11 Best Sights in Way Down East, Maine

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.

Sea-polished stones fascinate with glistening tones—many reddish but also heather, bluish, and creamy white—at this mesmerizing rock beach; removing stones from the beach is illegal. Banked in unusual geologic fashion, you must walk up and over a rock dune to get to the beach. When you do, you know you have arrived at a special place. Stones graduate from gravel at the shore to palm-size further back. Reddish volcanic rhyolite stones were mistaken for jasper, hence the name. Stretching a half mile across the end the rectangular-ish Howard Cove, bedrock at both ends deems this a pocket beach, but it's not your typical small one. A saltmarsh and fresh and saltwater lagoons intrigue visitors, and there are sea caves in the bedrock (be careful if you tread that way—the rocks are slippery). Tucked between the hamlets of Bucks Harbor and Starboard, Jasper Beach has long been a place of respite for folks in these parts. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: walking; solitude.

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.

An active fort during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, this site sits at the head of Machias Bay, where a naval battle was waged in 1775. Climb atop the grass-covered earthworks to take in the expansive water views. A panel display details the successive forts built here and relates the dramatic story of patriots, armed mostly with farm implements, who captured a British tender 2 miles offshore. A stone marker honors the site as a “birthplace” of the U.S. Navy.

One of the joys of hiking here is arriving in South Addison, a fishing hamlet on a remote neck west of Jonesport. The wide harbor views in this sleepy village make you feel like you've discovered the real Maine. More magic moments of discovery await at this Downeast Coastal Conservancy preserve; the trailhead's at the village's Union Church, where hikers are allowed to park. The 145-acre preserve has a 3½-mile trail network that winds through the woods before hitting the coast and Carrying Place Cove and Wahoa Bay.

The refuge's 2,178-acre Petit Manan Point Division is a sanctuary of fields, forests, and rocky shorefront at the tip of a peninsula. In August, it's a popular spot for hand-picking wild blueberries. Whatever the time of year, you can explore here on two trails. Mostly a loop, the 1.7-mile Hollingsworth Trail has a gorgeous shore stretch on Pigeon Hill Bay where it's easy to head off path to clamor on the large granite ledges. Petit Manan Lighthouse—Maine’s second tallest, on one of five lighthouse islands belonging to the refuge—towers in the distance beyond a wide cove. The 2.2-mile Birch Point Trail leads to salt marshes and mudflats on Dyer Bay, with side trails to a cove and rocky beach.

At 317 feet, Pigeon Hill is the highest coastal point in Washington County, and it doesn't disappoint, rewarding hikers with panoramic views that stretch to Schoodic Peninsula, where Acadia National Park's mainland district is located; Petit Manan Lighthouse off the end of the narrow peninsula where this land rises; and island-splattered waters farther Down East. Hike up to the summit on the short historic trail, with some steep sections, that locals have used for generations. There are also longer, easier routes on the interconnected trail system, which was created when this became a Downeast Coastal Conservancy preserve. One trail traverses an old silver mine and another passes by a glacial erratic boulder. The 185-acre preserve’s loop trail to Pigeon Hill Bay begins across the road from the parking area.

Down East’s rock- and fir-bound shores give way to the 274-acre park's half-mile crescent-shaped sand and pebble beach: one with any sand is a rarity in the region, and expansive ocean views enhance this one's beauty. Just beyond the beach you’ll find a freshwater pond that’s ideal for swimming and kayaking—rent flatwater kayaks here—and stocked for fishing. The park has changing areas (no showers), picnic area with grills, and a playground. Miles of trails traverse woods, apple orchards, and blueberry fields. The trailhead is just before the park entrance at Roque Bluffs Community Church. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; solitude, walking.

At the parking area for this 90-acre park, placards and a stone memorial pay homage to wooden Civil War ships the federal government burned here for scrap years after the Civil War. Items salvaged from the ships are still about town. A trail from here leads through woods and past pocket beaches and coves to a headland where you can enjoy wonderful views of Cobscook Bay and over Passamaquoddy Bay to Campobello Island. You can also see the pens for Eastport’s salmon-farming industry as well as Estes Head, where the city's cargo pier is located. The trail is part of an interconnected network totaling a few miles. There is also a short trail from the parking area to Cony Beach. 

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.