Breakneck Road, Acadia National Park

We ended up walking along the Breakneck Road when we couldn’t find a parking space at any of the mountain trailheads in the park! And we’re glad we did. After the dramatic views of the park, Breakneck Road offers subtler pleasures: a sweet-smelling forest, a wetland, and access to the Breakneck Ponds. On the busy Sunday we visited, we were the only ones on the path. The ponds are broken into two by a spit of land. If you’re super hot and sweaty, take a dip!

A little side trail darts off to the east and connects to a carriage road at about 1.5 miles. So you could make a loop if you don’t want to walk the whole way.

You can park at either end of the 3.0-mile one-way path. But it’s slightly easier to find the trailhead from the north side, at the end of Breakneck Road, a little dead-end road off Route 3. There is a small parking area, big enough for two or three vehicles. The path extends beyond the gate. Initially wide and easy, it does narrow and get a bit rougher as you move in deeper into the forest and by a wetland.

The other end of the road is marked with a gate tucked a few feet into the woods. I drove by it at first without seeing it. But you can safely park in a wide pullover near the gate.

Directions: The north trailhead is at the end of Breakneck Road, a short dead-end street off Route 3, just north of the Hulls Cove Entrance for the Park Loop Road. You can also park in the shoulder of Route 233 to access the southern trailhead. Look for the trail just west of the parking area for Eagle Lake and the nearby park carriage roads.