With over five dozen lighthouses dotted along the Maine coastline, my three-month stay in Bangor in 2023 was insufficient time to visit them all. But I did manage to travel to about a third and present here some of my favorites—a list, of course, that is highly subjective. These and many others along the Maine coast remain active and automated, often with museums, visitor centers, gift shops, and/or walking trails for visitors to explore.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol
While the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is picturesque from any angle, the breathtaking view from the rocks at the entrance to Muscongus and John’s bays is postcard-perfect, putting this lighthouse at the top of my list. For those who can, descending the not-too-steep cliff face is a must to view the lighthouse, which overlooks the ocean waves lapping at the sea-level rocks below. This captivating landmark is located in the Town of Bristol.
Commissioned during President John Quincy Adams’ administration and built in 1827, the lighthouse quickly deteriorated due to poor construction and was rebuilt a decade later. The 38-foot, 79-foot-above-sea-level lighthouse represents the state on the 2003 Maine State Quarter, part of the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters program from 1999 to 2008.
Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth
The Portland Head Light is an iconic white conical lighthouse completed in 1791, making it the oldest in Maine. Towering 80 feet above ground level (100 feet above the surrounding sea), it guards the entrance to Casco Bay and was commissioned by George Washington. While you can take long walks around the lighthouse, the most stunning perspective is by boat on the bay to appreciate this coastal landmark wrapped on three sides by the raw nature of ocean waves crashing onto the rocks below.
West Quoddy Head, Lubec
This distinctively red and white-striped lighthouse is located on Maine’s easternmost tip. It was initially a wooden structure built in 1808 during President Thomas Jefferson’s administration. The original tower was replaced in 1858 by the current brick structure. At 49 feet tall, the lighthouse rises almost twice that height above sea level, perched on an ocean cliff.
With more than 540 acres to explore, the lighthouse park includes five miles of scenic trails, ideal for year-round bird spotting and beautiful ocean views for summer whale watching. Two rare bogs in the park are inhabited by various seasonal flora, including carnivorous pitcher plants.
West Quoddy Head, featured on a 25-cent U.S. postage stamp in 1990, is a grand sight, especially in full sunlight, when the tower’s 15 red and white candy stripes gleam against the ocean or park landscape. We arrived early in the morning, just before the sun pierced through, and the lighthouse was enveloped in an eerie coastal mist, creating an incredibly peaceful atmosphere.
Rockland Harbor Breakwater Lighthouse, Rockland
Prepare to squint into the distant Rockland harbor to see this 25-foot lighthouse, built in 1902, that’s barely a faint dot on the horizon. What’s remarkable about this lighthouse is the astonishing, nearly mile-long rock breakwater, built before the lighthouse, which serves as a walkway for visitors to reach it. Laid over a decade in the 1890s, the breakwater was constructed from nearly 770,000 tons of massive stone blocks that are easy to navigate. Although it’s challenging to photograph when approaching from the rock pathway since the lighthouse is hardly visible behind the old keeper’s residence, a floating fishing dock to the right of the lighthouse provides enough distance to frame both the lighthouse and the keeper’s house.
Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde
Built in 1832, the original structure was replaced by the current 31-foot lighthouse in 1857. Movie fans travel from around the world to visit this lighthouse and recreate the final moments of Tom Hanks’ epic run to the Atlantic Ocean in the 1994 film, “Forrest Gump,” which ends at the footbridge leading to the lighthouse. During our visit, I saw more than a dozen people (including my wife) participating in the 150-foot “Gump Run.”
