Compass Harbor Trail at Acadia National Park: A Hiking Guide
Explore what was once the home of Acadia National Park’s founder, George Bucknam Dorr, on the Compass Harbor Trail in Bar Harbor.
You’ll pass by the remnants of his favorite swimming area (which is great for tidepooling these days), hike up the stairs to where his home stood, and explore the beach where he loved to gaze out at the horizon.
Even if you didn’t know the history behind this easy trail, it would still be worth your time, thanks to the low crowds and beautiful oceanfront scenery.
In the guide below, you’ll learn everything you need to know in order to plan your hike along this trail, including what to bring, trail conditions, and what to expect at every step.
My daughter exploring Compass Harbor
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Hike Overview
Trailhead Location: in Bar Harbor, approximately 1 mile from the Village Green
Trail length: 0.8 mile loop
Trail difficulty: easy
Elevation gain: 36 feet
Compass Harbor Trail: An Intro
One of the sets of stone stairs along the trail
The Compass Harbor Trail is a fun, easy loop that anyone can do. It’s excellent for beginning hikers, those who want a short but scenic hiking experience, and families.
Since it is away from the main area of the park on the other side of Bar Harbor, you’re much more likely to have low crowd levels here than on the Jordan Pond Loop or North and South Bubble Trail.
It’s also unique in that you’re walking in the footsteps of who was arguably Acadia’s most important historic figure: George Dorr.
He was a philanthropist and part of the so-called “summer cottage” crowd, which included well-to-do families like the Carnegies, Astors, and Vanderbilts, but his love of this area inspired him to go above and beyond.
Dorr believed that this part of Maine was important and needed the highest protections possible. Thanks to his efforts, Acadia National Park became federally protected, and he is the reason why we have a national park to explore today!
The Compass Harbor Trail is on the land where Dorr’s house once stood, and you’ll quickly see why he loved this place so much.
Getting to the Compass Harbor Trail
While this trail isn’t inside the area that you’d typically think as Acadia National Park, the Compass Harbor Trail is part of the national park.
As a side note, there’s much more to Acadia National Park than the scenic loop drive with Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond! Definitely explore the other areas for lower crowds and other great sights and hikes.
Learn more about the different areas in my overview page for Acadia National Park.
To get to the trailhead for the Compass Harbor hike, start in Bar Harbor, and head south on Main Street.
You’ll pass the Village Green and the YMCA baseball field as you leave the more touristy area of downtown.
Then, there’s not much in the way of signage, but look for a small gravel parking area on your left. There will be a break in the sideway for the driveway into the parking lot, but you won’t have an obvious sign at the road to let you know where the trailhead is, or that this is even an an enclave of Acadia National Park.
If you make it to the Compass Harbor condos, you’ve gone too far.
Parking for the Compass Harbor Trail
The sign at the trailhead
Once you’ve found the parking area, there’s room for about 10 cars or so, depending on how compact everyone has decided to park.
You’ll find a sign at the back of the parking lot indicating that you’re in Acadia, and that’s how you’ll know you’re in the right place!
It is a gravel lot, so it’s not perfectly smooth, but neither is the trail. You could take a wheelchair or stroller from the parking area to the Oldfarm ruins (keep to the right on the trail), but it’s still gravel and/or packed dirt the entire way.
There isn’t any fee for parking.
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Compass Harbor Trail, Step-by-Step
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The trail starts off wide with packed gravel.
To access the trailhead for this hike, head to the back of the small parking area and look for the trail leading off into the woods.
You’ll quickly come to the first sign for the free audio tour of this trail, and I highly recommend that. (More information on that aspect of this hike below.)
The path by the parking lot is very wide and relatively flat, but it does narrow and have stairs and rocky sections later on.
You’ll quickly come to a split in the trail, and you’ll need to make a decision.
This trail is a loop, so you will come back to this spot no matter which way you ultimately take.
If you go to the right, you’ll be able to access the ruins of Oldfarm, George Dorr’s home place, more quickly. If you go to the left, you’ll come to a cove and the remains of his old swimming area.
It really comes down to the order you want to see everything. The audio tour does take you to the left branch first, but you don’t have to listen to the audio tour in the recommended order for the information to make sense.
For the purposes of my guide, I’m going to swing to the left to mimic the audio tour.
The Cove
As you work your way along the trail, you’ll have a minor bit of elevation gain and will begin to see beautiful views of the ocean.
The cove that hugs the trail here is Compass Harbor, and it’s where the trail gets its name.
There are several areas to get down to the shore if you’d like to walk by the water or go tidepooling.
The easiest access points are all of the way down at the point near where the trail makes a sharp turn.
To your left at that part of the trail, you’ll be able to see the cut stones the once were part of Dorr’s favorite swimming area in Compass Harbor.
It’s said that Dorr could be found out here every morning, no matter the season, taking a refreshing dip in the sea.
Today, the blocks create a protected area that’s perfect for tidepooling or wading. You’ll find plenty of periwinkles attached to the blocks and nearby rocks, but keep an eye out for other sea creatures like jellyfish, starfish, and small crabs.
