Camden Hills State Park Conditions & Activities

Park & Trail Conditions

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Park Location and Hours

Located a few minutes north of Camden on U.S. Route 1, the park offers year-round trail activities and camping. Winter camping, in a rustic shelter, is also offered and available by reservation by calling the park. Renowned for the panoramic view of Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay from the top of Mt. Battie, which inspired Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem "Renascence," the park still inspires wonder in visitors today.

Park Hours: Open all year*; 9:00 a.m. to sunset daily unless otherwise posted at the gate.

Fee collected year-round at entry booth by staff or self-service station. *NOTE: The Mount Battie Road, from Nov 1 to May 1, may be closed based on weather and staffing. Call the park ahead of your visit if you want to know the current status. The rest of the park is open year-round; the park entrance lot is plowed as well as other access points. After a major snowfall consider calling the park if the notice above has not yet been updated.

Activities in the Park

Biking +

Camping & Picnicking +

Cross-country Skiing +

Hiking +

Snowshoeing +

Trails

Park Guide & Map (PDF)

Trail Name	Distance	Activities	Description
Adams Lookout Trail	0.3 mile		Easy. This trail is a short connector trail between the Megunticook Trail and Tablelands Trail, taking only about fifteen minutes to navigate. The trail traverses the mountain on a single contour line, with rewarding views of Penobscot Bay.
Bald Rock Trail	1.3 miles		Easy to moderate. Bald Rock Trail is accessed at a junction on the Multi-use Trail 1.3 miles south of the parking lot on ME Route 173. The Bald Rock Trail heads east to a barren 1,200' summit for which the mountain was named. Many regard this trail as offering the park's best views of Penobscot Bay. Two Adirondack shelters and an outhouse are located just under the summit.
Bubba’s Trail	0.8 mile		Moderate. Bubba's Trail climbs steadily through the woods and intersects with the Carriage Road Trail that can be hiked to the summit of Mount Battie, or continue on Bubba's Trail to the Tablelands Trail that can be taken southward to the summit of Mount Battie or north toward Adam's Lookout.
Cameron Mtn. Trail	1.9 miles		Easy. Heading west from the Multi-use Trail at the intersection of Bald Rock Trail, this delightful trail gradually ascends through old farmland and past blueberry fields. Cameron intersects with Zeke's Trail offering access to the interior of the park and back to the Multi-use Trail. Alternatively, hikers may utilize the Sky Blue Trail as a return route.
Carriage Road Trail	0.8 mile		Moderate. This trail follows and in some instances parallels a once well-used carriage road providing access to the Summit House, a popular private clubhouse and social center at the turn of the twentieth century.
Frohock Trail	1.9 miles		Moderate to strenuous. Accessed a short distance south of the Multi-use parking lot on ME Route 173. The natural surface of rocks and roots makes for a challenging, but highly rewarding ride. Hikers and bikers alike will transverse several steep slopes through mixed oak and spruce forests, over three small mountain summits. For a longer ride, theFrohock Trail may be accessed via the Multi-use Trail from the park's campground.
Jack Williams Trail	1.6 miles		Easy to moderate. Named for a long-time local volunteer who designed the trail, it parallels the Ridge Trail at the base of the cliffs comprising the westerly face of Mount Megunticook. The views of the rising cliffs above the trail, and down on Lake Megunticook below are enhanced by the mixed hardwood forest through which the trail wanders on a single contour making this a relaxing hike through a typical coastal Maine forest. Both the Ridge Trail and Jack Williams Trail serve as connectors to the Maiden Cliff Trail.
Maiden Cliff Trail	1 mile		Moderate. Offers an ascent to spectacular views from cliffs that tower 800-feet over Megunticook Lake and is owned and maintained by Camden's Parks and Recreation Department. The trail rises gradually along a brook for the first half-mile, after which the path takes a somewhat steeper climb, culminating at a plateau. The trail traverses open ledges at the top of the cliff, leading to a notable destination, where a large steel cross commemorates Elenora French, who fell to her death here in 1862 at 11 years of age. Connects to the Scenic Trail. / Maiden Cliff Trail Natural Heritage Hike (PDF)
