Isle au Haut Boat Services — Stonington Wharf

Isle au Haut Boat Services’ Stonington wharf is the mainland boarding point for Acadia’s island section. The passenger-only ferry takes about 45 minutes to reach Town Landing; seasonal sailings continue another 20 minutes to Duck Harbor. If you want to hike the island, this is the boat that makes the visit possible.

Scheduled-trip seats are first-come, and tickets are bought in person—at the wharf booth during its operating season, then aboard the boat in winter. Dockside parking is first-come and paid; ferry customers can use the slow EV chargers, and luggage carts are available along the gangway. The timetable changes by season and only some trips reach Duck Harbor, so anchor your island plan to the outbound and return sailings. This is not a drive-on ferry.

The crossing runs through Merchant’s Row and the Isle au Haut Thorofare. Look for Kimball Island, Isle au Haut Lighthouse, and the island’s working harbor; seals, porpoises, and seabirds may turn up on the way. The crossing is part of the outing, not just the time before a hike.

Isle au Haut means “High Island,” the name Champlain gave it during his Maine coast explorations in 1604. Wabanaki people lived and fished here seasonally for thousands of years before European settlement. Farmers, fishermen, and boat builders followed in larger numbers after the American Revolution; part of the island entered Acadia in 1943 through a donation by heirs of an early summer community’s founder. The harbor is still a working waterfront, and visitor services on the island are limited.