Dorr Mountain is the third highest mountain on Mount Desert Island, and was next on my list as I try to hike each of them from highest to lowest. It is steeper than hiking Cadillac, which makes it a bit harder, and the hike down was a steep slope and required some effort to stay balanced.
I started at the Nature Center and it made a nice loop, starting at the Jessup Path which is lovely, and will just get prettier as the leaves change.
- Updated: 3 Oct 2024
what a difference a month makes...
canon brook trail
the new reservation system
In addition to a parking pass, each vehicle will also need a reservation to enter the park. Starting Oct 1 the park will be adopting a new reservation system. Reservations are $2/car and are available through the park service website, not at the ticket office.
[Cadillac Mountain is already sold out for sunrise in October, but more reservations will be released 48 hours beforehand}
you need both things!!
the peaks
what to carry along
CAMERA
This is optional, I use my cell phone on long hikes, but sometimes I want the picture more than the workout.
WATER & FOOD
I don’t need as much water in fall, as in summer, but I always need a snack, usually, rather suddenly, I get low blood sugar.
LAYERS
I have a light-weight jacket that I can throw on at the top of the mountain, when it gets a bit breezy.
MAP
We brought a map, but it was older and the trails were a bit different, and the All Trails map was not available unless we had cell service.
BACKPACK
I bought a small day pack this year that I like very much, it’s very light, and doesn’t throw me off balance. It’s an Osprey, Hikelite 18, in black.
POLES
This is optional, there are some times when I would like the stability, but usually I’m fine and I don’t carry poles.
KEBO MOUNTAIN, 407′
DORR MOUNTAIN, 1270′
how to get here
PARKING
There is limited parking at the Nature Center, I had to do a couple of loops to snag a spot.
This was not my day for a garden tour, I was focused on climbing mountains, but it is lovely and right there…
The buses are not running this year due to COVID, but normally the lot is on the bus route.
trail notes
I started at the Nature Center Parking lot – twice actually. When I got to the end of the Jessup Path, I realized that the recording had stopped, so I went back and started over – ugh.
The loop starts with Jessup Path, a pretty boardwalk through the trees that has informational signs about wildlife, that I did not read. Next I followed another trail along the golf course, and took a left after the cemetery. It would have been shorter to walk along the Park Loop Road, but it wasn’t the moment.
I reached the start of the Kebo Mountain Trail and it was a lot of steep stairs. At the the top of Kebo, I almost missed the marker because it was hidden in the trees. I only looked for it because it seemed I was going down again.
From here there is a very steep climb up Dorr, which was harder than Cadillac [see my post ~ why hike cadillac] I was setting my own pace, and it was too fast so I was stopping a lot, and it was a hard hour or so to the top.
Just before the summit, I had actually climbed higher than the summit, and it felt higher, but there was no view. So, around a clump of trees I found the sign to document the ascent, and took it all in. The views were beautiful, and you have a very good view of the side of Cadillac Mountain, but I think the top of Sargent has the prettiest views. [see my post – 4 peaks, a death march]
The trail down is smooth rock, so you are walking down a steep slope, not stairs, and it’s an exhausting effort to keep your footing. Do not take this trail after rain; the rocks will be too slippery.
At the bottom of the trail, I turned left onto Canon Brook Trail and headed back toward the parking lot. This was a nice section with a lot of pine needles that were a welcome cushion under foot. The trail evolves into a stone path along the Tarn, which had too much of a view of the road for my taste, but the stone path was beautiful.
A loop is nice, if you only have one car, and this hike checked off one of the peaks I had never done before.
Enjoy your hike!
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