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Orange and Black Path

Trail on Beaver Dam Pond, Bear Brook in Acadia NP near Bar Harbor, ME

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Length

¾mi

Surface

Rocky

Allows Hiking

Yes

The Orange and Black Trail was another one of Rudolph Brunnow’s creations and is a trail of two parts.. The official Orange and Black trail of today can be accessed from the Champlain Mountain North Ridge trail - on some maps marked as the Bear Brook trail, or from the Park Loop Road along the One Way section, once you pass the large Beaver pond and round the corner, begin to look for the trail head sign by the side of the road. Most people continue on to the Precipice parking lot and walk back up the road to the trail head.

Following either of those two routes, the trail comes to an intersection with the main trail continues on until it joins the Precipice Trail close to where the abandoned Great Cave trail begins (not marked).

Today the orange and black trail ends at the precipice trail, but that was not always the case. Many years ago the trail followed the Precipice Trail downward toward the Parking lot, and at one point exited the woods and continued on over flat open granite, making its way back upward to a dark area in the woods above. The trail is not easy to locate from this end but much easier to locate from the Hanging steps end.

Rudolph Brunnow created the once famous Hanging steps by using iron rods to make it appear as it the large stone steps "Hung in mid air." So from the precipice parking area, walk down the side of the road moving in the direction as the traffic, along the right side of the road. Just up ahead be looking for a well worn but unmarked path entering the woods. This unmarked path is used today by rock climbers. You will come to a very large boulder with a sign in post with a log book, ignore if your not there to rock climb.

From there the map pretty much lays out the route along with the GPS numbers. Most people just go as far as the Hanging Steps, climb up them and take photos, than return in the same way they came. Remember that this lower section of the Orange and Black trail was abandoned by the Park Service and is unmarked.