One of six beaches at Hermit Island. Hermit Island Campground This one is easy to get to, but can get sardine-packed in tourist season. Let’s start with the basics: Price: $38-60 summer, $35 off-season Type of camping: Tenting, tent trailers and pick-up trucks with slide-on campers (no RVs). Where: Phippsburg, 1 hour from Portland Best feature: Sandy, isolated beaches Worst feature: Value. The tent sites are clustered close together, check out is at 10 a.m. Other stuff: Cash only. No pets.
Two adults per site. One car per site. The ocean is a hop, skip and a jump over that shrubbery. The sandy site on Dune Way required that we put rocks on top of our stakes. The sand made for soft sleeping.
This is an easy escape to get to, which is why it’s No. 1 on the list. Hermit Island Campground is at the end of the road in Phippsburg over a sandbar of a road on its own peninsula off the peninsula.
The campground is a sandy oasis with lots of low shrubs and a ton of birds. In fact, my birder friend made my last reservation to this campground and she was not disappointed.
We watched a little all the seabird songs while we ate one morning. The beaches are great – sandy with climbable rocky ledges.
If those don’t do it for you, it’s 15 minutes from Popham Beach, one of the best sandy spots in the state. Now for the less-pretty side: $60 is a lot for an ocean view from a tent.
Jewel Island Llc
My friend paid the cash for an ocean view site, then realized it was an OK view, but we were surrounded by lots of other people and the bushes were not tall enough to buffer their noise (not the point of going to an island). So we downgraded to two lesser sites that were in a private circle (38 and 39 Dune Way).
Also, only two people and only one car per site and you must leave the campground by 10 a.m. (including beaches and trails). The campground has a store with beer, maple syrup and tons of candy. It also has a shed with a pool table, games and a fireplace. My advice would be to wait to go here until after Sept.
1, when rates for all sites go down to $35. Call them and make sure it’s not too busy the days you want to go, then wait to pick a site until you’re there. It’s impossible to tell the quality of each site even though there are photos of each place on the website. If I go in the off-season, I’ll reserve a site on Joe’s Head Road (12 or 11) or I’ll try my luck at Osprey Point (1, 2 or 4), which I heard is great, but have not been to. It’s a beautiful piece of Maine and a perfect place to watch a sunset over the ocean. Deer Isle is a great place to kayak, hike and swim.
You have two options for a cheap stay on Deer Isle — a bridge island you can get to with your car: A hostel or a campground. Deer Isle is a great place for hiking (Maineiac Outdoors) because it has a bunch of conservation lands with easy trails that give you ocean views, pink granite to climb and clam-mud to drench your sneakers in. For literary nerd cred, bring along a Steinbeck paperback — he once visited the island for two nights and wrote about it. Deer Isle Hostel is a novel little place.
It’s all off-the-grid (compost-heated shower, farm-gorwn communal dinners) and rates start at $25 per person for a twin bed in a room with other people. You can get your own cabin for $60 (fits two people). We wrote a whole story about it here:. Down the road is a campground with sea kayak rentals.
I can’t personally vouch for it, but rates start at $28 for an “overflow” site (no fire ring, no platform, no table) or $54 for an oceanside tent site. This place has wifi, electricity and allows dogs. The bonus of this place is the kayak rentals, which start at $30 for two hours. You’re going to need a boat to get to this one. Photo by Heather Steeves.
Jewell Island Maybe you’re mad at me for mentioning this. Or maybe you’ve never heard of the place. I’m sure it’s one of the two. Price: Free, but meant for use by Maine Island Trail Association members ($45 minimum for membership) Type of camping: Tenting or on-boat sleeping Where: Casco Bay, 8 miles from Portland Best feature: Abandoned buildings on trails Worst feature: You need your own boat to get there More info: Maine Island Trail Association members have access to a full guide. Aside from that, you’ll just have to get a boat, find it and see for yourself.
