While there’s over 60 lighthouses along the Maine Coast, the truth is many of them aren’t accessible by foot, let alone easy to see which is why the 13 I chose for this list are very specific in that they are very popular, very photogenic, generally easy to reach and there’s also a lot of other things to do in the every town and area they are at.
Here’s the list of the 13 best lighthouses on the Maine Coast:
- Nubble Lighthouse.
- Lobster Point Lighthouse.
- Goat Island Lighthouse.
- Portland Head Lighthouse.
- Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
- Doubling Point Lighthouse.
- Marshall Point Lighthouse.
- Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse.
- Owls Head Lighthouse.
- Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.
- Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.
- Egg Rock Lighthouse.
- West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.
1) Nubble Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Right by York Beach Maine, 2 hours north of Boston.
Fee to enter?
Nubble Lighthouse is on a private island but there is a free park (Sohier Park) right by it which you can use to get very close to it.
Description:
This is one of the top 5 most visited lighthouses on the Maine Coast and it’s also one of the most photogenic. The best way to get as close as possible to it is via Sohier Park which also offers it’s own attractions including a visitor center for the lighthouse. There is also the York town worth checking out as well.
2) Lobster Point Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
In the town of Ogunquit Maine (30 minutes north of Nubble Lighthouse).
Fee to enter?
The area is free to go to, but you can’t go inside this lighthouse.
Description:
This is a small lighthouse on the Maine Coast but it is also by one of the most beautiful shorelines in the state and there is a very scenic walk you can do along a shoreline trail called Marginal Way which is great to check out around sunset. The town of Ogunquit is also awesome as it has nice restaurants and tours you can do in the Atlantic nearby.
3) Goat Island Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
It’s located outside Cape Porpoise.
Fee to enter?
Goat Island Lighthouse is on an island which you can only reach by taking a boat to. There’s actually paid tours like this one that do it.
Description:
Goat Island Lighthouse can be seen from the coastlines of Cape Porpoise and is very photogenic, but this is also a much more interactive type of lighthouse to visit because you can kayak to it or take boat tours to the island itself. Aside from that, the town of Cape Porpoise is also very fun to explore.
4) Portland Head Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Officially it’s in Cape Elizabeth but there’s several towns near it such as South Portland.
Fee to enter?
To enter the area, it’s about $6 per person. However there is only 1 day every year that you can go inside Portland Head Lighthouse itself and it varies every year. In 2023, it’ll be on September 9th I believe (details).
Description:
This is the second if not the first most popular lighthouse (it’s definitely the oldest though). The entire area is amazing to check out, whether it’s the lighthouse, the park around it and the amazing towns there. For the park, there’s a lot of historical easter eggs around the coast and there’s even another small lighthouse called Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse that’s about a 5 minute drive away.
5) Pemaquid Point Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
It’s in the town of Bristol Maine (2 hours from Portland Maine).
Fee to enter?
Yes you have to pay $4 to get into the lighthouse itself ($1 for kids).
Description:
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is also a very photogenic spot to visit and check out in general because of it’s location which is right on one of the most southern parts of Maine. The beach area there is also very scenic and a place you can hike through as an extra activity. It goes without saying that seeing sunsets at Pemaquit Point is also stunning.
6) Doubling Point Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
It’s located in Arrowsic Maine.
Fee to enter?
Nope, it’s free but the parking is very small (I would visit this lighthouse as early as possible or perhaps around sunset).
Description:
This option is a bit different from the other choices on the list because it isn’t really located on the classic Maine Coast (by the Atlantic). It’s actually inside a river/bay area which you can explore different ways, the most popular is just walking on a boardwalk to the lighthouse itself (you can’t go inside this lighthouse though). In terms of other things to see around this place, the closest city is Brunswick where there’s even an airport and more parks and trails to see.
7) Marshall Point Lighthouse (it’s the Forest Gump Lighthouse spot):
Location on the Maine Coast:
Port Cylde Maine.
Fee to enter?
Yes (but it does close at 4 pm daily).
Description:
Aside from being the famous lighthouse in the Forest Gump movie, Marshall Point is in my opinion a much better alternative to Doubling Point from earlier because there’s more parking space, you can get to the lighthouse easier and there’s more things to do. I still like Doubling Point because it’s beautiful and less crowded, but you don’t have problems with that and have to choose between them, go with Marshall Point Lighthouse.
8) Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Swans Island Maine.
Fee to enter?
Yes but you need to take a boat or ferry to get to the island (you have to go to Bass Harbor Marine to reach it).
Description:
There’s a lot of reasons you’d want to check out the Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse:
- There’s less crowds because you have to take a boat to get there.
- Swans Island is also an amazing place to see because it has many attractions including hiking trails.
- The lighthouse is also one of the most scenic on the Maine Coast too.
9) Owls Head Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Owl’s Head Maine.
Fee to enter?
Yes.
Description:
I have a lot of good things to say about this place but here are the top 2 reasons I’d recommend coming here:
- To start, this is the type of area I would compare to the Oregon Coast because of the beauty (cliffs, coastal views, and stuff to do).
- The second is that it’s in Owl’s Head which is one of the best parks in Maine.
10) Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse (you can walk out to it):
Location on the Maine Coast:
5 minutes from Owl’s Head Lighthouse.
Fee to enter?
Yes.
Description:
You can actually see Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse from Owl’s Head, but because you can actually “hike” to it and the fact that it’s so close to Owl’s Head makes it worth adding as it’s own place to see. There’s a long man made trail to it called Breakwater Access trail and it makes for a great walk around the sunset time. Although the area around Rockland Breakwater lighthouse isn’t as scenic as Owl’s Head, I would recommend coming here just for the experience of walking to this lighthouse and how beautiful that experience is.
11) Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse Station:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Near Acadia National Park.
Fee to enter?
Yes but you can’t go inside Bass Harbor. There is a path to take you close to it.
Description:
This is likely to be the most crowded lighthouse you’ll visit on the Maine Coast because of 2 things:
- It’s near Acadia National Park (which is one of the best national parks on the east coast).
- It’s also a very famous spot for photography, especially when there’s sunsets here (as the photo above shows).
But aside from the views, this place is very historic and you will have monuments and museum items to check out here, alongside the beautiful lighthouse itself. If you’re worried about the crowds, but are considering coming here, either do it during late fall or early spring and if you’re going to visit Acadia NP, it’s an easy decision to come here anyway.
12) Egg Rock Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
East of Acadia National Park (requires boat to reach).
Fee to enter?
None but you can’t actually go on the island where Egg Rock Lighthouse is. You can take boat tours there.
Description:
Egg Rock Lighthouse is probably the second most popular lighthouse near Acadia National Park and while it is only reachable via boat tours (which only take you around the island), one big reason to check this place out is that you can often see a lot of sealions there. It’s also a great extra itinerary to add if you’re already exploring the Acadia area (see info about the closest airports to Acadia National Park in case you want to fly there).
There are also ferries from the same marina that takes you there which also take you east towards New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where you can see places like Bay of Fundy. And in that area I highly recommend checking out the Hopewell Rocks.
13) West Quoddy Head Lighthouse:
Location on the Maine Coast:
Lubec Maine (right by the Canadian border to New Brunswick).
Fee to enter?
Yes, $4 for every person.
Description:
This last lighthouse on the Maine coast is also on the eastern most tip of the state. While there you will see the Canadian Border and parts of New Brunswick. Aside from that, the lighthouse area is inside a small but beautiful park where you will find some nice shoreline trails and photogenic spots as well.
More questions about Maine Lighthouses:
What is the most visited lighthouse in Maine?
Maine’s most visited lighthouses are either the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse near Acadia or the Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth.
How many lighthouses in Maine are open to the public?
Out of the 60+ lighthouses in Maine, only about 5-10 of them are open to the public and in some cases the dates they are open vary as well.
Here is a Maine Lighthouses map (where to find all 13 locations above):
Related (more lighthouses and amazing coastal spots to see):
1) I recommend checking out my post on the best lighthouses on the Oregon Coast. There aren’t as many as in Maine but they are also amazing on that west coast state too!
2) Not many people know but Michigan has a lot of lighthouses across the great lakes and Upper Peninsula of Michigan in general as it’s on and its probably where you’ll find the most options.
3) I also recommend North Shore MN as it is right by Michigan and also has numerous lighthouses.
