Blue Hill

It is not a resort town. People live here year-round, and the village center functions as one, which gives it a texture the more polished harbor towns further down the coast have lost.

What Blue Hill is known for

Music, first. Kneisel Hall has run a summer chamber music school and festival here since the turn of the twentieth century, and its concerts are the anchor of the season. Pottery is second: the peninsula has supported working ceramicists for decades, and several studios sell from the workshop.

Then there is the hill. Blue Hill Mountain rises just behind the village. A short, steep climb of under an hour, with a view over Blue Hill Bay to Mount Desert Island. It is the best return-on-effort hike on the peninsula and the reason the town has its name.

Things to do

Climb the mountain, walk the village, and eat well. Arborvine (4.8 across 161 Google reviews) is the long-running fine-dining option, set in a restored Cape. Perry's Lobster Co (4.6 from 449 reviews) is the opposite end of the spectrum: a dock-side shack on Surry's shore, and the better choice on a clear evening.

The Historic Blue Hill Falls Rainbow Bridge (4.7 from 37 reviews) spans a reversing tidal falls where the current runs hard enough to attract whitewater kayakers on the turn of the tide. Watching it is a legitimate activity; paddling it is not for beginners.

Getting here and when to go

Blue Hill is about forty minutes south of Ellsworth and makes a reasonable base for exploring the peninsula, Castine and Deer Isle without staying in the busier Acadia corridor.

The summer music season runs through July and August. September is quieter and the hiking is better. The village keeps more open through winter than most towns on this peninsula, because it serves residents rather than visitors.

Common questions

Can you hike Blue Hill Mountain?

Yes, and it is the standard thing to do in town. The trails up are short and steep rather than long, and the open summit looks out across Blue Hill Bay toward the mountains of Mount Desert Island on a clear day. The local heritage trust maintains the routes, and the trailhead parking sits just outside the village.

What is Blue Hill Falls?

A reversing tidal rapid, not a waterfall. Tide moving in and out of Salt Pond under the Blue Hill Falls bridge builds standing waves strong enough that whitewater kayakers come to surf them, and the direction of the current flips with the tide. The rainbow-arch bridge over the falls rates 4.7 from 37 reviews and is the usual place to watch from.

Is Blue Hill a good base for Acadia?

It works, but it is not close. Blue Hill sits on its own peninsula across the bay from Mount Desert Island, and the drive to Acadia loops inland through Ellsworth rather than crossing the water. Pick Blue Hill if you want a quiet town with good food and do not mind the drive; pick Bar Harbor if you want to be at the park gate.

Is Blue Hill an arts town?

To an unusual degree for its size. Kneisel Hall has run a summer chamber music school and concert season here for more than a century, the peninsula has a long studio pottery tradition, and small galleries such as Handworks Gallery, rated 4.8 from 9 reviews, sit right in the village. Arborvine, at 4.8 from 161 reviews, covers the dinner half of the evening.