Knox and Lincoln Counties, Maine Lighthouse Road Trip: 7 Lights, About 6 Hours of Driving

7 stops178 milesabout 6 hr 22 min of drivingKnox and Lincoln Counties, Maine

This route links seven lighthouses along the Maine coast, starting in Lincoln County and finishing on Penobscot Bay. Despite the Knox and Lincoln billing, two stops sit just outside those counties: Perkins Island Light in Sagadahoc County and Grindel Point Light in Waldo County. Expect about 178 miles and a little over six hours behind the wheel, before any time spent at the lights themselves. Every stop is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The towers span most of the 19th century, from Burnt Island's original 1821 tower to Perkins Island's wooden one of 1898. Several stations are older than the towers standing on them now. One of them, Grindel Point, was off from 1934 until it was relit in 1987. Start early, check access locally at each light, and don't count on steady cell coverage between stops.

Route and drive times from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM). Times are estimates without stops; roads to remote sites can be unpaved or seasonal.

1. 1. Hendricks Head Light

   Lincoln County, Maine · built 1875

   

   Start at Hendricks Head Light, where the station goes back to 1829. The square brick tower and keeper's house on record today date from 1875, with the United States Army Corps of Engineers listed as architect. The tower stands 39 feet, with a focal height of 44 feet and a range of 9 nautical miles. It's privately owned and still an active aid to navigation.

   Facts, map and sources for Hendricks Head Light →

2. ↓ 2.6 miles, about 10 min

   2. Burnt Island Light

   Lincoln County, Maine · built 1821

   

   Only 2.6 miles and about 10 minutes on, Burnt Island Light is the original 1821 tower and one of Maine's oldest surviving lighthouses. It's a modest 30 feet tall, but its flashing red light sits 61 feet up and reaches 15 nautical miles. The Maine Department of Marine Resources owns it and runs it as a living-history museum, so check access locally before planning around it.

   Facts, map and sources for Burnt Island Light →

3. ↓ 36.4 miles, about 1 hr 18 min

   3. Perkins Island Light

   Sagadahoc County, Maine · built 1898

   

   A 36.4-mile drive of about 78 minutes brings you to the Kennebec River and Sagadahoc County. Perkins Island Light is an eight-sided wooden tower from 1898, just 23 feet tall with a focal height of 41 feet. It's still an active light, showing a red flash every 2.5 seconds with two white sectors, and has been licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation since 2000.

   Facts, map and sources for Perkins Island Light →

4. ↓ 42.9 miles, about 1 hr 26 min

   4. Pemaquid Point Light

   Lincoln County, Maine · built 1835

   

   Back in Lincoln County after 42.9 miles and roughly 86 minutes, Pemaquid Point Light got it right on the second try. The first tower, from 1827, was badly built and was replaced in 1835 by the stone tower on record now. It's 38 feet tall with a focal height of 79 feet. Storms in January 2024 destroyed the bell house, but the tower survived.

   Facts, map and sources for Pemaquid Point Light →

5. ↓ 52 miles, about 1 hr 34 min

   5. Marshall Point Light

   Knox County, Maine · built 1857

   

   Give yourself about 94 minutes for the 52-mile run to Marshall Point Light in Knox County. The station dates from 1832, but its original 20-foot tower was replaced in 1857 by the current 31-foot tower, which was first lit in 1858. Its light characteristic is fixed white, with a focal height of 31 feet and a range of 13 nautical miles.

   Facts, map and sources for Marshall Point Light →

6. ↓ 20.8 miles, about 51 min

   6. Owls Head Light

   Knox County, Maine · built 1852

   

   Owls Head Light, 20.8 miles and about 51 minutes further on, sits on Penobscot Bay. The station goes back to 1825, though the 30-foot brick tower replaced the original rubblestone one in 1852. It's a short tower, but its fixed white light has a focal height of 98 feet and a range of 16 nautical miles, and it's still an active aid to navigation.

   Facts, map and sources for Owls Head Light →

7. ↓ 23.2 miles, about 1 hr 4 min

   7. Grindel Point Light

   Waldo County, Maine · built 1874

   

   Finish in Waldo County, 23.2 miles and about 64 minutes from Owls Head. Grindel Point Light's station was set up in 1850-51, and the present square brick tower was rebuilt on the old foundations in 1874. The light was off from 1934 until it was relit in 1987. Its characteristic is a green flash every 4 seconds over Penobscot Bay, with a range of 4 nautical miles.

   Facts, map and sources for Grindel Point Light →