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Best Coastal Hikes in Maine

The directory currently contains 28 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Maine. Their average mapped distance is 2.2 km and average recorded ascent is 51 m (167 ft); the longest route in the set is 14.2 km.

This subset represents 13% of the 224 quality-checked routes in Maine. Its average distance is 2.2 km, compared with 9.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 51 m (167 ft), versus 202 m (663 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

These routes carry the coastal tag. Tide dependency, cliff exposure and beach access are not inferred from that tag. Within this set, 15 routes (54%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 11 (39%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.4 km

Pemetic East Cliff Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Blue Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

500px provided description: Climbed the mountain to see the view from the fire tower, got up just before a strong storm rolled in and poured rain at lower elevations. [#storm ,#pines ,#g12 ,#Canon ,#August ,#Maine ,#Acadia ,#Mt Desert Islan
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
247 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Coastal
Jordan Pond Trail Bridge and the North Bubble in Acadia National Park, Maine
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
103 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
116 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
13 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
7 min
  • Coastal
Sail Rock, the easternmost point in the United States of Alaska. Located in Quoddy Head State Park, Maine.
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waterfall
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
31 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
7 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
42 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
14.2 km
/ 8.8 mi
Elevation gain
325 m
Typical duration
3 hr 27 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
71 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
36 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
6.7 km
/ 4.2 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
1 hr 27 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Coastal

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Beech Cliff TrailMaine1.4 km247 m40 minModerateApril to October
Jordan Cliffs TrailMaine2.0 km103 m35 minModerateApril to October
Pemetic East Cliff TrailMaine0.4 km116 m16 minModerateApril to October
Blue TrailMaine1.0 km0 m13 minEasyApril to October
Coastal TrailMaine2.0 km58 m30 minModerateApril to October
East Coast GreenwayMaine1.0 km13 m13 minEasyApril to October
Mowry Beach TrailMaine0.6 km0 m7 minEasyApril to October
Quoddy Coast Guard TrailMaine1.4 km35 m21 minModerateApril to October
Dipper Cove PathMaine0.8 km19 m12 minModerateApril to October
Spruce-Fir Forest TrailMaine0.9 km19 m13 minModerateApril to October

Beech Cliff Trail, Blue Trail, Pemetic East Cliff Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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