Is This the Most Dangerous Hike in a National Park?

Nationwide Parks may possibly come to feel tame, but hike the steep and craggy Precipice Path in Maine’s Acadia Nationwide Park and you are positive to get the adrenaline kick you are on the lookout for.

Situated on the east encounter of Champlain Mountain, the stroll is widely deemed the most hazardous hike of Acadia. Although it is not a technological climb, the steep vertical drops and exposed cliffs make it extremely dangerous. (The hike is no joke—a 22-12 months-old lady fell to her demise listed here.)

Occasionally the only way to remain on the hike is to grasp a primitive iron ring or pull you up a steel ladder jutting out from the sharp granite. Tackle this trek, and you’ll glimpse at Nationwide Parks in a whole new way.

The stats: one,058 feet final elevation, one.6 miles round-journey, finances 3 several hours, no pet dogs, and little ones less than 5-feet two-inches tall may possibly not be equipped to do this hike.

Finding there: From Bar Harbor, Maine, stick to the Park Loop Road along the japanese aspect of Mount Desert Island—while the Nationwide Park entrance is technically farther down the street, you’ll need to have a park go to use the Precipice parking location. The trailhead sits obviously at the edge of the parking good deal.

What to provide: Strong mountaineering boots, weather conditions-appropriate mountaineering clothing, a hat, sunglasses, a tiny pack with lots of drinking water and meals, a digicam, a tiny very first assist kit, and a mobile telephone.

When to go: Severe Maine winters make this path too hazardous during the wintertime and early spring seasons, and a great deal of the spring and early summer time the path is closed off to protect nesting Peregrine falcons and their chicks. Simply call a park business to uncover out when the path opens up, commonly in early August.

What to assume: The path kicks off with a steep, flat boulder that necessitates you to rely on your boots and rely on friction to cross—a very good deterrent for fewer-equipped hikers and a taste of what to assume later on in the hike. From there, you’ll stick to the clearly marked path through the woods, up a couple rock scrambles, and to your very first established of rungs. The path emerges on to a steep ledge that winds back and forth up the mountain, with some ladders and extended rungs peppered in along the way. The leading of the mountain provides lots of lovely vantage points and lunch places. You’re permitted to stick to the path back the way you came, but we recommend building it a loop for a safer expertise.

Do: Pluck a wild Maine blueberry to snack on toward the leading of your hike.

Don’t: Get rid of your stability or choose your fingers off the steel rungs for a photograph except you are secure. If you choose a tumble, it may possibly be your last.

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