Portland Press Herald archive photo by Gregory Rec, Friday, June 15, 2001: After spending the day hauling lumber and getting the base of his tent platform set up on Jewell Island, Gerhard Saas cools off by jumping into the frigid water of Cocktail Cove. A chimney still stands from a home. We climbed it. The Punchbowl is a nearly perfect circle of rocks and beach, protecting a cold saltwater pool. Perfect for swimming. A WWII tower is climbable.
Enter (with a flashlight) and you'll find stairs leading up to a windowed top with a 360-view of the ocean and surrounding islands. I climbed out the watchtower windows and sat on the deck to take in the view. This is part of the 360-degree view. Portland Press Herald file photo by Gordon Chibroski, Friday, July 12, 2002: Kayakers from Venture Crew, a senior scouting group, enjoy a few days on Jewell Island with their kayaks. Rules for usage of the trails on Jewell Island are being developed with the assistance of Maine Island Trails Association. We also found underground bunkers from WWII.
They were cold, dark and scary. This is a photo of inside the underground bunker.
I had my flashlight on when I took this. That's how dark it is. Schooner ALERT is pretty at sunset off Jewell. It’s cliche to even say it, but I’ll go there: Jewell Island is a gem. I heard about it when my friends Bethany Mcnelly-Davis and Perry Davis brought me out for a daysail on their boat.
I’d jumped on one of their regular tours where Bethany talked about all the islands in Casco Bay as we sailed. When she pointed to Jewell she sort of whispered that it was, essentially, Narnia and therefore her favorite place in the world (and she’s been places). She told me about the abandoned WWII towers, bunkers, trails and the Punchbowl cove to swim in. We went back to it a few weeks later. The island has quite a history. There are legends of pirates, buried treasure, counterfeit salt businesses, liquor smuggling. Pilots crashed off the island and died.
One time, locals found a bunch of deer on the island so they got in a line and chased them from one end of the narrow island to the other. When the deer slid into the ocean, they slaughtered them and stuffed their freezers for the winter. Legend has it an attorney once was brought to the island, tied to a tree by his companions and beaten all night.
There are lots of ghost stories. Picnickers have visited the island since at least the late 1800s. The Army overtook the island during WWII and built a station there with two tall towers (one U boat was spotted) on Jewell, which is the outermost Casco Bay island. There are several foundations, a stand-alone chimney and some falling-apart cement buildings left over from WWII, which you can climb in.
During the course of WWII the U.S. Government requisitioned all of Jewell from its owners, who had homes, a farm and cabins there. It caused tension, obviously. For a while locals lived on the island while the Army built their 24 or so buildings. I needed to tell you all of that because one of the most interesting buildings “is a jail,” my friends said. It looks like a jail and I was told by many people it was. Ivy crawls up its barred windows. It’s floor is rotted out in most places.
But it’s not a jail. According to “History of Jewell Island, Maine” by historian Peter Benoit, the Army was worried about the locals stealing or vandalizing the buildings, so it put the barred windows and barbed wire fences around a couple buildings. There was never a jail on the island (there was: a firehouse, recreation hall, post office, the 80-foot tower, the 50-foot tower, the battery with two 6″ guns, a radar tower ). All of this history and skeletons of that history, which are scattered all over the island in the form of these abandoned buildings, make for a great hike of about three miles. You can climb up one of the outlook towers for an amazing, near-360 view of the island and the surrounding ocean and islands. The battery is a massive concrete underground building. If you want to go inside, bring a great flashlight because the floor in parts was wood and is collapsing.
There are cold, damp corridors with rooms off them — one with a painting of a grim reaper. Yes, it’s a scary and awesome place. Camping on the island is all tent sites. If you’re going on a weekend, show up early because the island can become busy during the summer. There are picnic tables, fire rings and outhouses on Jewell. A Maine Island Trail Association keeper is on a nearby island, which explains why the campsites are pristine. To get to the island you’ll need to get a boat.
You can charter one. You could kayak there from Portland. Or you could take the ferry to nearby Cliff Island and paddle from there. There are no moorings, so bring your best anchor.
