🌲 Wild Beauty Off the Maine Coast: Your Guide to Visiting Monhegan Island 🛶

Twelve miles off the coast of Maine lies Monhegan Island, a rugged, magical outpost that feels like it was plucked from a storybook and placed gently in the Atlantic. With soaring cliffs, cathedral-like forests, and a deep artistic spirit, Monhegan has long drawn hikers, artists, birdwatchers, and travelers in search of something more than the everyday. We hope wihile you are staying at our properties you will have a chance to visit this amazing island.

The Monhegan boatline, a 30 minute drive from our hotel, is the closest and best way to visit the island.

Whether you’re visiting for the day or staying awhile, here’s everything you need to know to experience this truly wild island.

🚢 Getting There: The Adventure Begins by Boat

There are no bridges, no airports, and no cars for visitors on Monhegan. Your journey starts with a ferry ride—an adventure in itself.

Two ferry services will get you there:

• Monhegan Boat Line from Port Clyde

• Hardy Boat Cruises from New Harbor

Hardy Boat Cruises offers:

• Two round trips daily from mid-May to mid-October

• Puffin Watches with Audubon naturalists (mid-May to mid-August)

• Maine Coast Seal & Nature Cruises (mid-August to mid-October)

💡 Pro tip: Book in advance! Space fills quickly, especially in summer.

🌲 Hit the Trails: Hiking the Wildlands

Monhegan’s greatest treasure? Its 12 miles of hiking trails, threading through dense spruce-fir forests and over some of the highest ocean cliffs in Maine. It’s not a walk in the park—some trails are steep, rugged, and rocky—but the rewards are breathtaking.

You’ll encounter:

• Quiet forest paths, soft with moss and pine needles

• Wind-swept ledges with 360° ocean views

• Cathedral-like tree canopies and rare island flora

Know before you go:

• Grab a trail map from a shop or kiosk—this is essential! Many trails are unmarked beyond small numbered signs and cairns.

• Trails range in difficulty; plan according to your abilities.

• Wear sturdy shoes, bring water, and dress for weather, bugs, and poison ivy.

• No bikes or strollers allowed on trails.

  

❗ Remember: Cell service is spotty. Emergency services are limited and weather-dependent. Hike smart and respectfully.

🌼 Respect the Wild Beauty

Monhegan is home to rare and endangered plants—some of which exist only because the island is so remote. While it may be tempting to pluck a wildflower for a souvenir, please don’t. Admire, photograph, or sketch, but leave the wild where it belongs.

Also:

• Leave no trace. Carry out your trash, including tissues and wrappers.

• Dogs must be leashed and are not allowed in inns (but are welcome on the ferry for a small fee).

🏛 Culture & History: Beyond Nature

Monhegan isn’t just cliffs and quiet. It has a rich cultural life, too:

• The Monhegan Museum of Art & History, housed in the island’s lighthouse, tells stories of the island’s artists, fishermen, and shipwrecks.

• The D.T. Sheridan shipwreck, still visible on the rocks, is an easy hike and a haunting reminder of life at sea.

• 

  Tug boat D.T. Sheridan washed on Monhegan Island Maine

  Art galleries dot the village, showcasing work from the island’s famed artistic colony.

🐚 Quick Beach Breaks

• Fish Beach: Hunt for sea glass and relax by the harbor.

• Swim Beach: A cold-water dip spot, but with no facilities—pack light and plan ahead.

🍴 Island Eats & Practical Tips

• There are several great spots for lunch, dinner, or picnic supplies, but hours vary—especially off-season.

• No banks or public phones, but there’s an ATM at the Barnacle Café.

• Cell coverage can be unreliable. Download maps and confirmations in advance.

• No public trash bins or toilets—use boat facilities before arrival and carry out your waste.

🌙 Planning Your Stay

• No cars, no streetlights, and no paved roads—so bring a flashlight and walk carefully at night.

• If staying overnight, book lodging early. Most inns fill quickly in summer.

• Dress for island life: layers, sturdy footwear, and a windbreaker are essential. Forget the heels and leave the resort wear at home.

⚓ Monhegan is raw and real.  

So pack light, lace up your boots, and take a step into Maine’s wild heart. You’ll leave Monhegan with muddy shoes, full lungs, and something a little softer inside you.

A beauty to behold
From your balcony or patio, enjoy stunning views of Penobscot Bay, where vibrant sunrises greet the morning—weather permitting, of course!

Maine fog in the morning makes everything a little cooler, a little more like opening a gift slowly, as it clears and parts and gives way to views that make you want to sit, and just take it all in. 

Penobscot Bay and its chief tributary, the Penobscot River, are named after the Penobscot Indian Nation, which has inhabited the area for more than ten thousand years. The Penobscot people have long fished, hunted, and gathered shellfish along the bay and river.Interestingly, this is one of only two places on the Atlantic seaboard where the mountains meet the sea. There are so many ways to explore, you might have to come back again and again!

Exploring the Islands
Whether you hike to the top of Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park for a panoramic view of the islands, or take a Windjammer cruise or Maine State Ferry to North or Vinalhaven or Monhegan Island, Penobscot Bay’s islands are a an amazing way to get away from it all. 

