Planning a trip to Monhegan Island

Access to Monhegan Island is via boat from New Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, or Port Clyde. The picturesque trip from Port Clyde is the favorite route of longtime visitors; the boat passes the Marshall Point Lighthouse and a series of spruce-clad islands before reaching the open sea and plying its way toward Monhegan.

Two boats make the run to Monhegan from little Port Clyde. The Laura B is a doughty workboat (building supplies and boxes of food are loaded on first; passengers fill in the available niches on the deck and in the small cabin), and makes the run in about 70 minutes. A newer boat -- the slightly faster, passenger-oriented Elizabeth Ann -- makes the run in about 50 minutes and offers a large heated cabin and more seating. You'll need to leave your car behind, so pack light and wear sturdy shoes. The fare is $55 round-trip for adults, $35 for children ages 2 to 12, and $5 for pets. They do take credit cards, but reservations are advised. Contact Monhegan Boat Line  (tel. 207/372-8848). Parking is available just off the Port Clyde dock for $10 per day.

You can also get out here from New Harbor by boarding a Hardy Boat (tel. 800/278-3346) to Monhegan. There are two departures daily in the summer and 3 days a week in the shoulder season, with round-trip fares $70 adults, $60 for children age 3–12, $40 per dog.

Finally, if you’re in coming from the Boothbays, Balmy Days (tel. 800/298-2284 or 207/633-2284) also does a Monhegan run in summer, from mid-June through September (and weekends only for a couple weeks on either side of that). The boat leaves once daily at 9:30am, drops you off, and touches the island again at 4:15pm: perfect for day-trippers. (Or day-and-a-half-trippers.) The round-trip costs $55 for adults, $40 for children age 3 to 11.

Visitor Information

Monhegan Island has no formal visitor center, but it's small and friendly enough that you can make inquiries of just about anyone you meet on the island pathways. Clerks at the ferry dock in Port Clyde may also be helpful. Be sure to pick up the inexpensive map of the island's hiking trails at the ticket office or various shops around the island. Also, a good website maintained by an island resident dispenses info to first-time visitors: www.monheganwelcome.com.