Megunticook Trail	1 mile		Moderate. The Megunticook Trail affords the most direct route to the park's finest views. It will take around an hour to cover the one mile distance, as it ascends nearly 1,000 vertical feet, with moderately steep segments in the upper section. From the ledges at Ocean Lookout, gaze down on the summit of Mount Battie, the town of Camden nestled at its base, and the entirety of Penobscot Bay from Acadia to Monhegan Island. On a clear day, Mount Washington can be discerned on the western horizon. Megunticook Trail, Adams Lookout Trail Natural Heritage Hike (PDF)
Mount Battie Trail	0.5 mile		Moderate to strenuous. Offers a relatively short, but very rewarding hike up the south-facing side of the mountain. Although there are some steep pitches, and a bit of scrambling through rock and ledge areas is required, the view over Camden and the islands dotting Penobscot Bay makes this climb well worth the effort. Ascending the stone tower on Mount Battie's 780' summit further enhances the opportunity to soak in the 360-degree panorama.
Ski Shelter / Multi-use Trail	5 miles		Easy. Trail runs from Camden Hills campground to ME Route 173, its well graveled and graded surface accommodates all user groups. The trail follows an easy contour at the base of Megunticook through mixed forest and nearby bogs where birds and wildlife abound. At midpoint, users will find a recently completed replica of a ski lodge constructed some 70 years ago. The Multi-use Trail also provides access to several trails in the northern section of the park. During the winter this trail is packed for cross country skiing from the main entrance of the park to the Ski Shelter.
Nature Trail	1.2 miles		Easy to moderate. This is the trail of choice to reach the Tablelands Trail from the camping area. This pleasant hike through the north-easterly facing forested slope will take about an hour. At the Tablelands Trail intersection, you can turn left and proceed to the summit of Mount Battie or a right turn will take you to Ocean Lookout and to the highest point in the park at the summit of Mount Megunticook. Examples of the park's abundant and varied flora and fauna are evident on the appropriately named Nature Trail.
Ridge Trail	2.5 miles		Moderate. The Ridge Trail transverses the ridge-top of Mount Megunticook from Ocean Lookout to the Scenic Trail near Maiden Cliff (a town-owned network). This moderately difficult trail, with a wooded summit at 1385', offers striking vistas to both the east and west, and features overlooks above Lake Megunticook with many spots to stop for a rest or picnic. The Ridge Trail also acts as a connector trail from Megunticook Trail to the Slope Trail and Zeke's Trail.
Scenic Trail	0.8 mile		Moderate. Provides an ascent of 120' to Miller ledges that afford an expansive view of Ragged and Bald Mountains to the west of Camden as well as the entire expanse of Megunticook Lake. The trail is owned and maintained by Camden's Parks and Recreation Department.
Shoreline Trail	0.3 mile		Easy. Trail provides picturesque views of Penobscot Bay.
Sky Blue Trail	1.5 miles		Easy to moderate. Accessed via the Multi-use Trail or the Cameron Mountain Trail near its intersection with Zeke's Trail. The rarely frequented Sky Blue Trail meanders through blueberry fields and mature forest. An especially rewarding feature is a vernal pool near its lower terminus.
Slope Trail	1.5 miles		Moderate to strenuous. The Slope Trail follows the path of what was a ski trail maintained by local volunteers until the 1950's. The trail descends from the summit of Mount Megunticook to the Multi-use Trail and a reconstructed ski lodge. As the ascent is quite steep, many hikers prefer to use the hike as the downward leg of a circuit starting with the Megunticook Trail.
Summer Bypass Trail	0.8 miles		Easy. The Summer Bypass Trail was constructed to bypass low, wet areas on the Multi-use Trail along the northeast slope of Mount Megunticook. This trail still provides an interesting option for hiking and biking through the forest, even though improvements to the Multi-use Trail have virtually eliminated the the need to avoid any sections.
Tablelands Trail	1.5 miles		Moderate to strenuous. Descending from the summit of Mount Battie, the trail winds its way northward through woodlands, rises to a series of plateaus, and then climbs steadily to the Ocean Lookout at 1300'.
Zeke's Trail	1.3 miles		Moderate. This trail follows an old road leading west from the Multi-use Trail and rises to meet the Ridge Trail. A short spur takes the hiker to Zeke's Lookout at 1,190 feet.