10 hiking trails within about two hours of Bangor, from Acadia's granite summits on Mount Desert Island to Katahdin in Baxter State Park
Bangor sits roughly an hour from the coast at Acadia National Park and a little under two hours from Baxter State Park, which makes it a practical base for very different kinds of day: short granite-ledge scrambles on Mount Desert Island, a lakeside loop, or an early start on Maine's highest mountain. This guide covers all 10 publish-ready trails in our database within about two hours, sorted by straight-line distance from real trailhead coordinates — not the city center — and compared side by side in a table so you can pick by length, gain and time rather than by whichever peak a listicle names first.
One caution that applies to every number on this page: drive times are straight-line estimates at 45 mph, and Maine's roads rarely run straight. Treat the minutes as a floor. The high peaks of western Maine (Sugarloaf, the Bigelows, Saddleback and the rest) look close to Bangor on a map but are a much longer drive in practice, so they are deliberately left off this list.
Mostly Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island
Round-trip miles, elevation gain and time, from each trail's own record
| Trail | Miles from Bangor | Est. drive | Round trip | Gain | Time | Summit | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Mountain | 40 mi | ~53 min | 4.4 mi | 1,350 ft | 2.1 hr | 1,530 ft | Moderate |
| Jordan Pond | 42 mi | ~56 min | 3.4 mi | 200 ft | 1 hr | 274 ft | Easy |
| Penobscot Mountain | 42 mi | ~56 min | 3.2 mi | 1,000 ft | 1.1 hr | 1,194 ft | Moderate |
| Precipice Trail | 42 mi | ~57 min | 1.6 mi | 1,000 ft | 0.8 hr | 1,058 ft | Expert |
| Camden Hills - Mount Battie | 43 mi | ~57 min | 1 mi | 600 ft | 0.5 hr | 800 ft | Easy |
| The Beehive | 44 mi | ~58 min | 2.1 mi | 488 ft | 1 hr | 520 ft | Easy |
| Gulf Hagas | 50 mi | ~67 min | 17.3 mi | 950 ft | 6 hr | 1,200 ft | Strenuous |
| Mount Katahdin - Baxter Peak | 76 mi | ~101 min | 10.4 mi | 4,188 ft | 3.4 hr | 5,269 ft | Strenuous |
| Hamlin Peak | 77 mi | ~103 min | 10.6 mi | 3,500 ft | 5.3 hr | 4,756 ft | Strenuous |
| North Brother | 80 mi | ~106 min | 9.6 mi | 3,050 ft | 3.3 hr | 4,151 ft | Strenuous |
Distance, gain and time are as recorded in each trail's own data and are estimates — confirm conditions and route length with the National Park Service (Acadia), Baxter State Park or a current trail report before you go. Drive times are straight-line estimates and run low on mountain roads.
Steady climbs to alpine views, mostly half-day outings
Steep, sustained climbs — start early and carry the essentials
Katahdin-area climbs — long days with a long drive, so allow extra time
Sorted by distance from Bangor
