Spruce Head Island Guide Book
Walking trails
A lovely island maintained by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It was miles of walking trails along the coast and a beautiful quarry for swimming that is much warmer than the ocean! On low tide, there are long, sandy beaches, too. Friendly dogs are allowed off leash in the central part of the island--it is a favorite place for our pets!
Clark Island
A lovely island maintained by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It was miles of walking trails along the coast and a beautiful quarry for swimming that is much warmer than the ocean! On low tide, there are long, sandy beaches, too. Friendly dogs are allowed off leash in the central part of the island--it is a favorite place for our pets!
These hills have some of the best views of Camden Harbor, Rockport Harbor, Rockland Harbor, Owl's Head, and even the eastern tip of Spruce Head! You can climb to some of incredible views after a mile of hiking, but for those who prefer to make a full day of it, the trails in Camden Hills State Park are very extensive and offer many more challenging options.
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Státní park Camden Hills
280 Belfast RdThese hills have some of the best views of Camden Harbor, Rockport Harbor, Rockland Harbor, Owl's Head, and even the eastern tip of Spruce Head! You can climb to some of incredible views after a mile of hiking, but for those who prefer to make a full day of it, the trails in Camden Hills State Park are very extensive and offer many more challenging options.
One of our favorite short hikes, this trail is a 10-min drive from our house and offers some wonderful views of Maine's rocky coast. There's a one-mile loop than can be walked in less than a half hour, but if you would like to bring a picnic, there are several excellent spots along the trail to watch the tides and relax on the rocks.
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Ash Point Preserve
477 Ash Point DrOne of our favorite short hikes, this trail is a 10-min drive from our house and offers some wonderful views of Maine's rocky coast. There's a one-mile loop than can be walked in less than a half hour, but if you would like to bring a picnic, there are several excellent spots along the trail to watch the tides and relax on the rocks.
Food scene
Yes, they have plenty of lobster as well as other delectables, including homemade whoopie pies. You can also watch lobster boats motor in and out of the harbor, delivering their catch to the local lobstermen's coop.
A few years ago, McLoon's was voted by Yankee Magazine as the best lobster shack in Maine, which caused one of our neighbors who lives on the road to McLoon's to cancel his subscription. Follow the out-of-state plates to find it off of Island Road or take a leisurely 15-minute walk to their picnic tables from our house. Open from 11:30 am to 7 pm, every day except Wednesday.
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McLoons Lobster Shack
315 Island RdYes, they have plenty of lobster as well as other delectables, including homemade whoopie pies. You can also watch lobster boats motor in and out of the harbor, delivering their catch to the local lobstermen's coop.
A few years ago, McLoon's was voted by Yankee Magazine as the best lobster shack in Maine, which caused one of our neighbors who lives on the road to McLoon's to cancel his subscription. Follow the out-of-state plates to find it off of Island Road or take a leisurely 15-minute walk to their picnic tables from our house. Open from 11:30 am to 7 pm, every day except Wednesday.
Sightseeing
The Farnsworth is at 16 Museum Street, and is open 10 am to 4 pm except on Tuesdays. It features a lot of Wyeths of various generations, Louise Nevelsons, as well as work by other artists who spent a lot of time in Maine including Alex Katz, Robert Indiana, and of course, Neil Welliver--someone I studied with in graduate school.
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Farnsworth Art Museum
16 Museum StThe Farnsworth is at 16 Museum Street, and is open 10 am to 4 pm except on Tuesdays. It features a lot of Wyeths of various generations, Louise Nevelsons, as well as work by other artists who spent a lot of time in Maine including Alex Katz, Robert Indiana, and of course, Neil Welliver--someone I studied with in graduate school.
A stone's throw away from the Farnsworth, this wonderful gallery has rotating exhibitions of contemporary art in a beautiful space and offers a cure from viewing too many paintings of lobster boats and light houses.
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Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA)
21 Winter StA stone's throw away from the Farnsworth, this wonderful gallery has rotating exhibitions of contemporary art in a beautiful space and offers a cure from viewing too many paintings of lobster boats and light houses.
