VALLEY COVE Somes Sound

44° 18.55’N 068° 19.00’W

4th ed. Cruising Guide page 310

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Charts: 13312, 13318

Chart Kit: 74, 23

Mount Desert region overview chart Somes Sound Chart Chart

VALLEY COVE is one of the grandest spots on Mount Desert for the cruising sailor. The French and British and perhaps even Vikings have moored here before, just inside the entrance to Somes Sound on the western shore. Below the great cliffs and spruce forest, a boat seems small against the backdrop of nature and history.
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A short but vigorous hike from Valley Cove leads to the top of Flying Mountain, with marvelous views.
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Approaches. The only dangers at the entrance to Somes Sound are marked by can “5” (Fl G 2.5s) which is left to port, just before The Narrows. Thereafter, the sound is deep to Valley Cove, but favor the west shore to avoid the shoal areas on the east. It’s easy to assume that all sides of Somes Sound are steep-to and forget these spots only to be suddenly reminded in the worst way.
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Anchorages, Moorings. Feel your way in toward the southern shore and anchor in 25 to 35 feet at low. Be sure your anchor is well set. The bottom is deep and may be rocky.
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Several huge, steel-balled moorings are set in the cove, and Hinckley maintains a few others. All of them are used by visiting boats at their own risk on a first-come-first-served basis. Although the wind can funnel up or down Somes Sound and gusts sometimes blow down from the mountains, protection here is good.
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Getting Ashore. Land on the pebble beach on the southern shore, near a small footbridge.
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Things to Do. To the left, the trail leads southward through a spruce forest to the summit of Flying Mountain. The Appalachian Mountain Club calls this trail “the greatest reward on the island for a small effort.” It is rough and steep in places, but well-blazed with orange marks on the rocks. There are two lookouts from which you can gaze up and down Somes Sound, but don’t stop. Continue southward along the crest of the mountain until the trail leads you to the bare rocks on top, with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey marks that call it “Fernald Hill.” From there, look south to the meadows of Jesuit Spring, past Greening and Sutton Island to the Cranberry Islands and the great Atlantic. The distance is .3 mile to the crest and about an equal distance along the crest to the southern summit. Allow three-quarters of an hour to go up and back, or take a picnic and linger on top.
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If you walk north for a mile on the trail instead, you will reach Man o’War Brook. This is a difficult hike. The first part leads over the tumbled rock scree just under the cliff face, and the footing is tricky. When you round the headland at the north end of Valley Cove, the path passes through cedar, pine, and spruce forest and is much easier.
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After one mile, turn right at the signpost and take the path down toward the sound of rushing waters and the overlook. Man o’War Brook tumbles down steep ledges and plummets into Somes Sound. The brook runs into the tiny indentation just north of Valley Cove, and it is easier to reach by water than by land. British ships took on drinking water from the stream, and it served naval vessels as late as 1878, when Cimbria of the Imperial Russian Navy topped off here.