The Turn
Once you’re ready to move on, continue on the trail, which curves back to the right. You’ll pass another beach access point as you make this turn.
However, keep in mind that this part of the shoreline is far rockier and more dramatic than the cove area, and kids should be watched carefully.
The rocks get slippery as the waves crash, and it would be all too easy to lose your footing.
As you hike away from this part of the coast, you’ll reenter the pine forest and begin ascending slowly.
You’ll quickly come to something unexpected: a set of complete stone stairs in the middle of the woods!
The Oldfarm Ruins
Climb those stairs as you think about George Dorr doing the same after a morning swim more than 100 years ago!
You’re to my favorite part of the loop, the Oldfarm ruins.
Dorr lived here alone for much of his adult life as he never married or had children.
He was eager to leave the property as part of his legacy, and even offered it up to the federal government multiple times for a presidential retreat.
While that dream never came to fruition, the beautiful Oldfarm mansion did serve as ranger housing for many years before it was torn down. (That last bit makes my history-loving heart hurt as I’d love to have seen it restored like the other “cottages” in Bar Harbor!)
At the Oldfarm foundation
Today, you can walk around the foundation of the house, which helps you appreciate just how majestic this property would’ve been in its prime.
There are several audio tour stops leading up to and around the stairs and Oldfarm foundations, and listening to these goes a long way to helping you imagine what it looked like.
Returning to the Parking Area
Sign at the intersection of Compass Harbor Trail and Schooner Head Path
Once you’ve explored a piece of Acadia National Park history thoroughly, it’s time to complete the hike.
You’ll return to the parking area by following the trail, which picks up on the far side of the Oldfarm foundation.
Continue walking with your back to the shore as the trail slowly bends to the right and begins sloping downward slightly.
You’ll quickly come to an intersection with the Schooner Head Trail. If you were to go left here, you’d come to another scenic overlook in 2.8 miles.
However, you probably want to head back to the parking area, so turn to your right and complete the loop trail.
Tips for Visiting the Compass Harbor Trail
Bring water and trail snacks.
You won’t find any food or drinks at the trailhead and there aren’t any concessions in the park, so you’ll want to pack in everything that you need.
While the trail isn’t long, I’ve learned (the hard way) to never, ever step foot on a trail without plenty of food and water lest my children decide that they’re underfed and completely dehydrated.
I always carry water in my day pack, usually in my 2L water bladder.
When my kids were younger, I’d carry their water for them, but they now each have little water bladder in their own packs.
If you need to stock up on water or snacks, do so in Bar Harbor before you arrive at the trail. You can find everything you need at the Hannaford grocery store on Cottage Street.
Wear comfortable shoes.
This isn’t a hard hike, but I still wouldn’t do it in anything less than broken-in tennis shoes.
Hiking shoes or boots are even better, as you’ll get additional joint and muscle support as you’re adventuring around the park.
In the summer months, you could wear Chacos, Tevas, or, my favorite, Keen Newport H2s, which aren’t as hot or constraining as full hiking boots.
If you have kids and you’re visiting in the summer, I highly recommend buying them hiking sandals for your time in Acadia as they will end up in the water both on this trail and elsewhere in the park!
Listen to the free audio tour.
One of the signs alongside the trail
Look for the signs throughout the trail for the free audio tour!
There are QR codes on each of the small yard signs. Simply scan each one to pull up the corresponding audio blurb for that part of the trail.
We learned so much from this audio tour, which is put together by the NPS. You’ll hear about daily life in this area in the late 1800s, George Bucknam Dorr’s life, the history of Oldfarm, and how Acadia National Park came into being.
We didn’t have any trouble with accessing the audio tour clips as we had full cell signal the entire time.
However, if you wanted to download the clips ahead of time or preview them before your arrival, you can find the entire Compass Harbor Trail audio guide here.
New to visiting the national parks? Check out my guide to the national parks for beginners!
Consider tick spray.
While the path here is well defined and wide in most places, there’s always the chance that you’ll pick up a tick or two.
Using tick spray before you head out will help reduce the chance that you’ll get a bite from one of these parasites, which can cause Lyme disease and Alpha-gal syndrome.
Focus especially on your pants, shoes, and pant cuffs, but it’s also a good idea to spray your backpack, too.
There are many different kinds of tick spray, from the standard bug and tick spray with DEET to essential oil-based spray options.
We also sprayed our gear and clothes with permethrin, which is an effective way to keep ticks away, too.
Explore more of Acadia National Park and beyond:
Final Thoughts on the Compass Harbor Trail in Acadia National Park
My son on the trail
There are a lot of excellent trails in and around Acadia National Park, but none pack as much of a punch in such a short time as this one.
You get history, rocky coastline views, tidepooling on a quiet harbor, and calm forest sections, all in a roughly 1-mile loop.
Since you have to seek this trail out, you won’t fight crowds, even at peak visitation times, the way you will elsewhere on Mt. Desert Island.
Plus, it’s the only place where you can learn this much about the father of Acadia National Park, George Dorr, and that’s worth the hike alone in my opinion.
For these reasons, the Compass Harbor Trail comes highly recommend for any Acadia National Park itinerary!
