Kittredge Brook Forest

Discover

Kittredge Brook Forest in Bar Harbor offers a sustained woodland outing in the north-central interior of Mount Desert Island. Maine Coast Heritage Trust protects the forest around a brook that travels through wetland and wooded ground toward Babson Creek. Low ridges and seasonal pools give the walk its structure. This is a destination for following the relationships among water, forest, and habitat, with enough route choice to shape an outing around the group's interests.

The manager identifies year-round access behind Mount Desert Island High School. Park near the tennis courts and follow signs around the west side of the track and across the upper playing field. Dogs are prohibited on all school grounds, including this trailhead. A separate entrance at the end of Bluff Road is available between spring and fall; consult current guidance before choosing it, particularly when planning a visit with a pet.

Maine Trail Finder describes forest-floor paths, rock and ledge, and wooden wetland crossings. Use the mapped network to select a return route and prepare for natural footing. Some paths cross neighboring private or national-park land, making the marked corridor important throughout the outing. A shorter choice can still offer a complete woodland experience, while a longer circuit allows more time to compare the ridge and wetland settings.

Rebecca Goldfine's original account values the wetland scenery and describes mossy woodland on the Bluff Road approach. Her observations also show how different portions of a large trail network can produce different impressions. Follow current signs and the manager's routing rather than seeking an unmarked viewpoint described in an older account. A useful goal is to notice where the ground rises away from water and where the forest opens toward wetter terrain.

A second original account, posted by alanparks on Maine Trail Finder on May 7, 2020, describes an especially productive spring birdwatching visit. The writer observed geese, ducks, and other birds around the marsh and beaver-dam setting. That individual day's experience suggests why binoculars can add to the walk, while leaving the day's discoveries open. Stop where the public trail gives a view and let animals continue their movements without approaching or following them.

The brook provides a coherent thread through the preserve. The manager describes its flow west from a beaver pond through open wetlands and forest before it reaches Babson Creek. Seasonal pools add smaller water habitats within the woods. Thinking about that drainage helps make sense of the changing ground: an apparently quiet forest path belongs to a larger watershed that eventually reaches the tidal coast.

MCHT secured the forest in 2011 with help from a bargain sale, donors, and wetland-conservation funding. Its position within a larger undeveloped block gives the protection significance beyond the public trails. During a walk, that purpose can remain concrete: respect wet ground, stay within established access, control pets where they are permitted, and carry out waste. Camping and fires are prohibited. For photographs, connect a permitted wetland view with its wooded margin, or show the trail crossing a low ridge. Kittredge Brook Forest rewards time spent understanding a connected interior landscape, with water quietly organizing the whole experience.

Fun facts

1. Kittredge Brook flows west toward Babson Creek.
2. MCHT secured the forest in 2011 with donors and wetland-conservation support.
3. The preserve sits within a larger undeveloped block on MDI.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

1. Rebecca Goldfine appreciates wetland scenery and mossy woodland on the Bluff Road approach. Updated July 9, 2026; exact visit date unknown.
2. alanparks reports geese, ducks, and other birds around marsh and beaver-dam habitat on a May 7, 2020 visit.

Capture

1. Connect an authorized wetland view with the wooded margin.
2. Frame a low ridge and the established path without stepping into seasonal pools.

Social

Kittredge Brook Forest offers woodland routes in north-central Mount Desert Island.

Low ridges, wet ground, and seasonal pools shape the outing.

The high-school entrance is available year-round, but dogs are prohibited on all school grounds.

The manager lists a separate Bluff Road entrance between spring and fall. Check current guidance.

Rebecca Goldfine appreciates the wetland and mossy woodland scenery in her original account.

alanparks reports a productive spring birdwatching visit in May 2020; every day’s sightings differ.

Kittredge Brook flows through wooded and wetland ground toward Babson Creek.

Choose a mapped circuit, respect neighboring land, and leave wet habitats undisturbed.

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #Maine
3. #KittredgeBrook
4. #BarHarbor
5. #MaineWoodland

Sources & visitor information

• www.mcht.org
• www.mainetrailfinder.com