Most Popular Maine Hiking Trails
Maine is known for its rugged beauty and outdoors recreational opportunities. After all, one of the best-known brands for outdoors apparel, LL Bean, is located in Freeport, Maine. The many outdoor recreational activities available in the Pine Tree State include canoeing, rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, wildlife watching, snowshoeing, biking, and camping. But among the most accessible is hiking. Safe to say while there's heavy anticipation for Maine sports betting, the state has no shortage of entertainment options.
BetMaine.com used Travel & Leisure’s 15 Best Hikes in Maine as a starting point to explore which hikes/trails to use in the research for the most popular Maine hiking trails. BetMaine.com then utilized Google Trends to gather search interest of each hike/trail listed in the Top 15 over the past 12 months to finalize a list of the Top 10 hiking trails that people are looking to visit in Maine.
Here they are.
Best Maine Hiking Trails
| Weighted Rank | Trail | Location | Search Interest* |
| 1 | Table Rock Trail | Grafton Notch State Park | 34 |
| 2 | Knife Edge Trail | Baxter State Park | 28 |
| T3 | 100-Mile Wilderness | Appalachian Trail | 23 |
| T3 | Mount Battie Trail | Camden Hills State Park | 23 |
| 5 | Mount Kineo | Mount Kineo State Park | 21 |
| 6 | Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail | Acadia National Park | 20 |
| 7 | Tumbledown Mountain | Franklin County | 19 |
| T8 | Gulf Hagas Rim Trail | Appalachian Trail | 18 |
| T8 | Moxie Falls Trail | Caratunk, ME | 18 |
| T8 | Angels Falls Trail | Franklin, ME | 18 |
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Table Rock Trail Takes The Crown
At the top of the list is Table Rock Trail in Grafton Notch State Park with a search interest score of 34 (over the past 12 months vs. other topics). There are a few trails that make their way to Table Rock. The hike itself is about 2.5 miles, with some steeper stretches, but the “viewpoint” from 1,400 feet is gorgeous, according to those who have made the ascent.
The No. 2 trail is Knife Edge Trail in Baxter State Park with a score of 28. A word that’s used in some descriptions of the aptly named Knife Edge Trail is “notorious.” Hiking the trail requires balance, stamina and even nerves. Reportedly, the trail is as narrow as four feet in spots with steep drops on either side.
Tied for No. 3 with scores of 23 are the 100-Mile Wilderness, part of the Appalachian Trail, and the Mount Battie Trail, in Camden Hills State Park. The 100-Mile Wilderness, as its name implies, is something of a marathon hike. It should be attempted before mid-October and hikers should be in good physical shape before setting out on this days-long challenge.
The Mount Battie Trail is quite different. This trail measures a little over a mile, out and back, along moderate terrain and is a good trail for novice hikers. Dogs can accompany hikers but must be on a leash. Instead of taking a full day, this hike can be taken in about 1.5 hours.
Best of The Rest
Ranked No. 5 with a score of 21 is Mount Kineo in Mount Kineo State Park. The Mount Kineo hike is certainly more demanding than Mount Battie. The distance is about 3.4 miles, and the elevation rises to about 1000 feet. Hikers will spend a few hours on the trail. The payoff here is great views of Moosehead Lake.
Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail in Acadia National Park is ranked No. 6 with a score of 20. As hikes go, this is no stroll in the park. The distance is 7.1 miles roundtrip. The footing can be challenging, so good footwear is necessary. It’s a forested path and it transitions to granite eventually. Snacks and water should definitely be in a hiker’s pack.
Ranked No. 7 is Tumbledown Mountain in Franklin County with a score of 19. Tumbledown is described as a loop trail of a little more than five miles with elevation of almost 2,000 feet. Those characteristics put it in the “challenging” category, and it should be hiked in better-weather months, say May to October.
Tied for the N. 8 ranking, all with scores of 18, are Gulf Hagas Rim Trail, part of the Appalachian Trail; Moxie Falls Trail, in Caratunk, and Angels Falls Trail in Franklin. Gulf Hagas Rim Trail includes an 8-mile loop and takes about 3.5 hours to complete. Moxie Falls Trail, with a route of two miles, is a trail for beginners and even for children. Angel Falls Trail offers both some good and tricky news. It is a short hike, about a mile, and the elevation is modest, about 200 feet. But there are some stream crossings, so hikers need to take care hopping rock to rock.
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