A mile-long finger of quarried rocks that juts straight into the Harbor and has a lighthouse at its tip. A great place to look at the boats, which are a motley collection of sloops, schooners, lobster and fishing vessels. It's amazing to think of the millions of tons of granite that were required to build this impressive wall and the ingenuity required to fit the pieces together.
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Rockland Breakwater Light
A mile-long finger of quarried rocks that juts straight into the Harbor and has a lighthouse at its tip. A great place to look at the boats, which are a motley collection of sloops, schooners, lobster and fishing vessels. It's amazing to think of the millions of tons of granite that were required to build this impressive wall and the ingenuity required to fit the pieces together.
A short drive from our house will reveal one of Maine's most picturesque light houses. It is a five minute walk from the parking area to view this structure that has a great view of the Penobscot Bay and the channel leading to Monroe Island.
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Maják Owls Head
186 Lighthouse RoadA short drive from our house will reveal one of Maine's most picturesque light houses. It is a five minute walk from the parking area to view this structure that has a great view of the Penobscot Bay and the channel leading to Monroe Island.
Does this light house look vaguely familiar? If so, you may remember the scene depicting it in Forrest Gump. It's located about 15 minutes away in Tenants Harbor, A trip there should include a charming museum in the house where the lighthouse keeper used to live exhibiting interesting old photos of the area and examples of the way lobster buoys and traps used to look like. There are also some unusual rock formations beneath the lighthouse visible at low tide.
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Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum
Marshall Point RoadDoes this light house look vaguely familiar? If so, you may remember the scene depicting it in Forrest Gump. It's located about 15 minutes away in Tenants Harbor, A trip there should include a charming museum in the house where the lighthouse keeper used to live exhibiting interesting old photos of the area and examples of the way lobster buoys and traps used to look like. There are also some unusual rock formations beneath the lighthouse visible at low tide.
City/town information
Rockland is about 15 minutes from our house and has a wide variety of shops, museums, restaurants, and walks and while people no longer distinguish it from "Camden by the Sea" by calling it "Rockland by the Smell"—it was a cannery town—it still has a rough and tumble vibe which we love. These days, in addition to the area smelling a lot better, it also has a very active art scene and many galleries exhibiting local and nationally-known artists. One sign on Main Street claims that New York, Paris, London and Rockland are the art centers of the art world. This is a bit of a stretch, but people really do have pride in their town!
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Rockland
Rockland is about 15 minutes from our house and has a wide variety of shops, museums, restaurants, and walks and while people no longer distinguish it from "Camden by the Sea" by calling it "Rockland by the Smell"—it was a cannery town—it still has a rough and tumble vibe which we love. These days, in addition to the area smelling a lot better, it also has a very active art scene and many galleries exhibiting local and nationally-known artists. One sign on Main Street claims that New York, Paris, London and Rockland are the art centers of the art world. This is a bit of a stretch, but people really do have pride in their town!
If you are interested in a change of pace and would like to see some beautiful 19th century homes, many of which were built by sea captains, this is your place. Strolling down Main Street and a few side streets will reveal some wonderful structures that hint at the prosperous ship-building industry that once thrived in this coastal community.
Thomaston
If you are interested in a change of pace and would like to see some beautiful 19th century homes, many of which were built by sea captains, this is your place. Strolling down Main Street and a few side streets will reveal some wonderful structures that hint at the prosperous ship-building industry that once thrived in this coastal community.
A lovely town just north of Rockland and Rockport, this is a great place to go if you want to shop, look at beautiful boats anchored in the harbor, or go out to eat. There are also some incredible homes to explore along the roads that lead down to the harbor.
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Camden
A lovely town just north of Rockland and Rockport, this is a great place to go if you want to shop, look at beautiful boats anchored in the harbor, or go out to eat. There are also some incredible homes to explore along the roads that lead down to the harbor.
Rockport has one of our favorite harbors in Maine. It's a great place to picnic or simply enjoy the view of the boats from the harbor's park. Rockport also has a nice stretch of small shops and homes that are often overlooked by people who travel between Rockland and Camden.
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Rockport
Rockport has one of our favorite harbors in Maine. It's a great place to picnic or simply enjoy the view of the boats from the harbor's park. Rockport also has a nice stretch of small shops and homes that are often overlooked by people who travel between Rockland and Camden.