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Boothbay Harbor: The Shore (1 of 3)

May 2015

A huge aspect of Maine is, of course, the coast. And Boothbay Harbor has a lot of coast. It also has a lot of preserve trails. Many (but not all) of these are due to efforts of Boothbay Region Land Trust. We certainly used a few of their trails on this trip.

First we would like to present you with another fine opportunity for purchasing a home in Maine. This one looks to be a two-for-one special; it includes a boat.

Weathered waterfront building with a for-sale sign, with a small workboat tied beside it on the tidal river

Old workboat sitting in calm tidal water among weathered pilings

(This happens to be on the tidal river that borders the Botanical Garden.)

Given Maine's rocky and corrugated coast, we saw many lighthouses - some famous, and some less well known. Our first evening in the area found us at Ocean Point, where we saw the Ram Island lighthouse.

Distant view of Ram Island lighthouse across calm evening water at Ocean Point

Ram Island lighthouse seen beyond dark foreground boulders and low surf at dusk

Red sunset over the water with dark rock ledges in silhouette at Ocean Point

Balanced oval stone standing upright on pale granite ledges with the sea beyond

Ocean Point is a pretty spot, but with a narrow two-way shoreline drive and with above ground water supply. Yes, you read that correctly: above ground water supply, in Maine. Obviously, if you don't also have a well your house gets closed in the winter.

On the other side of Boothbay Harbor, going through Southport and to the end of the peninsula brings you to a pier with a view of Cuckolds Lighthouse. This lighthouse is currently being restored, after having been abandoned for about 30 years.

Cuckolds Lighthouse on its rocky island with buildings, dock, and restoration work visible

Stacked lobster traps on a dock with Cuckolds Lighthouse blurred in the distance

Many of the walks brought us through woods to either the coast or to tidal rivers.

Wooden bridge crossing a tidal river through evergreen forest at Ovens Mouth Preserve

At Ovens Mouth Preserve, there is a farm at the trailhead. On the other side of a fairly large corral is a farmhouse, and they have a dog. Anne said "That dog noticed us and is coming over." Paul said "He couldn't see us from way over there." He might not have been able to see us, but he was a bloodhound and at least smelled us, and did indeed come over to say hello and take opportunity to go on some of the walk with us. You can see him in this picture of Anne, shortly before he decided we weren't going the direction he wanted to go in.

Anne waving from the bridge at Ovens Mouth Preserve with the bloodhound beside her

(Notice my nice hat. Neither of us had remembered to bring a hat, so we ended up buying some at the Botanical Garden.)

Rustic bench overlooking still green water along a wooded tidal river

One spot in the woods glowed with a mesmerizing red hue for a bit. (At least on our monitors, the color of this next picture is fairly accurate.)

Sunlit forest path with reddish pine needles and the glowing trunk of a tree

A couple of the other area hikes were Dodge Point State Park and Linekin Preserve (you can probably skip the 'Burly Loop' portion).

Anne photographing in the woods with a tripod among low branches and pines

Large red bracket fungus growing from the trunk of a tree in the woods

Rocky shoreline and calm inlet with houses and trees across the water at Dodge Point State Park

Anne crouched on a rocky ledge photographing the shoreline with islands beyond

Paul standing on a rock ledge with tripod and camera bag beside pale water at Linekin Preserve

Small waves washing over sharp dark rock fins along the shoreline

There were likely many tadpoles shortly after our visit.

Blue spotted salamander egg masses floating in shallow brown water

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Updated April 2026