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Or, if you have money to burn, there’s an Airbnb listing out of South Portland, where for $1,100 a man will sail you to Jewell and will set you up with an air mattress and a lobster bake. Islands I can’t personally vouch for, but REALLY want to go to: – Isle au Haut: I tried for it this year and did not get a reservation. Isle au Haut is half it’s own island and half owned by Acadia National Park. That means you can hike the two little mountains on the park side, then head into town to see the few shops, the pretty town hall and meet some lobstermen and maybe meet their catch too. Duck Harbor Campground is in Acadia. To get a lean-to (one of five), you mail in an application with $25, which will cover the cost of your stay, up to 3 days in tourist season and five days otherwise. You request your dates (in my case I wrote “any weekend in July or August, and it was all full up by May) and send it in in early April.
For more information visit – Little Chebeague: Sand beaches, gravel beaches, abandoned houses (I like abandoned things!), trails, but best of all: You can get there by ferry and a hike. There’s a sandbar from Great Chebeague, so if you can time your ferry ride just right, you can ride over for about $11, then walk the sandbar to one of two tent sites. There’s a kiosk, an outhouse and two sites on a dune (if you go, try not to crush the grass). – Warren Island State Park: Islesboro is quaint and beautiful, so I imagine the tiny island off of it would be fun. You take a ferry to Islesboro, but then you need your own boat to get the quarter-mile to Warren Island, which is its own state park with three lean-tos and eight reservable tent sites, plus one first-come-first-pitched site. The island has a pier and courtesy moorings. Bring lots of bug spray to this one.
Lots of ticks. – Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve Trust: 2.5 hours north of Portland, has lake islands you can canoe to and camp on.
Jewel Island Marina
It’s $16 a night and you can reserve your own small, freshwater island. – Whaleboat:.
There are more than 450 islands in Maine, including lake islands. Which great ones did I miss? Add your tips in the comments.
Casco Bay stretches far and wide, with only a few rugged islands marking its eastern outer reaches along the edge of the open ocean. Jewell Island is the most prominent and also the friendliest toward human visitors.
Even though it lies less than 8 miles from the Portland waterfront, it feels remote and wild. And it's a big enough island that there's a lot to see and explore. On a visit to Jewell, you’ll discover ecological wonder, military relics, miles of trails to explore and beachside campsites right on the edge of the vast Atlantic horizon. As her name suggests, Jewell glistens amongst the many shining islands of Casco Bay. Getting There Because it's far from the mainland, and several islands stand between you and Jewell, there are naturally many routes to choose from. I’ll write the most scenic route for this description.
Modifications are straightforward if you’re adept at chart navigation, which you should be if you're heading out this far! Depart from East End Beach and cross to Fort Gorges, the ominous stone structure standing on Hog Island about one nautical mile offshore. This crossing can involve strong tidal currents (especially on the ebb tide), and heavy boat traffic. Be aware of the status of both. Winds are often light after embarkation, but halfway through the crossing they can suddenly increase. That’s because the hill of eastern Portland usually blocks the prevailing Southwesterlies of summer. To get a prediction of the wind you will encounter on this crossing, observe the flag flying just north of the fort.
If it’s fully extended, the wind is greater than ten knots. The Southwesterly will help you on this trip out! Completed in 1865, Fort Gorges is a Civil War era artillery battery, open to the public. Go ahead and stop here if you’re curious about it, but be careful of the many hazards inside, most of which are structural and trip/fall related. Cross to the Little Diamond Island Casino, which is the large brown building with the maroon roof on a pier extending from the southwest shore of Little Diamond. Between Hog and Little Diamond Islands, you’ll cross the escape channel for the Navy’s anchorage in inner Casco Bay during the Second World War.
It’s delineated with red and green buoys. Lobster and tour boats cruise through here, so look out, and smile and wave at strangers. Completed in 1905, the Little Diamond Island Casino was once a family affair. Islanders of all ages played games and cured boredom here. Nowadays, it’s used as a rain shelter for patiently waiting ferry passengers. Paddling north, to your east is the most densely populated island in Maine: Peaks Island.
In the summer months, its population swells to 7,000. By winter, it dwindles to 800. There are public restrooms on Peaks Island.