Explore the Surroundings
Located in the heart of Maine’s Midcoast, our hotel offers easy access to charming seaside villages that will give you a taste of coastal life. Nearby towns such as Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Belfast, Tenants Harbor, and Boothbay invite you to stroll their streets, enjoy fresh seafood, and savor farm-fresh Maine cuisine.

Experience Maine like a local—learn how to fish for lobster, take a sunset cruise, or simply relax by the bustling waterfront. 

Midcoast Maine welcomes you like no other place. Please reach out, we’d love to have you as our guest on your next visit.

 Have you been through a few New England winters? If not, you might not know how dark, how cold, how blah brown things get. January is hard in Maine for sun lovers, it seems to have more weeks than it should, and we wake and end our workdays in the dark. And then, just when you think you might begin to hibernate like a Maine brown bair, February arrives. No matter what the groundhog says, we all feel a bit of hope, a little more light creeps in everyday (2+minutes a day) and we start to think long and hard about spring. 

Our Christmas decorations are  put away for another year. Which reminds me – Thank YOU sincerely for all the kind notes and social media shout outs from those of you who came and stayed over the holidays and all you locals  that drove through the winter wonderland. Co- Owner Dana creates an amazing display every year and we love to hear how much you enjoy the bright lights during the darkest months.  

Every holiday is an excuse to decorate, deck the halls, brighten things up. Halloween and Christmas are favorites! 

Here at Strawberry Hill in Rockport Maine and Island View Inn we spend January and February sprucing up our rooms, painting, shoveling, catching up on standard winter chores and, above all, staring east, keeping an eye on the sun. Sometimes we venture out, to the Samoset Ice Bar for cocktails, ice sculptures, fun music and snacks, or a summer favorite that comes alive for a short time in the winter, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. They host a winter light show that brightens our spirits.

Our office manager Buckwheat the Cat is getting our reservation book ready. Buckwheat doesnt hibernate, but he does take lots of extra naps and dreams of things like long summer days on the deck, his favorite spot. He is a huge fan of our summer season visitors, and looks forward to greeting them every afternoon. 

Buckwheat has your reservation, and is looking forward to greeting you soon.

Soon we will be opening windows, dusting off the lawn mowers (oh, I can smell the fresh cut grass already in my mind)  and making sure we are photo ready for our visitors. Speaking of photos,have you checked out our new room and property photos by celebrated local Rockland, Maine photographer Jim Dugan ? We try to keep room photos updated, since we paint and renovate often and we want you to be able to view the latest images of our rooms. If you have a moment, check out Jim on social media or his YouTube page that will make you feel like you have already arrived on the salty coast. 

Will you be coming to Maine this summer? Do you make plans, search for inspiration, mark your calendar to call your favorite spot to make sure you get your favorite summer weekend booked? When you arrive do you relax slowly into your stay, grab a book, find a chair and wind down? Or are you dropping your bags and get right to exploring? Is FOMA driving your itinerary or do you prefer to lounge and unwind first.

However you like to vacation, we are here for you. You can reach out via phone or email if you have questions about the hotel or the Rockland, Maine, Rockport/Camden/Midcoast Maine area and Buckwheat will be sure someone gets back to you to make sure your trip plans are what winter dreams are made of. 

Why Visit Maine in the spring?

We know there’s nothing like Maine on a hot summer day, but did you know Maine in the spring offers a unique blend of natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and mingle with the locals charm?  Enjoy fewer crowds, lower room prices, and the chance to experience the awakening of nature, from blooming flowers and the return of wildlife to the crisp, clean air and yes, fresh seafood. The hotel and lodging rates are lower, the hiking trails are less crowded (and extra muddy), and all of Maine’s glorious greens are getting ready to shine.

Storefronts are spring cleaning, rollilng out all the colors of the season. Everyone is trying to get as much sun as possible after a long dark Maine Winter. Stroll down to the harbor and you will notice the boats are being uncovered, scraped, painted or polished. The waterfront is in full bustle, and the sounds of sailors, fisherman and gulls fill the crisp air. I saw a family yesterday in the harbor park watching the activity, eating lunch in their car from The Zack Shack.

Spring showers? Indoor Activities That Will Surprise You.

Of course the Farnsworth is open in the spring, and the quiet galleries and eager docents offer a relaxing and engaging experience.It allows for a closer look at the art, a more personalized visit, and fewer distractions than peak season visits. There are also many classes, exhibits and offerings being added all the time, be sure to check out their website. Another favorite spot on a rainy day is the Owls Head Transporation Musuem.

We have so many visitors who arrive with a familiar sticker, letting us know they stopped on their way up the coast in Boothbay Harbor and visiting the Botanical Gardens. I’m going to do a whole post on a day visit to Boothbay soon, so if thats on your agenda this year, stay tuned! May 1st is opening day for Maine botanical Gardens.

Please visit our View Room pages to view the latest availability and rates. And of course, if you have questions about our rooms, cancellations, the area or what to pack, please reach out, via Facebook or call us at 207-542-5462.