Maine Lighthouse Tour: A 4-Day Self-Drive Route from Portland to Acadia

Overview

The route follows Route 1 for most of its length, the two-lane coastal road that is slower than the Maine Turnpike but puts the harbor towns, peninsulas, and lobster pounds directly in your path. Allow four full days minimum, five if you want unhurried time at Pemaquid Point and a full day inside Acadia National Park alongside the lighthouse stops. Fly into Portland International Jetport (PWM) to start, or drive up from Boston Logan (BOS) in about two hours to the New Hampshire border and continue north on I-95 and Route 1. A rental car is essential: the lighthouses sit on headlands, breakwaters, and peninsulas that no bus serves.

The best window for this tour is late June through mid-October. In June the crowds are manageable, the coast is green, and Route 1 traffic has not yet reached its summer peak. September is an excellent month for photography: the light turns golden earlier in the afternoon, the lobster pound lines shorten, and Bar Harbor lodging becomes easier to book. Fall color in the inland hills above the coast runs from late September into October, which adds to the scenery but can bring fog and short days for lighthouse visits. Winter closes some grounds and all ferry routes to offshore islands.

Day 1: Cape Neddick and the Portland Area

Start at Nubble Light in York, one of the most photographed lighthouses on the Atlantic coast, perched on a small island roughly 100 yards offshore at Cape Neddick. The viewing area at Sohier Park off Nubble Road is free, open year-round, and the parking lot puts you at the water's edge. Arrive before 9 a.m. in July and August to beat the crowds, or come at dusk when the tower is illuminated. From Nubble, drive north on Route 1 about 35 minutes and continue into the Maine Beaches region towns before continuing another 45 minutes to Cape Elizabeth and Portland Head Light at Fort Williams Park. Portland Head Light was commissioned under George Washington and first lit in 1791, making it the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The park grounds are free; a small museum inside the keeper's dwelling is open seasonally at about $5 per adult. Walk the headland loop trail for views of both Portland Head Light and Ram Island Ledge Light, a white tower visible a mile offshore in Casco Bay.

After Portland Head Light, drive four miles south along Shore Road to Cape Elizabeth's Two Lights State Park, where two active towers stand close together on a rocky bluff above the bay (the park charges a small day-use fee around $8 per adult in summer). From there, cross back through South Portland to Spring Point Ledge Light at the tip of a 900-foot granite breakwater at Southern Maine Community College. The breakwater is free to walk and puts you close enough to read the lighthouse door. That evening, base yourself in Portland. Becky's Diner on Commercial Street handles the working-waterfront breakfast before you leave town the next morning, and dinner anywhere on the lobster and seafood circuit in the Old Port sets the mood for the week ahead. Portland has lodging from around $120 for midrange hotels to $350 and up for boutique inns in the Old Port in peak season.

Day 2: Pemaquid Point, Marshall Point, and the Rockland Corridor

Day 2 is the most lighthouse-dense day on this route. Drive north from Portland on Route 1 about 90 minutes, then follow Route 130 south onto the Pemaquid Peninsula. Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in the town of Bristol sits on tilted granite ledges that drop straight into the Atlantic. The grounds fee runs about $5 per adult and includes the Fishermen's Museum inside the keeper's house, which is worth 20 minutes for its records of shipwrecks off this headland. The light here is especially good in early morning and early evening, when the slanted sun catches the texture of the rock. From Pemaquid, it is 30 minutes east on Route 131 to Port Clyde and Marshall Point Light, the lighthouse at the end of a short walk past a working lobster harbor where traps are stacked on the pier each season. The Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum here is staffed by volunteers and free to enter.

Continue 25 minutes north to Owls Head, where Owls Head Light stands on a steep promontory south of Rockland Harbor with views across the bay to the Fox Islands. From Owls Head, it is 10 minutes into Rockland to reach the Rockland Breakwater Light, at the end of a 1.9-mile granite breakwater first constructed in 1888. The walk is exposed to wind and spray in all seasons, so bring a layer even in August. The breakwater is open roughly 9 a.m. to dusk. For a water-level view of lighthouse you cannot walk to, Cap'n Fish's Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor, about halfway between Portland and Pemaquid on Route 1, runs a dedicated Lighthouse and Islands cruise that passes close to several offshore lights and harbor seal haul-outs. It fits naturally as a morning stop before the Pemaquid run if you route through Boothbay Harbor first.

