Fit Travel: 10 Best Coastal Hikes in the United States

Acadia Mountain Trail, Maine

The 2.5-mile Acadia Mountain Trail, an east-west hike near Trenton, Maine, summits Mount Desert over Somes Sound and Southwest Harbor. You can pick up the trailhead across from Acadia Mountain parking lot off Route 102. The well-marked trail ascends steeply from the get-go up a total of 681 feet. After you follow the switchbacks, you’ll cross an old logging road and enter a pine forest. Here, you can catch high-point views of Echo Lake, a two-mile-long hotspot for camping, fishing, boating, and swimming. The trail summits Mount Desert from the east and descends sharply looping back to the parking lot. When you reach the bottom of Acadia Mountain Trail, keep your eyes peeled for a short 75-yard offshoot trail. It leads to cascading waterfalls in Man of War Brook, and is worth the extra 20 minutes.