September 11, 2021
Maine Open Lighthouse Day is back for 2021…
This popular annual event, which is sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, the Maine Office of Tourism and the American Lighthouse Foundation, attracts between 15,000 to 18,000 visitors each year and offers the general public the rare opportunity to climb and learn about over two dozen historic Maine lights.
List of previous participating sites:
List updated 9/6/2021…please check back for any additional updates leading up to the event. NOTE: Masks may be required at some sites so please be prepare accordingly.
(All lighthouses will be open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm unless otherwise noted)
Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse
Location: Swan’s Island (offshore)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower and keeper’s house
How to Get There: Maine State Ferry from Bass Harbor to Swan’s Island. Please see ferry’s website for schedule and fees at: www.maine.gov/mdot/ferry/swansisland/ or call (207) 244-3254.
Coordinates: 44°08′ 03″ N 68°26′ 50″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station is owned by the Town of Swan’s Island, and the historic buildings are cared for by the nonprofit Friends of Swan’s Island Lighthouse. For more info, visit: www.burntcoatharborlight.com
Curtis Island Lighthouse
Location: Camden Harbor (offshore)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower only
How to Get There: Offshore…visitors must find their own transportation to the island. Kayak tours may be available from Camden Harbor.
Coordinates: 44°12′ 06″ N 69°02′ 54″ W
Goat Island Lighthouse
Location: Cape Porpoise (offshore)
NOTE SPECIAL TIME: 1pm to 4pm
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower and keeper’s house
How to Get There: Offshore…visitors must find their own transportation to the island. If you enjoy kayaking, please call Kayak Excursions at (888) 925-7496 or Coastal Maine Kayak at (207) 967-6065 for rates and details.
Coordinates: 43°21′ 30″ N 70°25′ 30″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station’s historic buildings are owned and managed by the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. For more info, visit: www.kporttrust.org
Grindle Point Lighthouse
Location: Islesboro (offshore)
Historic Buildings Open: Keeper’s house (Museum; gift shop inside) *Tower is closed for climbing.
How to Get There: Maine State Ferry from Lincolnville to the island of Islesboro. Please see ferry’s website for schedule and fees at: www.maine.gov/mdot/ferry/islesboro/ or call (207) 633-2284.
Coordinates: 44°16′ 56″ N 68°56′ 34″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station’s historic buildings are owned and managed by the Town of Islesboro. For more info, visit: www.townofislesboro.com/departments/grindle-point-sailors-museum/
Marshall Point Lighthouse
Location: Port Clyde (land-based)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower and keeper’s house (Museum & gift shop inside)
How to Get There: Land based
Coordinates: 43°55′ 03″ N 69°15′ 41″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station’s historic buildings are owned and managed by the St. George Historical Society. For more info, visit: www.marshallpoint.org
Moose Peak Lighthouse
Location: Mistake Island (offshore)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower
How to Get There: The private owners will be making two boat trips (7 passengers per trip) from Jonesport to Mistake Island. Please contact the owners of Moose Peak Light at the following email address for more information: moosepeaklighthouse@gmail.com
Coordinates: 44°28′ 27.7″ N 67°31′ 55.3″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station structures are privately owned.
Owls Head Lighthouse
Location: Owls Head (land-based)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower & keeper’s house (Interpretive center & gift shop inside)
How to Get There: Land based
Coordinates: 44°05′ 33″ N 69°02′ 39″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation and contains a beautiful fourth order Fresnel lens. The light station’s historic buildings are cared for by the American Lighthouse Foundation and serves as the headquarters for the nonprofit organization. For more info, visit: www.lighthousefoundation.org/lighthouses/owls-head-light/
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Location: Bristol (land-based)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower (contains a Fresnel lens) and keeper’s house (Museum inside, which is operated by the Town of Bristol)
How to Get There: Land based
Coordinates: 43°50′ 12″ N 69°30′ 21″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation and contains a beautiful fourth order Fresnel lens. The light tower is cared for by the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. For more info, visit: www.lighthousefoundation.org/lighthouses/pemaquid-point-light/
Portland Head Lighthouse
Location: Cape Elizabeth (land-based)
SPECIAL NOTE: Approximately 280 tickets will be made available for visitors on a first-come-first serve basis the day of the event, which are necessary for climbing the tower. You must be at least 48 inches tall and able to handle 85+ steps unassisted to climb the tower.
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower and keeper’s house (Museum inside & adjacent gift shop)
How to Get There: Land based
Coordinates: 43°37′ 24″ N 70°12′ 30″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station’s historic buildings are owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. For more info on the Museum at Portland Head Light, visit: www.portlandheadlight.com
Squirrel Point Light
Location: Arrowsic
NOTE SPECIAL TIME: 10am to 3pm
Historic Buildings Open: Grounds Only
Coordinates: 43° 49′ 00″ N 68° 48′ 06″ W
How to Get There: Land based. Squirrel Point Light lies at the end of 2/3 mile trail in Arrowsic, Maine, approximately 10 miles from the City of Bath. The footpath through protected forests and wetlands is well-marked, but uneven and rough in places. For more information visit: www.squirrelpoint.org/visit.html
NOTE: Though the lighthouse will not be open, the light station grounds are open to the public. The Citizens for Squirrel Point, a nonprofit group restoring the historic site, will have volunteers at the light station to talk with visitors about the present efforts and future plans to preserve the lighthouse, keeper’s house, oil house, barn and boathouse.
West Quoddy Head Lighthouse
Location: Lubec (land-based)
NOTE SPECIAL TIME: TBD
Historic Buildings Open: Keeper’s House (Museum inside)
How to Get There: Land based
Coordinates: 44°48′ 55″ N 66°57′ 04″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation and contains a beautiful third order Fresnel lens. The light station’s historic buildings are owned and maintained by the Maine Department of Parks and Lands. The Museum inside the keeper’s house is operated by the West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association. For more info, visit: www.westquoddy.com
Wood Island Lighthouse
Location: Biddeford Pool (offshore)
Historic Buildings Open: Light tower and keeper’s house
How to Get There: Aboard the boat “Light Runner,” which is operated by the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse.Reservations are required…visit website for more information: woodislandlighthouse.org/tours/make-a-reservation/ .
Coordinates: 43°27′ 25″ N 70°19′ 45″ W
The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. The light station’s historic buildings are cared for by the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. For more info, visit: www.woodislandlighthouse.org or
www.lighthousefoundation.org/lighthouses/wood-island-light/
Other Lighthouse Attractions:
Maine Lighthouse Museum
Location: One Park Drive, Rockland
The Museum has the largest collection of Fresnel lenses on display in the nation. Other exhibits pay tribute to our lighthouse history (both the U.S. Lighthouse Service and U.S. Coast Guard eras), as well as the United States Life-Saving Service. The Museum is a must-see while visiting Maine’s lighthouses.
FMI: Visit www.mainelighthousemuseum.org or call (207) 594-3301.
Maine Maritime Museum
Location: 243 Washington Street, Bath
The Museum’s exhibit “Into the Lantern: A Lighthouse Experience”, featuring a full-scale replication of the Cape Elizabeth Two Lights lighthouse tower lantern room, allows visitors to see the original second-order Fresnel lens from the east tower at Two Lights and experience the environment of the lantern room through time-lapsed video projections featuring a panorama of the Gulf of Maine that changes with the weather and seasons. This immersive exhibit is the first of its kind anywhere.
FMI and Admission Fees Visit: http://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org or call (207) 443-1316.
Maine Open Lighthouse Day – Participating Sites Map
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