Stay in Rockland or Rockport tonight. The Samoset Resort in Rockport sits directly on Penobscot Bay, with its 18-hole golf course running along the water and rooms with bay views starting around $250 to $450 per night in summer. The location puts you 10 minutes from the Rockland Breakwater and 10 minutes from Camden, which is your first stop in the morning.

Day 3: Camden to Acadia and Bass Harbor Head

From Rockland, drive 10 minutes north on Route 1 to Camden. Curtis Island Light sits in the mouth of Camden Harbor and is most visible from the public landing at the foot of Bay View Street or from the water. Schooner Appledore II runs 2-hour sailing trips from Camden Harbor and passes close to Curtis Island Light on most departures. Tickets run about $40 per adult for a morning sail, and the Appledore II is a two-masted wooden schooner built for this coastline. Book in advance for summer dates; it fills by mid-June most years. After Camden, pick up Route 1 north and then Route 3 east across the bridge at Trenton onto Mount Desert Island. The drive from Camden to Bar Harbor runs about 90 minutes in light traffic, longer on a summer weekend afternoon when the island bridge backs up. Once on the island, Bass Harbor Head Light in the town of Tremont is 20 minutes from Bar Harbor via Route 102 south. The tower sits at the edge of a granite ledge inside Acadia National Park. The classic view is from the rocks below the tower, reached via a short staircase off the parking area. Late afternoon is the best time to shoot this lighthouse, when the sun hits the red-painted base from the west. The Acadia vehicle pass ($35 for 7 days as of 2025) is required for this stop.

If time allows, book a boat trip out of Bar Harbor or Southwest Harbor for a water-level view of Bear Island Light in Northeast Harbor, visible from the water but not accessible to the public by land. The Acadia National Park itinerary covers how to use a full day on Mount Desert Island, including the Park Loop Road, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain, if you want to extend your time on the island beyond the lighthouse route.

Day 4 Option: West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec

If you have a fourth driving day and want to reach the far end of the Maine coast, West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec is the easternmost lighthouse in the continental United States. The red-and-white candy-striped tower is about 2.5 hours east of Bar Harbor via Route 1 through Ellsworth and Machias. West Quoddy Head State Park charges a day-use fee around $7 per adult and has cliff-top trails above the Bay of Fundy. Tides here run up to 18 feet on a big cycle, among the highest on the continent. Check the tide chart before you go: low tide exposes the cobble beach below the tower for walking, and the incoming tide comes in fast on a flat beach. Lubec has limited dining options, so stop in Machias (45 minutes west) or bring your own lunch. Cobscook Bay and Quoddy Head are quiet even in peak season. On the drive back south, the Maine Coast Road Trip route fills in the coastal stretches you covered quickly on the lighthouse-focused days.

Where to Stay

Night 1 in Portland. The Old Port has hotels and inns within walking distance of the waterfront, ranging from about $120 for a standard motel on the outskirts to $300 to $350 for waterfront-adjacent inns in peak summer. Night 2 in Rockland or Rockport. The Samoset Resort in Rockport handles the Rockland Breakwater day well and is close to Camden for the morning departure. Night 3 in Bar Harbor or Southwest Harbor. Bar Harbor books out months ahead for July and August: target March or April reservations for a summer trip. Southwest Harbor, on the quieter western side of Mount Desert Island, often has more availability when Bar Harbor is sold out, and it puts you closer to Bass Harbor Head Light. Rates across the island run from about $180 to $600 per night at peak. For the Lubec extension on Day 4, the options in town are small: a few B&Bs and one motel, with rates starting around $120. Book directly and early, as Lubec has very limited inventory.

Book These Ahead

Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor lodging: 3 to 5 months ahead for July and August, 4 to 6 weeks for September. The Acadia vehicle pass ($35 for 7 days) covers the Bass Harbor Head stop and any other driving in the park. If you plan to drive Cadillac Summit Road at sunrise, the timed vehicle reservation opens 90 days and 2 days before your visit and sells out within minutes in summer. Schooner Appledore II in Camden: book at least 2 weeks ahead in summer. Cap'n Fish's Cruises lighthouse tour from Boothbay Harbor: book 1 to 2 days ahead in peak season, or the morning of in September. Rental car at PWM: book at least 2 months ahead for July and August, when the Portland fleet runs short. The Maine Travel Guide has planning resources for the full state if this is your first time in Maine and you want context on the regions this route passes through.