Quoddy Head State Park covers 541 acres at the tip of the easternmost peninsula in America. The park is also home to Carrying Place Cove Bog, designated a National Natural Landmark. Washington County can be discovered through contrasts like these: alongside individual landmarks are vast protected areas and varied landscapes.
Nature on Different Scales
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge protects nearly 30,000 acres on the coast of Maine. Its diverse landscapes include rolling hills, rock outcrops, streams, lakes, bogs, and swamps. Compared with the 541-acre Quoddy Head State Park, it offers a different sense of scale: Moosehorn encompasses a vast mosaic of different habitats.
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge offers fishing, hunting, wildlife watching, photography, and hiking year-round. Gravel roads and trails closed to vehicles extend for more than 50 miles and are available for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The range of activities spans everything from quiet wildlife watching to pursuits that can be enjoyed across several seasons.
At Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge, trails pass through coniferous forests, grasslands, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and mudflats. Opportunities there include birdwatching, hiking, and photography. The Hollingsworth Trail at Petit Manan Point is a 1.8-mile loop with views of heathlands and pebble beaches. The Birch Point Trail, in turn, is a four-mile out-and-back route through a blueberry field and mixed forest to the salt marshes of Dyer Bay.
The trail types and lengths offer a concrete comparison: the Hollingsworth Trail is shorter and forms a loop, while the longer Birch Point Trail is an out-and-back route. The Nature Trail at Cobscook Bay State Park is also an out-and-back route; its two miles offer views across Whiting Bay and Burnt Cove.
Coast, Bays, and Trails
At Cutler Coast, the Coastal Trail offers views of Grand Manan Island and the Bay of Fundy. Wooden ladders lead down to pebble beaches. Roque Bluffs State Park offers a different coastal vista: along Englishman Bay, a crescent-shaped sand and pebble beach stretches for half a mile. Behind it lies shallow Simpson Pond, which covers 60 acres and can be explored by canoe or kayak.
Shackford Head State Park covers 90 acres on Moose Island and overlooks Cobscook Bay. The Shackford Head Overlook is a 1.2-mile out-and-back trail with views of the bay and its surroundings. Day use at Cobscook Bay State Park is available every day year-round from 9 a.m. until sunset, unless otherwise posted at the entrance.
For a trip to offshore Machias Seal Island, an excursion boat operated by Bold Coast Charters departs from Cutler. Thousands of seabirds, including puffins, live on the island. As the operator’s availability should be checked before your trip, it is a good idea to check current departures when planning.
Local History and Culture
The Burnham Tavern Museum in Machias was built by Job and Mary Burnham in 1770 and is the oldest surviving building in eastern Maine. Preserved architecture, period furnishings, and historical context convey the tavern’s role during a conflict and offer a glimpse into everyday life in colonial Maine.
Fort O’Brien also offers a glimpse into the region’s history: its earthworks face Machias Bay, and the existing powder magazine is now overgrown with vegetation. The Ruggles House in Columbia Falls showcases early 19th-century Federal architecture in New England. It has operated as a museum since 1951. Seasonal tours focus on early American life and the cultural history of Washington County.
In August, the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival brings together blueberry-themed foods, crafts, entertainment, and contests. The individual offerings vary from year to year. Cultural history is also on view at the Saint Croix Island IHS Visitor Center: several sweetgrass basketry artworks are displayed there, representing a Passamaquoddy tradition passed down from generation to generation. Saint Croix Island itself is not open to the public because of dangerous currents, sensitive ecosystems, and protected archaeological resources.
Keep Visitor Conditions in Mind
The tower at West Quoddy Head Light is closed to the public; the lighthouse grounds and the adjacent Visitor Center Museum are open to visitors. As access to the tower may change, check before your visit. This helps keep specific features and actual visitor conditions in mind as you plan.
Explore more destinations: Perry, Dennysville, Cherryfield, Milbridge, Robbinston, Machias, Beals, Lubec
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