Information on this post below includes:
A) Directions
From the South:
Rte 95 North to exit 22 onto Coastal Rte 1
From the North:
Coastal Rte 1
Coastal Rte 1 to Rte 131 south.
B) What to do on the Island
Dramatic cliffs and cathedral-like woods, miles of trails, with charming village, artists studios and galleries, gift shops and restaurants. No cars on the island and only accessible by ferry.
If you plan to hike around the Island...
Get a trail map at an Island shop before setting out. Most of the Island is wildland, with woods and undergrowth so thick you can't cut across from one trail to another without becoming lost. The hiking map published by the Monhegan Associates, showing trails, their names, their numbers, and their difficulty, is reliable, cheap, and easily available.
There are few guide posts. Most trails are marked by small numbers on trees and sometimes rocks at the beginnings and intersections of trails.
Trail directions over rock ledges are indicated by cairns - piles of stones along the trail which mark the way. For the safety of those who follow you, do not disturb the cairns or build new ones.
C) What to Bring (other than art supplies)
Attire everywhere on the Island is casual. Bring a warm sweater, a wind-breaker (you may need it on the boat), and possibly foul weather gear. Wear sturdy shoes fit for walking on rocky surfaces - no island roads are paved - over ledges, through wooded areas and into mud.
Health and safety: There is no resident physician and facilities for medical care are extremely limited. A professional Emergency Medical Dispatcher from the state-licensed Monhegan Emergency Rescue Service (call 911) is standing by in the event of an emergency. If you are on medication make sure you have enough on hand for your stay as there is no Island pharmacy.
As elsewhere in New England forests, there are mosquitoes and poison ivy along trails. Ticks have been found carrying Lyme disease and an occasional hiker has been infected. Avoid such nuisances by wearing long pants with your socks pulled up over their bottoms, and use insect repellents.
Reservations: To avoid disappointment, make advance reservations for boat passage, inns, and rooms. Space is limited. Shop and inn openings as well as boat schedules vary from year to year and from season to season. Check with proprietors, especially when planning a trip to the Island before mid-June or after mid-September. (No street lights here; remember a flashlight if you’re overnighting!)
Money: There is no bank on the Island, although there’s an ATM at the Barnacle Cafe on the dock. Personal checks are accepted at the discretion of proprietors. Travelers checks are honored, and some places accept credit cards. Public telephones are coinless and require phone credit cards even for local calls.
A few guest boat moorings are available for short term and overnight mooring. The Harbormaster can help you find one or suggest suitable anchorages. Private boats should not be tied up at the dock when mainland boats arrive and depart, nor be left unattended there. Lines must be long enough to accommodate changes in the tide which may be as much as 11 feet.
Parking is available at all mainland ports. No visitors' cars are allowed on the Island. All three excursion boats allow about four hours on the Island for a one-day visitor.
Label baggage with your name, address, Island destination, and the boat on which you are travelling, to prevent luggage from getting on the wrong boat or being taken back to the mainland prematurely. Trucks to deliver your luggage are on the dock at boat time.
Toilet facilities are limited for the casual visitor. Two public pay toilets are behind the Monhegan House, but you are strongly advised to make use of the facilities of your boat. Litter in the woods is unsightly and unsanitary; if there's an emergency, pack out used tissues.
Food: Sit-down meals are available at the Island Inn and the Monhegan House. North End Market has takeout pizza and other foods, and picnic supplies are also available at the Carina. If you bring along your lunch, "brown-bag" it and carry the remains back to the mainland for disposal.
A few cautions:
Bicycles, especially including trail bikes, are not permitted on the trails of the Island.
Camping is forbidden by town ordinance and state regulation, both of which are enforced.
Dogs must be leashed and controlled at all times to protect themselves, other dogs, and people. Leave yours at home if possible. Expect to pay boat fare for your dog and to dispose of its waste as in a city.
On the roads, trucks have the right-of-way. Please step out of the road to let them pass, and see that your children and pets do the same.
Monhegan is a village, not a theme park. Walking on private property is trespassing and no more acceptable on Monhegan than in your own hometown. Please stay on the paths and do not picnic on private lawns..
Plan your day to suit your capabilities and the time available. Keep in mind that the Island is hilly, many trails are rough, and the time required to cover a distance is much greater than that for level ground.
D) Explore the Island
Around the Village and the Harbor
The Lighthouse was built in 1824. Though it still shines, it has not been manned since 1959 and is now controlled by computer. You can’t go up inside the light, but from the site one has a superb view of the Village, harbor, Manana Island, and the mainland, including the Camden Hills. You might see a freighter or tanker waiting at the Manana Buoy to take on a coastal pilot.
The Monhegan Historical & Cultural Museum is housed in the former keeper’s house on the Lighthouse grounds, recently added to the Registry of American Historic Sites. The Museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in July and August, and from 12:30 to 2:30 in late June and September. The first floor is devoted to the Island’s long and colorful history. The second floor has bird and wildflower pictures to help you identify that specimen you just saw. Across the way is the "new" assistant lightkeeper’s house, with an annually-changing tribute to one of Monhegan’s many past artists.A small donation is encouraged. See www.monheganmuseum.org for further information.
The artists’ colony on Monhegan is still alive and well, as it has been for over a hundred years. Some artists have viewing hours in their studios, times and locations of which are listed in a flier available at bulletin boards around the Village, and galleries around the Island show works of local artists. More than a traditional souvenir, art from Monhegan is a constant reminder of this special place.
Clustered around Fish Beach are the fish houses which serve as workshops for many of those who fish and lobster. In summer lobstering gear is piled up about them because Monhegan has a closed season on lobstering running roughly from June to the following December.
Swim Beach is the only safe place to swim on the Island. The water is cold; the beach is very small and tides run hard. There are no changing facilities or garbage disposal there. Always be sure that someone on the beach knows you are in swimming.
Manana Island helps form Monhegan Harbor. Here may be found the rock purported to contain Norse or Phoenician inscriptions. The fog signal station of the Coast Guard was active here for many years. Transportation by skiff across the harbor can usually be arranged through one of the Inns.
The Meadow, in the heart of the Village, is the source of the public water supply. Years ago it was dammed and used for ice-boating and skating. Look on the bulletin board on the rope shed by the meadow for announcements of current events.
The Tercentenary Tablet, on a rock in the yard of the one-room schoolhouse, commemorates John Smith’s voyage to Monhegan in 1614.
Ice was harvested at the Ice Pond for about 100 years. The last harvest was in February, 1974; the old equipment is displayed in a shed behind the Museum at the Lighthouse. The pond is an excellent spot for bird watching and a favorite skating area in winter.
E) Dining and Shopping
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