destinations map
maine’s
boothbay
Nearly 4,000 islands dot the Maine Coast. The few
hundred here—and the rivers, estuaries and bays
between them—are home to resurgent populations of
eagle, osprey, Atlantic salmon, and endangered sturgeon.
Whether you’re into ocean crossings, whitewater, or flat-
water, this paddlers’ playground has something for you.
JOIN UP: The Maine Island Trail Association main-
tains more than 160 island and mainland camping and
day-use sites along the 350-mile trail (including 23 in the
Sheepscot/Boothbay region). Membership ($45 per year,
mita.org) gets you the group’s info-stuffed handbook and
sustains stewardship efforts.
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KNOW YOUR STUFF: Be prepared for high tides,
fierce currents, and cold water. Temps don’t venture too
far north of 60 degrees, even in midsummer. Lobstermen
ply these waters constantly; some refer to paddlers as
“speed bumps.” Stay out of their way.
4
2 Boothbay via Townsend Gut). Covered with wild roses and
3 raspberries and flanked on the north by a white-sand beach,
6 5. VISIT A LIGHTHOUSE: One of the most accessible
5 daily on summer weekdays. (maine.gov/dmr/education/
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words by sam bass
map by mark lesh
1. UPPER HELL GATE: If you have whitewater expe-
rience, sea-kayak this half-mile stretch of the Sasanoa
River, a tidal channel between Bath and Hockomock Bay.
Swift currents rip through a narrow, ledge-flanked channel,
submerging navigational buoys and creating massive boils
and eddylines.
2. BE A TOURIST: In the peak of summer, Boothbay
Harbor is one of Maine’s busiest tourist destinations.
Ceramic seagull ashtrays, bright red plastic lobsters, salt-
water taffy—find it all in town. Coming in by boat? Tie up
at the town dock on the west shore of the harbor and bowl
a few candlepin sets at vintage Romar Lanes.
3. GET INTO GEARS: Townsend Gut is a busy aquatic
thoroughfare between West Boothbay and Southport Island
and is a great spot to float and watch boat traffic and the
giant gears and cogs—some as big as 15-feet in diam-
eter—moving underneath the swing bridge. And nearby
Robinson’s Wharf, just south of the bridge, serves the area’s
best lobster rolls.
4. CLOSE-IN CAMPING: The closest MITA-
maintained campsite to Boothbay Harbor is tiny, uninhab-
ited Powderhorn Island in the Sheepscot River (west of
Powderhorn sees frequent local summer picnic traffic and
occasional overnight campers. Have it to yourself by visiting
during spring and fall.
of the region’s 12 lighthouses, Burnt Island Light sits atop
a rocky island just outside Boothbay’s inner harbor. Free
tours of this historic beacon, built in 1821, are offered twice
burntisle.htm)
6. EAT WHOOPEE PIE: Land at the Southport Town
Beach and walk about half a mile to the Southport General
Store for a Boar’s Head roast beef sandwich and Labadie’s
whoopee pie—a dreamy concoction of soft chocolate
cookies and cream filling (southportgeneralstore.com).
7. SEE THE GHOST OF DAMARISCOVE: This
210-acre offshore island has hosted European visitors for
over 400 years, and Abnaki hunters for much longer. Their
rusted tools and cellar holes still linger, as do the ghosts of
a dog and his headless master, Captain Richard Patishall.
Paddling here requires real-deal navigational experience
and an early start—overnight camping isn’t allowed and it’s
nearly 10 miles from Boothbay Harbor.
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