Welcome to Monhegan!

Monhegan is a small, rocky island ten miles from the nearest mainland and scarcely a square mile in area. It is accessible only by boat and there are no cars or paved roads on the Island. Since long before the explorer John Smith visited it in 1614, it was known to Native Americans as a prime fishing area, and today its economy is still ruled by those who make their living from the sea, fishing and lobstering. The year-round population has seldom exceeded 65 in recent times.

For more than 100 years, Monhegan has been a summer haven for artists and other visitors who appreciate its isolation, the beauty of its wilderness areas, its quiet relaxed atmosphere, and its unhurried pace.

2004 celebrates the 50th birthday for the Monhegan Associates, founded by summer resident Ted Edison to preserve and protect the wild lands of the island and its “simple, friendly way of life.” Outside the village and harbor most of the island is wild and protected by the Associates. About 17 miles of trails, often steep and strenuous, lead through wooded areas and over rocky ledges up to the highest ocean cliffs on the Maine coastline.

Residents and vistors alike work to see that the wildlands will remain wild and that the fragile ecology will not be endangered. Please join us in this endeavor and exercise care, in the Village as on the trails and cliffs, to assure that future generations may find and enjoy the same attractions that are so important to those who appreciate the Island today. Don’t litter anywhere on the Island: "pack it in, pack it out!"

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Planning your Visit

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 mosquitos 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. Travellers checks are honored, and some places accept credit cards. Public telephones are coinless and require phone credit cards even for local calls. Cell phone coverage is unreliable.

  • 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: There are many places for lunch, picnic supplies, or dinner. If you bring along your lunch, “brown-bag” it and carry the remains back to the mainland for disposal; a large hamper will hamper you!

Sea Kayaking and other water sports
Sea Kayaking is growing in popularity but kayaking around Monhegan can be very hazardous. Ocean swells can come up without warning and capsize even experienced paddlers. Monhegan’s waters can be below 60° in summer, so if you capsize you may quickly experience hypothermia. Its shores are mostly impossible to land on or to swim to in an emergency, and few boats are on the backside to help boaters in distress. Kayakers must be experienced in self-rescue and are advised to limit paddling to the harbor area only. Never paddle alone. Paddling to Monhegan is only for the very experienced.

Note: there are no scuba shops, ski, or kayak rentals on Monhegan. (Nor are there bike rentals; biking is not permitted on island trails.)

 

A few cautions:

  • Wheels: Bicycles, especially including trail bikes, are not permitted on the trails of the Island. Strollers, even “jogging” strollers, are impossible to maneuver on the trails beyond the main fire roads.

  • 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. You’ll be charged boat fare for your dog and are expected 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. Trespassing on private property is no more acceptable here than in your own hometown. Please stay on the paths and do not picnic on private lawns.

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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. On the trails, expect rough paths, steep climbs, spectacular views, and quiet forest glens. Do not expect easy transport for strollers, 'rest stops,' vending machines, or trash barrels.

  • Use great care around cliffs and surf (and see that your children do the same!).

  • When hiking, wear sensible shoes and clothing to protect against ticks and poison ivy.

  • It is not safe to smoke on the headlands - a cigarette crushed into the moss and peat growing between the rocks can start a fire which could smoulder for hours or days unnoticed, then burst forth and envelop the entire island before help could arrive from the mainland. Fire boxes on the headlands, at Lobster Cove, and north of Pebble Beach are equipped to contain a small fire, but always report a fire to 911. In the event of a large forest fire, move toward the shore.

Monhegan Emergency Service
24 hours a day
Emergency Number: 911

  • To report a medical emergency, injury, or fire, go to the nearest phone and call 911. Tell the dispatcher where you are - and stay by the phone! Rescuers will meet you and ask you to lead them to the location of the emergency. Serious emergencies can only be handled with help from the mainland. Take care and avoid trouble.

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This is part of the Visitor's Guide to Monhegan. For copies of the booklet contact one of the merchants who sponsor it.

© Clare Durst 2004