8 Best Sights in Lubec, Way Down East

Views from this 12,234-acre state preserve above Cutler Harbor are likely to take your breath away, including 4½ miles of undeveloped Bold Coast between Cutler and Lubec. Here a wall of steep cliffs—some 150 feet tall—juts below ledges partially forested with spruce and fir; look for whales, seals, and porpoises while taking in views of cliff-ringed Grand Manan Island and the Bay of Fundy.

One of the East Coast's premier hiking destinations, the preserve's nearly 10 miles of interconnected trails offer hikes of about 3–10 miles, including loops. From the parking lot, the Coastal Trail runs 1.4 miles through woods to an ocean promontory, then follows the glorious Bold Coast for 3.4 miles. Revealing the area’s unusual terrain inland from the coast, the 4½-mile Inland Trail passes by raised peat bogs, salt marshes, and swamps, and traverses meadows and forest. There are several primitive campsites.

There are some steep sections on the 2-mile trail network here, but this lovely preserve provides easy access to the Bold Coast, and there's a viewing platform that looks over the Grand Manan Channel. This 700-acre preserve is owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a large conservation group in Maine. Check their website to learn about their other preserves near Lubec and way Down East.

Cobscook Bay is a mishmash of small coves and sub bays, as though a giant tried to claw his way inland from Lubec and Eastport. Even for Maine, the coast here is nooks and crooks, and a number of exceptional parcels on these wildly shaped waters have become part of a nonprofit, foundation-funded public park system with 15 parks that total about 15 miles of shore frontage. Park amenities include woodsy screened-in picnic shelters, restrooms, water fountains, and spiffy kiosks with large maps and information about the park's ecology and history. Old Farm Point Shorefront Park ( 65 N. Lubec Rd.) off Route 189 serves as an outdoor visitor center for Cobscook Shores and has a few short trails. Black Duck Cove and Race Point are two of the larger parks. The parks draw bikers and paddlers as well as hikers.

Hike in the state preserve in Cutler (Cutler Coast Public Land) for views of this lighthouse facing the ocean on a tiny, wooded island at the harbor’s mouth. You can also kayak to its rocky, cliff-clad shores. Friends of Little River Lighthouse hosts open houses each summer, ferrying visitors over from the boat ramp in town, and offers overnight stays in the charming keeper’s house. Check the website for details about overnight stays and the open houses.

Small buildings clustered on piers along the downtown waterfront are what remains of the nation’s last herring smokehouse, which operated here from the 1890s until 1991. Restoration is ongoing, but you can take a guided tour of the skinning and packing sheds, which have exhibits about the smoking operation and the sardine canning industry that once thrived along the Down East coast; your guide might be someone who worked here years ago and is helping preserve this legacy. There are photos and a video about the industry. The museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is part of Lubec Landmarks, whose Mulholland Market Gallery is next door with changing art exhibits.

This 1.2-mile beach on the southern side of Lubec Neck has dramatic tides that produce excellent clamming conditions, and the shoreline is a hotspot for birds (migratory, nesting, and wintering) and birders. A short boardwalk leads through a heady mess of fragrant rugosa rose bushes out to the shore, from where you can see Lubec Channel Light—one of only three “spark plug” lighthouses in Maine—in these relatively shallow waters. Amenities: parking. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

Candy cane--stripe West Quoddy Head Light marks the easternmost point of land in the United States. One of Maine's most famous lighthouses, it guards Lubec Channel as it flows into much wider Atlantic waters that also demarcate Canada and the United States. Authorized by President Thomas Jefferson, the first light here was built in 1808. West Quoddy, just inside the park entrance, was constructed in 1858. You can’t climb the tower, but the former lightkeeper’s house is a seasonal museum; there are displays about the lighthouse and its former keepers, works by local artists, and a gift shop. Plan for more than a lighthouse visit at this enticing 541-acre Bold Coast park. Whales are often sighted offshore, the birding is world-famous, and there’s a seaside picnic area. Visitors beachcomb, walk, or hike several miles of trails; a 2-mile trail along the cliffs yields magnificent views of Canada’s cliff-clad Grand Manan Island, while the 1-mile roundtrip Bog Trail reveals arctic and subarctic plants rarely found south of Canada. Leading to a lookout with views of Lubec across the channel, the western leg of the 1-mile Coast Guard Trail is wheelchair accessible. In the off-season, visitors can park outside the gate and walk in.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Western Head Preserve flanks the coast south side of Cutler Harbor. This pristine 247-acre preserve is known for its awesome views. Along the steep cliffs, wind and salt spray have sculpted spruce and fir trees into odd, stunted shapes. Cranberries, iris, and juniper grow from rock ledges. There are beaches here.