ABANDONED TRAILS OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK: THE GREAT CAVE

THE PRECIPICE - ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

In the 1800's Mount Desert Island had already become home to several major attractions, long before the establishment of Acadia National Park. Places like Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, than called Thunder Cave were favorite destinations for outings and picnics which continued into the 1900's. Some of the more interesting areas of natural beauty included dangerous hiking trails, with names like the Orange and Black Path, the Bear Brook Path, The Beehive and the ever popular Great Cave Path. The popularity of the Great Cave, a wonder of nature located just off of the Precipice Trail, dates back to the early 1800's when entire families would hike up to the cave and spend the afternoon with picnic baskets in hand, the cool air of the cave was a welcome relief to the summer heat.

The Great Cave - rediscovered and photographed by David Schortmann
Acadia National Park

The Great Cave carries with it a somewhat odd history in the fact that after Acadia National Park was established, the National Park Service decided to make the Great Cave one of its star attractions. Mr. Rudolph Brunnow was put in charge of constructing a loop, which began at a lower section of the Precipice Trail, which he also designed, with the Great Cave Loop running up through the center of a boulder field and on into the woods above, once in the woods follow the rock wall and look for signs of stone steps. Once you reach the entrance of the cave, if you decide to continue along the second half of the loop, outside the cave, facing the cave move to the left of the cave and look for an almost hidden stairway. Many will find the second half of the loop will take them out of their comfort zone so returning the same way you reached the cave may be a better option. Off to one side of the cave, nearly hidden from view, is a unique stairway leading up and over one side of the cave where the path runs through woods and finally narrow ledges which connects the Great Cave Loop to the Precipice Trail near the top of the Precipice.

THE PRECIPICE - Acadia National Park

At the time the National Park Service was struggling to get more hikers to the area of the Precipice, and it was felt by adding an official path to the cave would do the trick. Perhaps it worked too well, because years later the national Park Service abandoned the Great Cave Loop, removing signs and disguising the starting point of the path so hikers wouldn't stumble upon it. For many years the exact location of the Great Cave was thought to have been lost forever, with only brief references being made of it in an old book or on a couple old maps. I dedicated an entire section of my website to just the Great Cave and for years posted any and all clippings I came across onto the site, hoping one day the Great Cave would once again become accessible to the public.

Abandoned Trails of Acadia - old map of Great Cave

One day I got an email from David Schortmann, him and some friends had finally discovered the exact location of the Great Cave, and he sent along a number of photos of the cave, the Great Cave, abandoned and lost for so many years, had finally been located.
I believe it was Matthew Marchon who gave the world its first video of the Great cave, and Zhanna Galas gave us the GPS information, and than Nick Thorndike provided a photo of the nearly hidden stairway leading up and over the cave, up to that point the second half of the Great Cave Loop was still a mystery.

PRECIPICE TRAIL - CHAMPLAIN MOUNTAIN - Abandoned Trails Of Acadia National Park

One question we get asked a lot is, can i visit the cave without having to deal with the narrow and dangerous ledges of the Precipice? The answer is yes, as long as you return the same way you took to reach the cave, in other words, avoid following the second half of the cave loop, because it does led to narrow ledges. In fact, the most difficult part in visiting the Great Cave is getting past a section of the Precipice Trail known as the Turn-around. It is located a short way into your hike up the Precipice, a gigantic boulder with the first set of iron rungs you encounter. The Turn-around was designed to be difficult as a way to get hikers with less experience to turn around and abandoned their hike up the Precipice.
There is a workable way to avoid the Turn-around entirely, but it will add some hiking time to your journey. Hike the Orange and Black Path, just up the road before the Precipice parking area, and follow it until you come to the Precipice Trail, it joins that trail very close to the start of that boulder field which leads to the well worn path in the woods above.

GPS for The Great Cave
Talus Slope along Precipice Trail
44.349697 - 68.189670
Split with Official Precipice Trail
44.349656 - 68.189792
First Sign of Trail in woods
44.349473 - 68.190019
Stone Steps to Cave
44.349164 - 68.190296
The great Cave
44.349101 - 68.190362
(supplied by Zhanna Galas)

CHAMPLAIN MOUNTAIN - THE GREAT CAVE
Acadia National Park

VIDEO OF THE GREAT CAVE

Stone Steps - Great Cave Trail - Acadia National Park - photo submitted by Nick Thorndike

Historic hiking trails Rudolph Brunnow had a hand in designing included The Precipice, The Great Cave Loop, the Orange and Black Path, The Beehive, The Red Path (Schooner Head Path) and the Murphy Lane Path. Mr. Brunnow had plans to connect the Red Path where it ends at Schooner Head Overlook on to the Ocean Path which begins by Sand Beach, but for whatever reason that section of trail was never built. As a point of interest, Mr. Bunnow had a special "Workers Path" built closer to the Precipice, which ran from his front yard at High Seas and connected to the Orange and Black Trail, an almost hidden path today we uncovered and is mentioned in the book, Trails Of History. Mr. Brunnow employed donkeys to get building supplies to the mid section of the Precipice Trail, though it is unknown if donkeys played a role in the construction of the Great Cave Loop.

PRECIPICE TRAIL CAUTION SIGN
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

George B. Dorr, in honor of the work crew that helped build the Precipice Trail, built a miniature version of the Precipice trail by Glen Mary Park in downtown Bar Harbor. It was on a cliff with ladders, metal bridges and iron rings so people could go there and practice before attempting to hike the real thing. There are no signs of this mini Precipice today.
If your considering doing the Great Cave Trail, I highly recommend you go as far as the cave, than make your way back down the way you went up, unless narrow ledges don't bother you. The upper portion of the trail, from the cave upward leads to an area of narrow ledges, and connects to the upper portion of the official Precipice trail. Perhaps the hardest part of reaching the boulder field which leads up toward the woods and the dirt trail, is getting past the section of the Precipice Trail known as the turn a round. Some people who can't deal with the turn a round get past it by taking the Orange and Black trail, up the road not far before the Precipice parking area.