Quoddy Head State Park

Quoddy Head State Park, at the tip of a peninsula in remote Down East Maine, marks the easternmost point of the contiguous United States — a dramatic headland of rugged cliffs, spruce forest and bog overlooking the cold, tide-churned waters where the Bay of Fundy meets the Gulf of Maine. It is among the first places in the nation to greet the sunrise.

The park is famous for the candy-striped West Quoddy Head Light, a beloved red-and-white banded lighthouse first established in 1808, standing above the surf and the world’s greatest tides. Trails wind along the cliff tops with sweeping ocean views (and whale sightings), through coastal spruce forest, and across a rare subarctic bog. Wild, remote and easternmost, Quoddy Head is a treasured natural and historic icon of Maine.

Quoddy Head State Park offers cliff-top hiking with sweeping ocean views (the Coastal Trail along the dramatic headlands), walks through coastal spruce forest and across a boardwalk over a rare subarctic bog, whale and seabird watching from the cliffs, photographing the candy-striped lighthouse, picnicking, and soaking in the easternmost-point atmosphere. The light’s keeper’s house has a small museum. Walking the cliff trails, viewing the striped lighthouse and watching for whales are the signature draws. The combination of the easternmost point, a beloved lighthouse and dramatic Fundy-edge cliffs makes Quoddy Head special.

Summer and early fall offer the most pleasant weather and the best whale watching (whales feed in the rich Fundy waters in the warmer months), with fall adding color; spring is fresh but can be foggy and cool. The park is famous for early sunrises year-round. Fog is common on this cold coast. Summer and early fall for whales, hiking and milder weather are the highlights — come on a clear day for the views and the lighthouse, watch for whales offshore, and dress warmly for the cool, often foggy Down East coast.

This easternmost corner of Maine is the homeland of the Passamaquoddy people, whose name graces the bay. A lighthouse was first established at West Quoddy Head in 1808 under President Jefferson to guide ships through the foggy, tide-churned passage; the current distinctive red-and-white striped tower dates to 1858. The headland became a state park, preserving the easternmost point, the lighthouse and the rare bog. Quoddy Head State Park preserves this dramatic easternmost coast, its historic striped light and its rare habitats, a treasured icon of Maine.

Quoddy Head is a rugged headland of ancient volcanic and sedimentary rock at the edge of the Bay of Fundy, where the cliffs and ledges have been shaped by the relentless surf and the world’s greatest tides — the Fundy tides here can range over 15 to 20 feet, exposing and submerging the shore dramatically. Earlier, Ice Age glaciers scoured the coast. A rare raised subarctic bog (the ‘Carrying Place’ heath) sits atop the headland. The hard rock, the glacial shaping, the great Fundy tides and the bog created this dramatic easternmost landscape.

The cold, rich waters off Quoddy Head are superb for whales — humpback, finback, minke and the rare North Atlantic right whale feed in the Fundy waters in summer — along with seals, porpoises, and seabirds including puffins and other species on nearby islands, while bald eagles, ospreys and the birds of the spruce forest and bog (including boreal species) frequent the headland. The meeting of cold seas and rugged coast supports abundant wildlife. Quoddy Head offers superb whale and seabird watching from the cliffs, among the best shore-based whale watching in the East.

Quoddy Head protects a rich Down East coastal ecosystem — cold, productive Fundy waters teeming with marine life, rugged rocky shore and intertidal zones swept by the great tides, coastal spruce-fir forest, and a rare raised subarctic bog with specialized plants like baked-appleberry and carnivorous sundews more typical of the far north. The cold-climate bog and the rich marine waters are especially notable and sensitive. Protecting the shore, the cold waters, the forest and the rare bog sustains both the ecology and the wild beauty of this easternmost headland.

Quoddy Head State Park holds a treasured place among the icons of Maine — the easternmost point of the United States, crowned by the beloved candy-striped West Quoddy Head Light and edged by dramatic cliffs above the great tides of the Bay of Fundy, on the homeland of the Passamaquoddy people. As one of the first places in the nation to see the sunrise and a haven for whales, the headland embodies the wild Down East coast. Quoddy Head is a cherished natural and historic icon of Maine.

Quoddy Head State Park is in remote Down East Maine, near the town of Lubec, reached via Route 189 off U.S. 1, several hours northeast of Bar Harbor at the far eastern tip of the state (near the Canadian border and Campobello Island). A state-park day-use fee applies in season. The park has the lighthouse (with a seasonal museum/gift shop in the keeper’s house), cliff and bog trails, and picnic areas. The light tower itself is not open to climbing. Services are limited in remote Lubec. Check Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands for fees, hours and conditions before visiting.

Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands protects Quoddy Head’s cliffs, forest and rare bog. Visitors help by staying on trails and the bog boardwalk (the rare subarctic bog and its specialized plants are extremely fragile), keeping back from the dangerous cliff edges, respecting whales and seabirds (and not disturbing them), packing out everything, and following all rules. The fragile bog, the cliff-edge plants and the marine wildlife are sensitive. Protecting the bog, the shore and the waters sustains both the ecology and the wild beauty of this easternmost headland.

The cliffs at Quoddy Head are high and dangerous, and the rocks are slippery — stay on the trails and behind any barriers, keep well back from the edges, and watch children closely. The great Fundy tides rise and fall fast and far; never get cut off on the shore by the incoming tide. The water is frigid and the weather often cold, windy and foggy even in summer; dress warmly and bring layers. Trails can be muddy and rooty. Respect the cliff edges, the fast great tides, the frigid water and the cool, foggy weather.

A state-park day-use fee applies in season. Stay on trails and the bog boardwalk to protect the fragile subarctic bog. Keep back from cliff edges. The lighthouse tower is not open to climbing (view the exterior; the keeper’s house has a seasonal museum). Pets must be leashed. Drones are restricted. Do not disturb wildlife, whales or seabirds. Do not pick the rare bog plants. Pack out all trash. Follow park rules and seasonal hours. Check Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands for fees, hours and current rules before visiting.

The easternmost town of Lubec, Campobello Island just across the border in Canada (with the Roosevelt summer home), the Cobscook Bay area with its great tides, the Bold Coast hiking trails, and the remote Down East Maine coast lie near the park. The Bay of Fundy and the Down East coast define the region. Quoddy Head anchors the easternmost corner of the United States, a centerpiece of a Down East adventure, easily combined with Lubec, Campobello Island, Cobscook Bay and the Bold Coast trails.

Make the trip to the easternmost point of the U.S. to see the candy-striped West Quoddy Head Light and walk the dramatic Coastal Trail along the cliffs (watch for whales offshore in summer) and the boardwalk across the rare subarctic bog. Dress warmly in layers even in summer (it’s cool, windy and often foggy Down East), stay back from the dangerous cliff edges and mind the great fast tides on the shore. Come for an early sunrise, and combine your visit with Lubec, Campobello Island and the Bold Coast.