(Moderate hiking, 0.8 miles one-way)

The Bowl is a picturesque little pond tucked high into the mountainside on the south end of Champlain Mountain and just below The Beehive. The Bowl is a popular spot on warm summer days and the shore will often be dotted with hikers picnicking on the rocks and swimming in the refreshing waters.

The Bowl Trail begins from the Park Loop Road diagonally opposite the entrance to Sand Beach, a little more than half-mile south of the Sand Beach Entrance Station. The trailhead is also accessible by riding the Island Explorer shuttle bus.

The trail follows the outlet stream of Kief Pond and soon reaches a junction with the Beehive Trail, which diverges right and climbs steeply over cliffs and ledges – often with the aid of iron rungs and ladders – to the airy summit of The Beehive.

Continuing ahead on Bowl Trail you’ll pass the lower junction and then the upper junction of the Gorham Mountain Trail, which leads about a half-mile south to the open summit of Gorham Mountain and terrific vistas of Great Head, Newport Cove, and Otter Cliff.

Ahead, pass by the upper end of the Beehive Trail and wander easily downhill to the pretty south shore of The Bowl and the intersection of the Champlain South Ridge Trail and Beehive Trail.

Visitor Resources: Hiking and Climbing in Maine | Maine Trail Finder | Bar Island | The Beehive | Ship Harbor Nature Trail | Wonderland Trail | The Bowl Trail | Beehive Trail Hike Beech Mountain | Bubble Rock Trail | Cadillac Mountain | Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail | Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trai | Cadillac Summit Path | Champlain Mountail Beechcroft Trail | Champlain North Ridge Trail | DownEast Lakes Trust Trail | Gorham Montain Trail | Great Head Trail | Jordan Pond Nature Trail | Mansell Mountain Trail | Ocean Path Trail | Pemetic North Ridge Trail | Precipice Trail