By Nick Thomas
With more than five dozen lighthouses dotted along the Maine coastline, my 3-month stay in Bangor in 2023 was insufficient time to visit them all. But I did manage to travel to about a third and present here some of my favorites – a list, of course, that is highly subjective. These, and many others along the Maine coast, remain active and automated, often with museums, visitor centers, gift shops, and/or walking trails for visitors to explore.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol
While the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse presents a picturesque sight from any angle, the breathtaking view from the rocks beneath at the entrance to Muscongus and John’s Bays is postcard-perfect, elevating this lighthouse to the top of my list. For those able, climbing down the not-too-steep cliff face is a must to view the lighthouse overlooking the ocean waves lapping at the sea-level rocks below. This captivating landmark is located in the Town of Bristol.
Commissioned during the administration of President John Quincy Adams and originally built in 1827, the lighthouse soon began deteriorating due to poor construction and was rebuilt a decade later. The 38-foot (79-feet above sea level) lighthouse represents the state on the 2003 Maine State Quarter, part of the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters program that ran from 1999 to 2008.
Portland Head Light
Located in Port Elizabeth, the Portland Head Light is an iconic white, conical lighthouse completed in 1791, making it the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Towering 80 feet above ground level (100 feet above the surrounding sea), it guards the entrance to Casco Bay and was commissioned by George Washington. While you can take long walks around the lighthouse, the most stunning perspective is by boat on the bay to appreciate this coastal landmark wrapped on three sides by the raw nature of ocean waves crashing onto the rocks below.
West Quoddy Head, Lubec
This distinctively red and white-striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, is located on Maine’s easternmost tip. Formerly a wooden structure built in 1808 during President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, the original tower was replaced in 1858 by the current brick structure. At 49 feet tall, the lighthouse rises to almost twice that height above sea level, perched on the ocean cliff.
With more than 540 acres to explore, the lighthouse park includes 5 miles of scenic trails, ideal for bird spotting throughout the year, as well as ocean views for summer whale watching. Two rare bogs in the park are inhabited by a variety of seasonal flora including carnivorous pitcher plants.
Featured on a 25-cent U.S. postage stamp in 1990, West Quoddy Head is a grand sight especially in full sunlight, when the tower’s 15 red and white candy stripes gleam against the ocean or park landscape. We arrived in the early morning, just before the sun pierced through, when the lighthouse was enveloped in an eerie coastal mist, creating an especially peaceful atmosphere.
Rockland Harbor Breakwater Lighthouse, Rockland
Be prepared to squint into the distant Rockland harbor to see this 25-foot lighthouse built in 1902, barely a faint dot on the horizon. What’s remarkable about this lighthouse is the astonishing almost mile-long (4,000-foot) rock breakwater, built before the lighthouse, that serves as a walkway for visitors to reach the lighthouse. Laid over a decade in the 1890s, the breakwater was constructed from almost 770,000 tons of massive stone blocks which are easy to navigate. Although challenging to photograph when approaching from the rock pathway since the lighthouse is barely visible behind the old keeper’s residence, a floating fishing dock to the right of the lighthouse provides enough distance to frame both the lighthouse and the keeper’s house.
Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde
Built in 1832, the original structure was replaced by the current 31-foot lighthouse in 1857. Movie fans come from all over the world to visit this lighthouse in order to reproduce the final moments of Tom Hank’s epic run to the Atlantic Ocean in the 1994 film, “Forrest Gump,” that culminates on the footbridge leading to the lighthouse. During our visit, I spotted more than a dozen people (including my wife) doing the 150-foot ‘Gump Run.’
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous publications. See www.getnickt.org.
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