If you land on the sandy beach just north of City Point, you can walk up the road to the public library and find a wonderful, welcoming toilet. Paddle along the east shoreline of Little Diamond Island. On this side of Diamond Pass, the water is deep, and larger boats, like the ferries, move close to the shore, so keep your eyes peeled. As you progress to the north and trace the edge of Great Diamond Island, tall cliffs and thick deciduous trees reach above in stunning displays. Ospreys live atop this island. Look skyward, and listen for their distinct, high-pitched staccato cries.
As you reach Hussey Sound, Peaks Island’s Evergreen Village fills out the trees to the east, with Pumpkin Nob just off its steep shore. The nob was once a summer home of John Ford, the film director. This is an interesting four-way intersection of waterways, their borders being Great Diamond, Peaks, Long, and Cow Islands. You’re heading northeast now, out toward the open sea! Great Diamond Island was the home of Fort McKinley, constructed in the early 1900’s and manned until the end of World War II.
Nowadays, the whole island is privately owned. Cow Island is owned by Ripple Effect, and has its own old military bunkers jutting out from the trees. Long Island became its own town in 1994 and the residents are very proud of that fact! Hussey Sound is the second deepest channel on the Eastern Seaboard after Norfolk, VA. When paddling here, you almost always feel the temperature drop a bit, and the sea behave differently.
Long swell from the deep-sea rolls through, clangs the bell buoys, and washes over shores’ edges. From this point to Jewel Island is very exposed, so make a solid assessment of the conditions, and your preparedness, before setting forth.
If you don’t feel confident, you could still do an overnight on Cow or Little Chebeague Islands. Cross to the outside of Overset Island, because even at high tide it’s tricky to cross the breakwater that connects Overset and Long Islands. Vail Island will be the last chunk of land you encounter before crossing to Jewell. You’ll want to get a compass bearing and monitor your lateral movement as you cross, because it’s far, and the tide and wind can have a profound affect on you over the roughly 2 nautical miles of paddling. If the summer Southwesterly blows, it will assist you on this crossing.
If you find yourself in trouble midway through this crossing, it’s usually best to paddle north, because the wind will assist you, and you’ll be able to land either at the north end of Long Island or at Cliff Island, both of which have public access, food, and ferry service. As you cross, if the sky is clear, you’ll see Portland Head Light (1791), the oldest lighthouse in Maine, flash its powerful beacon at you from the southwest. Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse (1905) is the brown tower just in front of Portland Head.
To the west is the exposed and rugged east coast of Long Island. To the north, islands scatter like ecological candy, growing less populated and more beautiful with each mile. And to the east: the mighty North Atlantic in all her glory. Next point of land: Portugal. Jewell Island’s northern and southern coasts are tall and bold, and the east shore is rocky and exposed.
The only consistently accessible area is the beach in Cocktail Cove, where gently sloping beach extends to the water’s edge. Making landfall on Jewell There are many campsites on Jewell. Each campsite has a fire ring, water bucket, and often some tinder. My favorite is the one atop the grassy hill near the big oak tree. During the summer months, an island caretaker lives in the shack on Little Jewell Island (just west of Cocktail Cove). This person takes care of the island and promotes ethical behavior of visitors. I don’t want to tell you all of the secrets of Jewell, because exploring her for yourself is part of the fun.
But two things you shouldn’t miss are the World War II submarine tower, and the Punchbowl. There are two towers on the island and both are open. The taller one naturally has better views.
If you watch the sunset from this vantage point, you will not be disappointed (weather cooperating of course). The smaller tower has roof access, which is fun, but be careful! The Punchbowl is a huge tide pool, replete with more marine life than any aquarium. You can often find live lobsters here! The lighthouse you see about three miles east is Halfway Rock Light (1895), atop Halfway Rock, named because it’s roughly halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Small Point, the two ends of Casco Bay.
By night you can see the lighthouse flash a red light. Beware the raccoons of Jewel Island! They are huge, fearless, and their search for food is insatiable. They will eat through dry bags, work hatch covers off of boats, and make evil sounds in the night.
