The hiking trail system in the Mount Desert Island section of Acadia National Park offers outstanding hiking opportunities for day hikers. It is also a cultural resource of national significance because of its origins with the village improvement associations on the island and the high level of design and craftsmanship of individual trails. This craftsmanship is most evident in the steps, retaining walls, and rock pavement built from native granite.

In 2002 a hiking trails plan was completed. Hiking trail use has been monitored for the past four years by conducting a census of entries to the entire system on two consecutive days in the first week of August. Links to the hiking trails plan and the reports for these four censuses are found at left. For more information on hiker use, see the Mountain Summits page.