Day hikers can walk around one of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses at Acadia National Park.
The brief walk covers about a third of a mile. There’s 1200 feet of trail through the wood next to the lighthouse and 600 feet of sidewalk around light station itself.
To reach the trailhead, from Bass Harbor take Maine Route 102A (aka Harbor Drive) southeast. Turn right-straight/southeast onto Lighthouse Road. The parking lot is in 0.5 miles. Buses, trailers and RVs are not permitted on the narrow road. Be forewarned that the lighthouse is very popular, so you’ll want to arrive early or you’ll have trouble finding a parking space in the small lot.
From the lot’s east side, you can walk 1200 feet round trip though the spruce-fir forest to the edge of the rocky cliff. A cliffside staircase leads to an overlook of the Atlantic Ocean.
Once back to the lot, from its southwest corner you can follow a paved path to the lighthouse.
The 1858 brick structure stands 56 feet above mean high water. It marks the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay on Mount Desert Island’s southwest corner.
Even if you’ve never visited the national park, you’ve almost certainly seen the lighthouse. It appeared on the America the Beautiful quarter in 2012 and the National Park Service centennial postage stamp in 2016.
Although there is no public access to the lighthouse’s interior, visitors can view the exterior of the light station via paved walkway. The park maintains a parking lot, restrooms, and short boardwalk trail to a shoreline viewpoint.
The lighthouse stands on a stone foundation. Including the lightning rod, it stands 37 feet tall. When the lantern was replaced in 1901, it occulted red for four seconds and eclipsed for one second. It could be seen up to 13 miles away.
Several other original structures also are on the 2.5-acre sight.
The keeper’s dwelling, which dates to 1858, remains in its original form with the exception of a 10-foot section added in 1900.
The bell house dates to 1897, the oil house to 1902, and the barn to 1905.
The U.S. Coast Guard administered the sight until 2020, when it was transferred to the National Park Service. The light station still is in service, though, but is automated. It’s the only lighthouse on the island and is one of three in the national park. About 80 lighthouses line the Maine coastline.
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