Acadia National Park
Managed by National Park Service
4,561 acres25.2 mi of trail
Hio Road TrailGreat Pond TrailValley TrailGreat Notch Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Seawall Campground · Photo: Suekoehler · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Southwest Harbor
More than half of Southwest Harbor’s land is conserved: 56%
56% of Southwest Harbor’s land is conserved, about 4,860 acres. 4,585 acres are parks and preserves, 2,952 per 1,000 residents. 29 miles of mapped trail cross Southwest Harbor, 2.2 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
56%
4,860 acres · of 13.5 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
2.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,585 ac
2,952 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
Highest peak
1,070 ft
Bernard Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
3 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Southwest Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild56% of the land is conserved; a typical Maine town, 6%.Room to roam2,952 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 94% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Southwest Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Southwest Harbor is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Southwest Harbor’s overall grade.
Conserved land56% of the land · typical ME town 6% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · ME 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land2,952 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,585 acres) · ME 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · ME 30% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Water is 40% of Southwest Harbor’s area (9 of 23 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 34%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Acadia National Park, with 25.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Charlotte Rhoades Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,860 conserved acres
56% of Southwest Harbor’s land. Water is left out: Southwest Harbor has 13.5 square miles of land and 9.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Southwest Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service4,748 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits113 ac
Regional agency21 ac
Not recorded25 ac
National Park · 4,558 acConservation Easement · 202 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 90 acLocal Other or Unknown · 40 acUnknown Easement · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 196 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 23 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia National Park National Park | National Park Service | 4,558 | Open |
| Trap Mill Woods Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 79 | Closed |
| Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 20 | Unknown |
| Miscellaneous Municipal Lands Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Manset Fields Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 11 | Closed |
| Bass Harbor Marsh - Butler Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
| Maine Minor Civil Division Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Upper Town Dock Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1 | Restricted |
| Chris's Pond Unknown | Regional agency | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
31 places to go in Southwest Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Southwest Harbor
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Southwest Harbor
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Southwest Harbor
Manset Town Landing
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Southwest Harbor
Somes Sound OverlookIn Acadia National Park
DirectionsPlus 7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Southwest Harbor
Bernard Mountain1,070 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsMansell Mountain948 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsKnight Nubble928 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsLittle Notch889 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsBeech Mountain840 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsWestern Mountain807 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsValley Peak500 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
DirectionsFlying Mountain285 ft elevation · In Acadia National Park
Directions2 more peaks
Hio Hill167 ft elevation
DirectionsFreeman Ridge
DirectionsPicnic areas in Southwest Harbor
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Southwest Harbor
Seawall CampgroundHours: May 26-Oct 10 open · Fee · In Acadia National Park · National Park Service
DirectionsSmuggler's Den Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 15.5 mi
Hio Road Trail2.0 mi
Great Pond Trail1.8 mi
Valley Trail1.6 mi
Great Notch Trail1.6 mi
Ship Harbor1.2 mi
Bernard Mountain Trail1.2 mi
Beech Mountain Loop Trail1.1 mi
Razorback Trail1.0 mi
Flying Mountain Trail0.9 mi
Beech West Ridge Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
Sluiceway Trail
0.8 miMansell Mountain Trail
0.8 miPerpendicular Trail
0.8 miValley Peak Trail
0.8 miWestern Mountain Connector
0.8 miCanada Cliffs Trail
0.7 miBeech South Ridge Trail
0.7 miWonderland Trail
0.7 miGilley Trail
0.7 miValley Cove Trail
0.7 miSaint Sauveur Mountain Trail
0.5 miCold Brook Trail
0.4 miLedge Trail
0.4 miBeech Cliff Trail
0.3 miBeech Cliff Loop Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
10Tennis
5Pickleball
2Basketball
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Southwest Harbor: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 33 | 40 | 51 | 62 | 70 | 77 | 76 | 68 | 56 | 46 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 5.2 |
August is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Southwest Harbor →
Next door
Southwest Harbor and its neighbors
Southwest Harbor has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Harbor | 56% | 2.2 | 2,952 | 84% | A+ |
| Tremont | 42% | 0.6 | 1,941 | 46% | A |
| Cranberry Isles | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mount Desert | 60% | 3.0 | 5,960 | 45% | A+ |
| Frenchboro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Southwest Harbor
Where can I hike in Southwest Harbor?
The longest trail networks: Acadia National Park, 25.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Southwest Harbor is conserved land?
56% of its land, against a typical 6% for a Maine town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Southwest Harbor’s trails?
Acadia National Park and Chris's Pond Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Southwest Harbor?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Southwest Harbor?
31,132 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Southwest Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,585 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Southwest Harbor have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Southwest Harbor neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →