Sentinels of the Sea

There is no symbol of the Maine coast more stirring than the lighthouse. Whether rising tall on the mainland or on a tiny scrap of rock many miles out to sea, these beacons have guided mariners through Maine's many rocky ledges and pea-soup fogs for more than 200 years. Maine is second only to Michigan in its number of lighthouses. More than 60 are found from Cape Neddick Light at the state's southern tip to the West Quoddy Head Lightway Down East. 

Maine lighthouses were originally manned by a lighthouse keeper and often by his family, as well. Romantic in the telling, the life of a lighthouse keeper (especially an offshore keeper) was, in practice, lonely and fraught with responsibility and risk. Today, all Maine lighthouses are automated and monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard. Some decommissioned lighthouses are being put to novel uses. For instance, Isle au Haut, the former Robinson Point Light is now the Keeper's House, a four-bedroom bed-and-breakfast.

Acadia boasts five lighthouses arrayed around the surrounding bays: Bass Harbor Head, Bear Island, Baker Island, Egg Rock and Great Duck Island. Built between 1828 and 1875, all the lighthouses except Great Duck are visible from various points in the park. Only Bass Harbor Head is accessible by car.