Wonderland Trail

The Wonderland Trail at Acadia National Park near Southwest Harbor, Maine is an easy 1.5-mile out-and-back hike that leads to Maine's scenic coastline and features ocean and mountain views.

Hiking the Wonderland Trail

This hike begins at the main trailhead, located on the south side of Seawall Road just north of the trailhead for the Ship Harbor Trail. The Wonderland Trail is generally a bit quieter than the Ship Harbor Trail as well, so if you're looking for less crowds this is the hike for you.

As you hike east toward the ocean, the path leads through a mostly-flat section of forest that leaves you waiting for the interesting stuff to come into view. Around mile 0.3 from the trailhead, the landscape changes where you'll find lichen covering the sandy forest floor with pine trees filling-in the landscape.

Ocean & Mountain Views - Mile 0.53 to 0.95

Once you reach mile 0.52, the trail presents a little off-shoot path that leads to the ocean. Here, we hiked off-trail a bit to take in the views. From here, until 0.95-miles in the route provided, the trail offers hikers several ways to get off of the trail and out onto the rocky coastline. The trail also loops around the peninsula, so you have your pick of which direction to take. The route provided loops around counter-clockwise where we hiked off-trail and onto the coastal rocks to enjoy the scenery of the ocean. Hiking off-trail here is another great way to escape the crowds if necessary. As you make your way around the loop, you'll find different views like the islands to the south or Cadillac Mountain to the north. You may even find sailboats passing by in the ocean or nearby sounds and channels.

Hiking Out - Mile 0.95 to 1.5

Once you wrap up the loop around the peninsula, the Wonderland Trail leads hikers back to parking via the same route you hiked in on. Follow the trail back through the sandy, pine-filled forest, to reach parking around mile 1.5.

Other Nearby Hikes

To extend your adventure at this part of Acadia National Park, you might want to consider hiking the Ship Harbor Trail or the Flying Mountain Loop.

Parking

Hikers will find parking at the coordinates provided, located on the southeast side of Seawall Road. The parking turnout has enough spaces to fit about 15 vehicles as of May 2025.

Pets

Dogs are allowed only if leashed and must be cleaned up after.