Dorr Mountain Summit--Step by Step by Step – Wednesday – July 17, 2013

Bill and I would be hiking by ourselves today.  We wanted to hike to a summit but didn’t want to work too hard;o))  Our research led us to Dorr Mountain, the second highest peak on Mount Desert Island, behind only Cadillac Mountain. It’s named after George Dorr, who’s affectionately known as the father of Acadia National Park.   

There are multiple paths to the summit. We chose to start from Sieur de Monts Spring. From there we would hike up via the Emery and Schiffs Paths (Dorr Mountain East Face Trail) to the summit and return via the North Ridge, Hemlock and Jessup trails for a total of 4.2miles.   

Here is the description I read to Bill:

“Like a stairway to heaven, this route’s hundreds of granite steps take you along switchbacks and the base of sheer rock walls to the grand views atop Dorr Mountain.  In addition to the mountaintop vistas, you have to admire the handiwork that went into constructing the stairs.”

Bill said it sounded very doable and he would be fine with 100 steps;o)  However, when I read, I said, “a hundred granite steps!”  Oooops--my bad;o((  As we learned, there is a big difference between a hundred and hundreds! Yeah, this hike turned out to be more difficult than we anticipated, but definitely one of our favorites!!  

We loved every bit of Emery Path and Schiffs Paths. How they built those stairways through the granite is amazing. The workmanship is impressive. There were dramatic curving section which hug the side of the mountain with a precipitous drop on the other side. It may be a bit unnerving to those who are uncomfortable with heights….so sorry Bill!!  But he did great and actually began to enjoy it so much that he hiked it again in a few days with the rest of the gang.   

One of the nicest things about this hike is the lack of hiking traffic.  We only saw one set of hikers just as we reach what we thought was the summit.  They took our picture for us and then continued on to Cadillac Mountain.  After they left, we realized we weren’t at the summit:o( It looks like the summit, but it’s not. The summit is 0.1 mi further away up the Dorr South Ridge Trail.  So to make it official, we got new photos at the REAL summit.   

Our trip down was on the Dorr North Ridge Trail to the Hemlock Trail and ending on the Jessup Trail back to Sieur de Monts Spring.  There were no stairs, but wonderful views as we hike the granite faces above the tree line.  Then we did some rock scrambling through the pines and hardwoods on the Hemlock Trail.   

What  a wonderful day :o)) 
 
Dorr Mountain is definitely on our “DO AGAIN” trail list!!

00 - Map - Dorr Mountain Summit Hike
 
click on any photo to enlarge
or
hover your mouse pointer on a photo for a description
 
01 - Sievr De Monts Spring  01b - Sievr De Monts Spring - Spring head being cleaned
01c - Sievr De Monts Spring - George Bucknam Dorr Memorial Stone
02d - Emory Path -  steps through the rocks
02c - Emory Path -  more steps02e - Emory Path -  more steps up
02f - Emory Path -  blueberries along the path
02j - Emory Path -  view from the mountain to the sea




02k - Emory Path -  occasionally the steps went down even on the way up
 
click on any photo to enlarge
 
02l1 - Emory Path -  the steps went round and round 02l2 - Emory Path -  the steps went round and round 02l3 - Emory Path -  the steps went round and round02m - Emory Path -  last steps on Emory Path
 

 
 
03 - Schiff Path - Marker - Made a right on to trail
03a - Schiff Path - more steps- how did they build these  03a - Schiff Path - more steps
03b1 - Schiff Path - more amazing views03b2 - Schiff Path - more amazing views
03c - Schiff Path -  continuing along the ridge
03d - Schiff Path - wildlife sighting - squirrel03d2 - Schiff Path - wildlife sighting - dove
03e - Schiff Path - past the very steep Ladder Trail
03h - Schiff Path - enjoy the views
 

 
 
03i - Schiff Path - we thought this was the summit  03ib - Schiff Path - our not the summit picture

 
03j - Schiff Path - there is the real summit
04a - North Ridge Trail - Sign04b - North Ridge Trail - heading down the mountain
04c - North Ridge Trail - amazing views  04c2 - North Ridge Trail - amazing views
04d - North Ridge Trail - through the pines  04d2 - North Ridge Trail - through the pines - view of Kebo Golf Course
04e - North Ridge Trail - through the hardwoods and rocky terraine



 
 
04f - North Ridge Trail - Hang a right on the Hemlock Trail  05 - Hemlock trail - a few more rocks to scramble
 



 
05b - Hemlock trail - reached Jessup Trail - Sign06 - Jessup Trail - Hang a right on boardwalk to nature center


 
 
07 - Nature Center - back to where we started

 

7 comments:

  1. Great views. I guess Bill is conquering the height thing after Acadia!!

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  2. That looks like the stairway to heaven! :)

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  3. One thing that surprised me about Acadia is the relative lack of wildlife, but the scenery definitely makes up for it. It's just amazing!!
    Syl

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  4. LOL at your 100 steps mistake. Your pictures show a fabulous hike I wish I had taken with you. It's on my 'next time' list for sure. Do you know if the steps were done by the CCC. We've seen lots in parks that were.
    Love your mouse overs. They must take forever, picture by picture.

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  5. Gorgeous views! Great picture of the two of you.

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  6. Now that's what I'd call a Stairmaster! You certainly were rewarded with those views!

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  7. Great pic of you two! Acadia was amazing!

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