BY GUEST BLOGGER: Ben Eisinger

It may be small, but Little Deer Isle boasts its fair share of scenic preserves and hiking trails. Lisa Tolman-Wotton Preserve might be the largest, but if it’s a cool breeze, panoramic views, and short-but-rewarding forays you’re after (or maybe just an unforgettable place to picnic), you might consider visiting the smaller Isle’s most iconic geological feature at Pine Hill Preserve… and it’s NOT granite!

This preserve doesn’t offer a long hike; the trail is a half-mile long around the Serpentine Loop. Do be warned, though, the incline on this trail can be steep in places! It’s classified as “hard” on the Island Heritage Trust website for this reason. Still, the brief effort is well worth it. Upon reaching the summit, you will be treated to views that can’t be found anywhere else in the area. (Just be mindful that sections of the summit overlook what is essentially a cliff face, and it’s a long way down.) Not only are the vistas beautiful, but the summit is also relatively flat and broad, making it easy to comfortably sit down for a while. It’s a great place to share a picnic with your family/friends, as islanders have done for generations.

You can cast your eye on the towers of the Deer Isle bridge, the causeway, and on the mountains of Acadia National Park in the distance. And remember the name of the main loop that took you up to the summit and back? Serpentine Loop? That’s not derived from its winding, circular shape, but refers to the unusual geological makeup of Pine Hill. Pine Hill is the only site in the area where this signature of serpentinized periodite is found in large concentration. Back when the causeway was built in the 1920s, this rock was quarried from this site to help in the construction.

The rock itself is both a curiosity and mystery. The curiosity is because the soil is so rich in magnesium and other metals that it is toxic to most plants. As a result, of the 70+ such species of lichen growing here, a full sixteen have not been documented anywhere else in the state of Maine! The presence of these rare species, which also includes various flowering plants, mosses, and ferns, is one reason why preservation of the site is considered highly important to IHT. As for the mystery… it lies in the origins of the mineral and ore that make up Pine Hill itself. Its geological signature is not a clean match with that of its surroundings. For a long time, it was thought that Pine Hill was the throat of a volcano, the summit comprised of cooled magma. However, more recent studies suggest that it may be a chunk of oceanic crust that got caught up in a tectonic collision, which occurred roughly 400 million years ago! Whatever your reasons or interest in visiting, Pine Hill has something for everyone and is sure to be a location you will never forget.

Ben Eisinger is part of the waterfront staff at Osprey’s Echo Sea Kayaking.