Great Head Trail   Sand Beach and the ''Beehive'' from the Great Head trail Says Kevin Corcoran Cruise ship off of Great Head Says Kevin Corcoran Sand Beach from the Great Head trail Says Kevin Corcoran The Great Head Trail lies within Acadia National Park. It is a double-loop or ''figure 8'' shaped trail that can be accessed from Sand Beach or from the southern end of Schooner Head Road. The Great Head Trail is an easy trail that traverses     a peninsula or ''head'' of land that juts into the Atlantic Ocean at the eastern exreme of Acadia. This is a popular trail, in part because it is located only a couple of miles south of Bar Harbor. Access from Sand Beach is found at the eastern end of the beach, where the sand meets a bluff. I accessed the Great Head Trail from Schooner Head Road, however. From the parking area, one can cover the entire double-loop trail in only 2 miles of hiking. The trail offers a combination of woods and open rock ocean views. The two best views, in my opinion, occur on the bluff above Sand Beach and at the southernmost point of the trail, where the hiker gets very nice ocean views that include   famous Acadia landmarks such as Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff. The Sand Beach view also provides a great look at ''The Beehive,'' which is a small, but steep mountain that can be summitted via a trail that includes negotiation of rock-imbedded ladders and cliff ledges. There's really not a lot of elevation gain on the Great Head Trail. If you access the trail from Sand Beach, you'll climb a total of 145 feet. Access from Schooner Head Road is easier still, with only 65ish feet of elevation change. In short, this is a very good trail for families with young children and for those whose K2-climbing days are behind them. The trail nevertheless rewards the hiker with great views for relatively little effort. Says Kevin Corcoran BIGGER SIZE PICTURE HERE BIGGER SIZE PICTURE HERE BIGGER SIZE PICTURE HERE            Map Map Campgrounds Nearby List of Nearby Campgrounds Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Great Head Trail.   Trails Near Great Head Trail: Bar Island Trail, Hancock County , 4 miles away Conners Nubble Trail, Hancock County , 6 miles away Sargent Mountain Trail, Hancock County , 7 miles away Parkman Mountain Trail, Hancock County , 8 miles away Bald Peak Trail, Hancock County , 8 miles away   Camp Grounds Near Great Head Trail: Blackwoods Campground, Hancock County , 2 miles away Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort, Bar Harbor , 3 miles away Hadley's Point Campground, Bar Harbor , 4 miles away Bar Harbor Campground, Bar Harbor , 4 miles away Barcadia Campground, Bar Harbor , 4 miles away   Whitewater Near Great Head Trail: Union River, Hancock County , 22 miles away, Class I-II - 0.5 miles long (Ellsworth Falls to Ellsworth) Narraguagus River, Washington County , 23 miles away, Class I-V - 17.3 miles long (Deblois to Cherryfield) Narraguagus River - West Branch, Hancock Washington County , 24 miles away, Class II-III - 14 miles long (Denbow Peat Mine to Sprague Falls 1) Branch Lake Stream, Hancock County , 26 miles away, Class III-V - 4 miles long (Branch Lake to Infant Street in Ellsworth) Union River - East Branch, Hancock County , 26 miles away, Class I-II - 19.4 miles long (Steep Landing to West Branch)   Public Lands Near Great Head Trail: Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor - ME , 4 miles away Maine Acadian Culture, Bar Harbor - ME , 4 miles away Lamoine State Park, Maine , 10 miles away   Hotels Near Great Head Trail: The Chiltern Inn, Bar Harbor , 3 miles away Primrose Inn-Historic Bar Harb, Bar Harbor , 3 miles away Acadia Hotel, Bar Harbor , 3 miles away Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor , 3 miles away Anchorage Motel, Bar Harbor , 4 miles away   Lakes Near Great Head Trail Jones Pond, Hancock County , 9 miles away Morancy Pond, Hancock County , 10 miles away