MidCoast Maine lighthouses: Get inspired for a Maine lighthouse tour

Lighthouses are a key part of any visit to Maine, with 65 up and down the long coastline. Find out more about six of the best MidCoast Maine lighthouses in this photo tour as you plan your own visit, or just want to enjoy these Maine lighthouses from afar.
Maine and lighthouses go together like chocolate and peanut butter — and are just as delicious, albeit as eye candy. With 65 lighthouses smattered up and down the 228-mile coastline, you can’t really avoid all those Maine lighthouses – and, really, who would want to? From easily accessible MidCoast Maine lighthouses to private ones you can just admire from afar, no trip to Maine would be complete without a Maine lighthouse tour.
One tip: Don’t forget how gorgeous Maine lighthouses are at night, too! With the Milky Way as a backdrop or stars shooting across the sky – not to mention fewer people and the beauty of silence – a night-time visit can be a very special treat on a Maine lighthouse tour. And all of these great MidCoast Maine lighthouses are also on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.
For our six lighthouses in this lighthouse tour, start with Cuckolds Light, shown in the cover image above. That may strike some as an odd name, but it is named after a sharp bend on the Thames River in England. You can’t get out to it since it is private – and the inn that used to be there closed suddenly in 2019 — but if you are in Boothbay Harbor, you can drive to the Newagen area at Land’s End for a great view. The pier with its bobbing boats is a peaceful place in the evening to get a look across the water at the lighthouse opened in 1892.
Start scrolling down to discover the best MidCoast Maine lighthouses.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine, dates back to 1835. It is very accessible, with a parking lot right at the edge of the building and a couple of inns right around the corner. Which means it can be very busy during the day at the lighthouse. That makes a visit here at sunrise, sunset, or at night is even more special. During the summer months with normally nice evenings, this beautiful MidCoast Maine lighthouse can be a great place for viewing stars or the Milky Way. This photo is a composite of dozens of photos to create the circle effect around the North Star.

Owl’s Head Lighthouse sits high on a rocky prominence at the entrance of Rockland harbor. It was built in 1825 and automated in 1989. After climbing a long flight of stairs up the rocks, the lighthouse’s perch gives you a panoramic view of the bay, islands, and boat traffic. It is in Owl’s Head State Park, so it officially closes at sunset.

Pemaquid Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine, isn’t only great at night! The rocks and ledges that reach from the lighthouse to ocean’s edge are a beautiful place to take in the sea and the sights. Not to miss is a puddle that regularly forms on the rocky outcroppings for some awesome reflections. This photo won “best of show” in the 2021 International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association photo contest with its first place in the Travel-Landscape category.

This bridge to the historic Marshall Point Lighthouse is where Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks, in the movie) finished his cross-country run. Standing at the end of the St. George Peninsula, it is one of the classics among MidCoast Maine lighthouses and is also very accessible. The current structure was built starting in 1858 although a lighthouse has been on this spot since 1831. It became purely automated in 1971, and the Maine Historic Preservation works hard to preserve this National Landmark. Get to it easily from any number of cute villages or great inns in the area.

Can’t seem to get enough of Pemaquid Lighthouse at the entrance to Muscongus Bay, Maine. This angle is looking toward the light along the fence of the former lightkeeper’s house, now a rental. That must be a prize location to live! We aren’t really sure why there was a red light inside, but we aren’t asking….

Why do we love lighthouses so much? Maine’s coastal beauty seems particularly attractive with all of its lighthouses dappling the shoreline. Such as the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, shown here again. But, no, the gorgeous lighthouses, sea breezes, moose, and islands won’t fit in your luggage so well thus, after a visit to Pemaquid or other MidCoast Maine lighthouses, find some Maine Made crafts to take home as a souvenir of your Maine road trip.

A guiding light at the end of the St. George Peninsula in MidCoast Maine: It is a very popular lighthouse to visit among 65 lighthouses scattered up and down the MidCoast Maine coastline. With the Coast Guard stepping away from its operations and the lighthouse now automated, the lighthouse keeper was no longer needed, and the structures were in danger. Thus, the local community banded together, raising enough to refurbish and run it. The lighthouse committee still operates the delightful little museum — drop a few bucks in the donation box next time you are there! And take a look at the webcam to watch people recreating Forrest Gump’s run!

Milky Way over Pemaquid Point Maine. Just as picturesque as the famous Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is its small Bell Tower and engine house perched at the edge of the rocks next to the lighthouse. The original building was added to the point in 1897, with the small house holding the engine that ran a hand-operated fog bell. A year later, the tower was added to house the weights that ran a newer system. When the fog rolled in, the lightkeeper would wind up the machine, pulling the weights to the top of the tower. Then the bell would ring for six to eight hours as the weight slowly descended. It has been restored by the all-volunteer Fisherman’s Museum housed at the Pemaquid Lighthouse.

Marshall Point, just up from a ferry that takes you to popular Monhegan Island, is a truly wonderful place to watch the sunrise. And the rocks down by the water are too an enticement for kids and adults alike to scamper and explore any time of day. This lighthouse is owned by the Town of St. George and run by volunteers.

Comet Neowise over Pemaquid during the comet’s visit in 2020. The clouds threatened a no-show of the comet, but I grabbed my camera gear anyway and went to a good spot … because you never do know with the weather in Maine. And then, like magic, shazam … the clouds cleared for a bit and Neowise appeared! The house in the foreground is the old lighthouse keeper’s house at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Maine. You can see the site on your photo tour of MidCoast Maine lighthouse, but Neowise won’t be back for another 6,800 years!

Ram Island doesn’t get a lot of attention, in part because you can’t get there but can only see it from afar. The drive there itself is worth it, heading east from Boothbay Harbor through Linekin to the Ocean Point Walk at the end. Take some time to explore the walk and coastline, enjoying a sit on the large boulders for the view. And that’s where you’ll spy this MidCoast Maine lighthouse, the Ram Island Light, built in 1883 and automated in 1965. When it was scheduled for demolition, the Grand Banks Schooner Museum Trust stepped in to form the Ram Island Preservation Society and save a piece of history.

A walk along the massive nearly one-mile-long breakwater to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is a treat itself. Walking along the stones making up the breakwater in MidCoast Maine, you feel as if you are standing in the middle of the ocean. Busy during the day, it is quiet and quite dark at night, but worth the stroll — at a time when everybody else is dashing back into town because it’s getting dark. Well, how about you go out BECAUSE it’s getting dark? You’ll have a different experience, like perhaps seeing the Milky way overhead? The breakwater was first built in 1899 and the lighthouse was added later. This fantastic MidCoast Maine lighthouse is also run purely by volunteers and donations.

Who needs a blue sky to make a Maine lighthouse tour worth your while? A foggy or cloudy day can add all kinds of beauty to a Maine lighthouse, especially the Pemaquid Light one so easily accessible in Bristol, Maine.

What would a visit to MidCoast Maine be without lighthouses such as Owl’s Head, which also give you a bird’s-eye view of the ocean? Of course, the best time to see them can be at twilight. Owl’s Head Lighthouse, here, sits high on a rocky prominence at the entrance of Rockland harbor. It was built in 1825 and automated in 1989. After climbing a long flight of stairs up the rocks, the lighthouse’s perch gives you a panoramic view of the bay, islands, and ocean traffic. It is in Owl’s Head State Park, with short trails to the beach for other adventures and views, but the park officially closes at sunset.
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