You should consider a bear-hang with all of your edibles, including toothpaste. Leaving Jewell Kayak overnights bring with them a greater risk of un-foreseen changes in weather and sea conditions, and medical emergencies.
Jewel Island sits in an exposed position on the Maine Coast, furthering this concern. Cliff Island is due west of Jewel, and the crossing from Jewel to Cliff is relatively protected from waves. If you find yourself questioning whether or not you can safely paddle home from Jewel, you can almost always paddle to Cliff Island and then take the Casco Bay Lines ferry home with your boat.
The ferry crew knows how to handle this, because they do it often! This is true with heavy fog as well. You can buoy hop with a solid compass bearing to Cliff Island in the fog (use your chart!). On your return voyage, you could either backtrack, or head around the north coast of Long Island and then onward through the inner islands if you prefer a variation in scenery, or if the weather has changed. A NOTE ABOUT SAFETY: Sea kayaking responsibly on Maine's coastal waters requires preparation, skills and knowledge. Casco Bay is a potentially dangerous environment due to its very cold waters, busy boat traffic and exposure to the conditions of the Atlantic Ocean (including sudden fog and strong winds).
This is why we encourage people to take our or join our before venturing out on their own. One fundamental skill that is essential for sea kayaking is the ability to rescue someone from a capsize. It can be extremely difficult to re-enter a kayak in cold and turbulent water. Anyone who paddles in the exposed waters of Casco Bay without this knowledge (or someone else who has that knowledge) is taking an extremely high risk. Sign up for our ' to learn these rescue skills. USEFUL LINKS: Local NOAA Chart: Jewel Island trails and campsites: Leave no trace principles: Maine Island Trail Association: Tagged.
Jewell Island is a small island in, United States. About 1 mile (1.6 km) long from SW to NE, it is located off the coast of, an approximate 8-mile boat ride from downtown Portland, Maine. It is a state-owned island with a small but protected harbor as well as camping and walking paths.
There are also World War II on the island. Cocktail Cove is popular for kayaking and the Punchbowl located in the north east area of the island. The island is part of the city of. Jewell Island can be reached by private boat any number water taxis including the Portland Express Water Taxi, and Atlantic Water Taxi, Casco Bay Water Taxi, and Casco Bay Custom Charters. The island is rich in legend — tales are told of cruising its coast and hiding treasure. The World War II bunkers are said to be haunted by soldiers, and the beaches by bootleggers. Several accounts of ghostly encounters can be heard in local towns.
6-inch gun on shielded carriage at,. This was the type of gun BCN 202 on Jewell Island would have had if completed.
During the island included the Jewell Island Military Reservation. Three gun were constructed on the island. The largest, although never completed, was Battery Construction Number (BCN) 202. It was designed for two in shielded mounts that would be on the large concrete circles at each end of the battery. Positions for two Anti- (AMTB) batteries with were also constructed on Jewell Island. Each battery was authorized four 90 mm guns, two on fixed mounts and two on towed mounts.
![Jewel Island Jewel Island](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123735495/506263267.jpg)
The guns were dual-purpose, able to fire against air or surface targets. The batteries were designated AMTB 967 and AMTB 968. The World War II construction was part a modernization of the Harbor Defenses of Portland, centered on on, which the fire control towers and SCR-296 radar on Jewell Island supported. See also. References.
Trailhead Jewell Island is accessible by boat only from nearby public launch sites in South Portland, Portland, Falmouth, and South Harpswell. Description Known as Cocktail Cove, the natural harbor on Jewell Island's northwest shore offers the best landing and anchoring ground for boaters interested in accessing the island's trails. Ascend the steep, rocky embankment about midway down the eastern shore of the cove to reach the Main Landing trailhead and one of several camping areas.
Or, go ashore at The Point - the small spit of land facing Little Jewell Island on the cove's southwest side - to access the trails from a different spot. From the Main Landing you can head south along the Cove Trail to reach the southern portion of the island or east along a short path to the Punchbowl - a driftwood-strewn crescent sand beach that invites swimming and wading.
