Egg Rock Lighthouse
Winter Harbor, Maine
Built in 1875
Location:
Upper area of Frenchman Bay, four miles outside of Bar Harbor. Lighthouse and island are off limits to the public, as it is part of a bird sanctuary.
Latitude: 44° 21' 12" N
Longitude: 68° 08' 18" W
Historic Stories:
This area of the Maine coast experiences a great deal of fog and with severe storms constantly pounding this rocky area. Egg Rock was the site of numerous shipwrecks, and with the increasing amount of tourism and fishing in the area, many petitions were made to Congress for a lighthouse.
Even when Egg Rock Lighthouse was built in 1875, storms caused severe damage to the buildings and tower in 1876 and 1877.
In 1899, Christmas Eve, the fishing boat Julia ran aground nearby during a storm on the rocky shore causing it to break apart, drowning the two fishermen on aboard.
A February nor’easter in 1908 had flooded the lighthouse and 30-ton boulders were found moved around the area.
On October of 1929, the schooner Lillian Louise became stranded on the rocks, but the Keeper Augustus Hamor and his Assistant J. B. Pinkham saved the crew.
In February of 1935 during high seas, while rowing to Bar Harbor four miles away for supplies, Assistant Keeper Clinton Dalzell, who was also an expectant father of his third child, drowned on route to the shore.
Places to Visit Nearby:
Bar Harbor is a major resort town of Mount Desert Island in the Acadia National Park system with specialty shops, nightlife, activities and events, and restaurants.
Walk around the resort town of Bar Harbor and its specialty shops and wonderful restaurants, take some of its sightseeing tours, or get away from the crowds and cars into the woods.
Many whale watch cruises and boat tours pass the lighthouse out of Bar Harbor, some as part of their own lighthouse cruise (see below).
Downeast Windjammer Cruises not only provides sailing tours but also ferry service from Bar Harbor out to Winter Harbor and the Schoodic Penninsula on the quiet northern section of Acadia and between Southwest Harbor and the Cranberry Isles to explore true island life.
Walk or bike along the miles of carriage roads built by the Rockefellers.
| There are intircate stone archway bridges that support these special roads in secluded areas of the island. |  |
You can hike up various mountains, ponds and lakes, or walk along the coastline.
Drive, bike or hike up to the top of Cadillac Mountain.
| Enjoy the views of the islands jutting out of Bar Harbor. | 
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Take the coastal routes all along the entire island for some incredible views of the coastline and enjoy Acadia and its scenic beauty.
Distant views of the lighthouse can be seen from Champlain Mountain Overlook, the Precipice, and the Scenic Overlook just outside of Bar Harbor.
The rocky island is managed as part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge to protect endangered species of nesting birds.
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Access to the island is prohibited but there are many boat tours to take you out for photos. |
Contact Info:
Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 279
Milbridge, ME 04658
Phone: (207) 546-2124
Local Boat Tours
Boat cruises and ferries mentioned below may offer many types of excursions that pass by Egg Rock Light. Some may offer specific lighthouse cruises, narrated wildlife and historic tours, ferrying passengers, whale watching, fishing tours and other types of excursions. Weather is also a major factor in New England, especially on sailing excursions.
Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company
In addiition to whale watching, nature, and fishing excusions, they provide three cruises that involve lighthouses. A Puffin and Lighthouse cruise, a park ranger tour that includes exploring Baker Island lighthouse, and a Somes Sound and Lighthouse Tour.
1 West Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
Phone: (207) 288-2386 or 1-888-WHALES-4
Email: info@barharborwhales.com
Lighthouses Egg Rock Light, Winter Harbor Light, Baker Island Light, Petit Manan Light, and Bear Island Light.
Acadian Boat Tours
Acadian Boat Tours, out of Bar Harbor, uses four boats and offers various nature, puffin, and fishing cruises, along with 3 special lighthouse tours each week, and National Park trips. Visitors can view vintage homes of Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and Seal Harbor, and the quaint village of Southwest Harbor.
119 Eden St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Email: seadawg47@gmail.com
Phone (207) 801-2300
Lighthouses: Egg Rock Light, Bear Island Light, Baker Island Light, Petit Manan Light, Winter Harbor Light
Downeast Windjammer and Cruise Lines
Ferry from Bar Harbor to Schoodic Pennninsula in Winter Harbor, also access to Little Cranberry Island and Southwest Harbor. Various Windjammer cruises on the Joshua, the Bailey Louise Todd, and the giant four masted schooner, the Margaret Todd.
1 Newport Drive
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
Phone: (207) 288-4585 (Bar Harbor) or (207) 546-2927 (Cherryfield)
Email: 4master@downeastwindjammer.com
Schooner Mary Day
Windjammer sailing that included 4 and 6-day lighthouse cruises.
P.O. Box 798, Camden, Maine 04843
Phone: (800) 992-2218
captains@schoonermaryday.com
Scenic Flights
Scenic Flights of Acadia
Has special lighthouse cruises for visitors to have a unique aerial view of 6 beacons in the Acadia region, along with the landscape of Mount Desert Island of Acadia.
200 Main Street (ticket office)
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
Phone: (207) 667-6527
1044 Bar Harbor Road | Route 3
Trenton, Maine 04605
Email: info@mainecoastalflight.com
My 300-page book (with over 360 images), Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, provides human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses, along with plenty of coastal attractions and tours near each beacon, and contact info to plan your special trips. Along with plenty of stories, you'll find lots of additional info on Acadia Nationaal Park and Bar Harbor attractions. Look inside! |
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New Book Just Published Summer 2023!
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships:
Stories of the Six and Seven-Masted
Coal Schooners of New England
Available also as an eBook and you can get it at Amazon Books. Look inside! |
In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants of sail were the ten original six-masted coal schooners and one colossal seven-masted vessel, built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies, and measured longer than a football field! This book, balanced with plenty of color and vintage images, showcases the historical accounts that followed these mighty ships. These true stories include competitions, accidents, battling destructive storms, acts of heroism, and their final voyages. |