10 Best Sights in Blue Hill Peninsula, Maine

Famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted once owned Barred Island Preserve. His grandniece, Carolyn Olmsted, donated it to the Nature Conservancy in 1969. The island is accessible only at low tide. The mile-long trail leading to the island offers great views of Penobscot Bay. Pick up a brochure at the Deer Isle–Stonington Chamber of Commerce for a map of the islands you can see from the area. The parking area fills quickly, so arrive early.

This tiny museum documents Stonington's quarrying tradition. The museum's centerpiece is a working model of quarrying operations on Crotch Island and the town of Stonington at the turn of the last century. Granite was quarried here for Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and for the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, among other well-known structures.

Built in 1828 at the mouth of the Penobscot River in Castine Harbor to guide mariners upriver to the lumber port of Bangor, the light was discontinued in 1935. The tower was damaged in a storm but rebuilt in 2008. The original keeper’s house, barn, and oil house still remain, but are privately owned. You can see them all from an adjacent public footpath, which is is short, steep (made less so by wooden stairs), and leads to a quiet view of the islands in the harbor. There's limited street parking available. 

While enjoying miles of woodland and shore trails at the Edgar M. Tennis Preserve, you can look for hawks, eagles, and ospreys, and wander among old apple trees, fields of wildflowers, and ocean-polished rocks.

The 1,230-acre Holbrook Island Sanctuary protects the region’s fragile ecosystem and has nine hiking trails (pick up trail maps in the parking lot), a gravel beach with splendid views, and a picnic area. There's a good chance you'll spot a blue heron, osprey, or bald eagle here. Note that the sanctuary, which is open from 9 am till sunset, is on the mainland; Holbrook Island itself is privately owned.

For picnics, bird-watching, or launching kayaks and canoes, visit Mariners Memorial Park, overlooking secluded Long Cove. There is a half-mile walking loop and a small garden maintained by the Evergreen Garden Club.

A few miles south of Brooklin, take Naskeag Point Road to a broken shell beach at the tip of the point. From there you'll have a view of the small islands of Jericho Bay while you sit on a bench dedicated to "all the fishermen who brave the sea."

Based here and in New York, this institute was founded in 1990 by environmental health scientist Dr. Susan Shaw to study how pollution affects humans, the oceans, and the planet. The institute has programs for all ages, including guided walks along the beach, as well environmental speakers series throughout the summer.

A mixture of hard and softwood trees makes an excellent habitat for songbirds at Shore Acres Preserve on the eastern edge of Deer Isle. Walk the perimeter trail to see light sparkling off Greenlaw Cove, native plants like juniper, blueberry, and cranberry, as well as mushrooms, mosses, and ferns. You might even spot a fox, a red squirrel, or a hawk.

The Good Life Center is on the site of Forest Farm, the historic homestead built in the 1950s by Helen and Scott Nearing, a back-to-the-land couple who practiced and advocated for simple, sustainable living. Sign up for one of the lectures or workshops, take a garden tour, or peace out in the meditation yurt. The center is open to the public from 1 to 5 pm, though opening days vary by season.