Bass Harbor Head Light Station

Bass Harbor Head Light Station is an active lighthouse on the rocky southwest coast of Mount Desert Island, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay. It’s the only Acadia lighthouse most visitors can easily reach by car, and one of the island’s best-known landmarks. Make the stop for the coastal views and the working station, not an interior tour: the tower is closed to visitors. You can see it from an accessible overlook, walk up the steep paved approach, or descend toward the shore for the classic low-angle view.

A packed-gravel overlook beside the lot gives you a view of the lighthouse and coast without stairs. The paved driveway climbs steeply to the tower and interpretive wayside. For the sea-level angle, take the short gravel path down 37 wooden steps and 27 broad stone steps to the cliff and shoreline. The lower route ends among uneven rocks; you can enjoy the lighthouse without making that descent.

There are 27 parking spaces, and congestion is common, especially near sunset. Aim for another time if you want an easier arrival. Roadside parking is prohibited, and buses, trailers and RVs aren’t permitted on the narrow access road. You’ll need an Acadia or other valid National Park Service pass to park. An accessible restroom is beside the lot. No food or drinking water service is listed here, so don’t count on buying a meal or filling a bottle at the station.

Congress authorized the light station in 1858 to guide vessels into Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay. Its first keeper, John Thurston, lit the beacon on September 1 that year. Before a road reached the headland, supplies came by boat. The lighthouse appeared on Maine’s America the Beautiful quarter in 2012 and on the National Park Service centennial stamp in 2016.

The station was automated in 1974 and remains an active navigation aid. The Coast Guard still operates the light, even though the station transferred to the National Park Service in 2020. Its red signal shines for four seconds, goes dark for one, and can be seen up to 13 miles away.

The historic station is more than its tower: its five contributing structures include the 1858 lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling, an 1897 Bell House, a 1902 Oil House and a 1905 barn. The keeper’s wooden home was linked to the tower by a covered walkway, and its roof drained into a brick cistern that stored rainwater.

For the classic composition, descend to the rocks and frame the white lighthouse above water and stone. It’s a more dramatic angle than the overlook, but it takes the stairs and sure footing across uneven shore rocks. The accessible overlook gives a good coast-and-lighthouse view without that scramble.