time.

Our first hike in Acadia National Park last fall was around Jordan Pond. It’s deemed a moderate hike by our tour book as well as the All Trails App, and we felt up to tackling this popular trail.

My husband had read that going clockwise on this trail was the way to proceed as the end can be tough going up to South Bubble Mountain as there are some rock scrambles, and the descent is easier if you go clockwise. Our experience bore this advice to be true.

Jordan Pond Loop starts flat and hugs the edge of Jordan Pond. We visited in September. It was a cool and overcast day. The views on the trail of the pond and North/South Bubble Mountain are stunning.

Along the pond loop trail, we encountered a few other hikers but were alone for most of the 1.4 miles. We did see several hikers with dogs, although dogs are NOT allowed on this trail. Please follow the rules that the park sets forth about animals and all safety precautions.

As we got to the far side of the pond, we encountered some raised boards to keep hikers off the wet trail. Along the edges of these boards were small pools of water, mosses, ferns, and even some late-season fungi.

After this stretch of damp forest land and the raised boardwalks, hikers encounter some giant rocks. What follows are several minutes of rock scrambling — keeping the pond to the right, heading toward South Bubble Mountain.

The trail disappears into the rocks, and hikers get to choose their footpath, as there is no vegetation to worry about trampling.

Choose Carefully!

The rock scramble leads to South Bubble Mountain where one is rewarded with a stunning overview of Jordan Pond.

Fog rolled in just after we arrived at the top of South Bubble Mountain. Go back to the start of the post and view the photo with the two mountains at the end of the pond. We are standing on the top of the one to the right in this view.

Coming down from South Bubble hikers rejoin the Jordan Pond Loop. We continued clockwise keeping the pond to the right of us. The descent was less rocky than the way we came up to South Bubble. This trail was through a northern forest, dotted with fallen leaves and fungi, on a carpet of evergreen needles and cedar boughs.

The trail soon took us back to where we started. Jordan Pond Loop trail to South Bubble Mountain in Acadia National Park is a hike one can take over and over and experience something different each time. It was a great start to our Acadia National Park trip.

For more information on a hike at Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park in Maine, you can check the national park website through this link.

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