From the terminus of the Punchbowl Trail you can amble north along the ledges toward Surprise Beach or south along the sand to find the Interior Trail which connects up with the Cove Trail midway down the island. Following the Cove Trail south from the Main Landing you'll pass one of several privies (outhouses) and a number of campsites with views of Cocktail Cove.
Shortly after the Cove Trail and Interior Trail merge, a short spur branches off to the west and returns you to the head of the cove. Beyond the spur there is a trail junction, marked by a privy, where a western course will take you along a loop created by the Peninsula Trail and the Mine Trail.
Campsites rim the Peninsula Trail, which skirts Jewell's western shore. The Mine Trail runs along a ridge high above Cocktail Cove and passes the ruins of an old farm house. Continuing south from the privy you'll reach a second junction where the Smugglers Trail and Towers Trail split, forming yet another loop. Follow the Towers Trail past the remnants of military occupation to reach a pair of concrete observation towers that offer spectacular views of Casco Bay. Beyond the towers you'll find a tree-covered battery and gun emplacement. You can enter the battery but bring a flashlight and be careful of your footing in the dark, damp interior.
From the battery, the trail backtracks briefly and jogs west before continuing southward to more campsites and a cobble beach with views to the southwest. Pick up the Smugglers Trail on the western shore of the cobble beach and make your way through a forest littered with the remains of military housing and other infrastructure before reconnecting with the Towers Trail. Head north to return to Cocktail Cove via the Main Landing or The Point.
Other Information Jewell Island is a popular destination for power boaters and sailors who enjoy camping, hiking, and beach-combing while anchoring safely in Cocktail Cove. There is a full-time, seasonal caretaker on the island who maintains the trails and campsites, serves as an educational resource, and promotes a sustainable recreational ethic. Jewell Island's rich history includes farming, mining, fish processing and military occupation.
Please be careful when hiking near the crumbling structural ruins. Management of Jewell Island involves collaboration between the land owner (Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands), the trail manager (Maine Island Trail Association), and local volunteers working with MITA for the betterment of the island. Poison ivy is present in places - particularly along the Punchbowl. Staying on trails and away from beach vegetation will limit chances for exposure. Trail Manager Visit online for more information or contact.
A detail of the from a of 's, showing the Island of the Jewel lying beyond the far eastern peninsula. The Island of the Jewel (: Jazīrat al-Jawhar) or Island of Sapphires (: Jazīrat al-Yāqūt) was a semi-legendary island in, said to lie in the Sea of Darkness near the, forming the eastern limit of the. The island does not appear in any surviving manuscript of 's nor other. Instead, it is first attested in the Ptolemaic-influenced compiled by around 833. Ptolemy's map ended at 180° E. Of the without being able to explain what might lay on the imagined eastern shore of the or beyond the lands of and in.
Subsequently reached the via and traditionally credit the founding of their community to the as early as the 7th century. Muslim merchants such as established sizable expatriate communities; a is recorded at in 760 amid the against the. These connections showed al-Khwārizmī and that the Indian Ocean was not closed as and Ptolemy had held but opened either. The four of the AD 1037 manuscript of al-Khwārizmī—including that of the Island of the Jewel—are the oldest surviving maps from the. Al-Khwārizmī gave the Island of the Jewel as the easternmost point of the. His gazetteer is divided by categories but altogether he provides for its coast, three cities, its surrounding chain of mountains, and two summits on the interior. It lies in the near the equator, east of his equivalent of Ptolemy's and east of the still larger phantom peninsula—now usually known as the —which replaced Ptolemy's eastern shore of the Indian Ocean.
Its center was given at 173° east of al-Khwārizmī's off and 2° north of the equator. It subsequently appeared in the world map of the —where it is labelled 'The Island of the Jewel, and its mountains encircle it like a basket' or 'like scales' —and in other medieval Arabian and Persian texts. It is now typically identified with one of the or with, although al-Khwārizmī's description seems to borrow from Ptolemaic and legendary accounts of. See also. Notes.