A Woods Trail to a Tidal Sandbar
Barred Island Preserve, on the west side of Deer Isle, is built around one good trick of the tides. A trail of about a mile and a half winds down through a quiet, mossy spruce forest to a beach on Penobscot Bay. At high water, that is where the walk ends. But at low tide a sandbar surfaces and runs out to Barred Island just offshore, and you can walk across to a small wild island with the bay opening around you. The island’s name comes from that bar: it is barred to the mainland only when the sea drops.
The preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy and co-managed with Island Heritage Trust. The forest along the trail is the kind of cool, green, ferny woods that the Deer Isle coast does well, with thick moss carpeting the ground and the rocks. The shore itself is a granite and gravel beach, and from the bar you get long views across the bay and out toward the outer islands.
The crossing is the whole point, so the tide rules the visit. The sandbar is walkable for roughly two to three hours on either side of low tide. At high tide it disappears under about four feet of water. Plan your trip around the low, not the other way around, or you will reach the beach and find no bar to cross.
Walking Out to the Island
When the bar is exposed, the walk across to Barred Island is short and easy, over packed sand and gravel. Once on the island you can wander the shore and take in the bald granite overlook, with Penobscot Bay spreading out in every direction. It is a genuinely special feeling to stand on an island you walked to, knowing the sea will close the path behind you in a few hours.
Time the crossing carefully. The sandbar to Barred Island is only safe for about two to three hours either side of low tide, and at high tide it lies under roughly four feet of water. If you linger too long on the island, you can be cut off and stranded by the rising tide. Check a tide chart before you go and watch the water while you are out.
Aim to arrive at the beach near low tide, not at the start of your window. That gives you the widest, safest bar and the most time to explore the island before the water turns. Build in a buffer and start back well before the bar begins to narrow.
A Note on Access and Rules
This is a small, sensitive preserve, and the trust manages it accordingly. Dogs are not allowed at Barred Island, and there is no camping or fires. Parking is the other catch: the lots are small, and roadside parking on the dirt Goose Cove Road is prohibited as a safety hazard. If both lots are full when you arrive, the right move is to leave and come back another time rather than squeeze in along the road.
Because the visit is locked to the tide and the parking is tight, weekday mornings at low tide are by far the best time to come. Summer weekends fill the small lots early, and an afternoon high tide means no crossing at all. Match a morning low tide to a weekday and you may have the bar nearly to yourself.
Getting There
From the Deer Isle causeway, follow Route 15 south about four miles, then turn right and pass through Deer Isle village onto Sunset Road, which becomes Route 15A. Follow it several more miles and turn onto Goose Cove Road, near Goose Cove, where the small preserve parking lots are. The final road is dirt and narrow.
Cell service is unreliable out here, so download a tide chart and your directions before you leave the village.
Rocky beaches & streams
When to Visit
Spring
The mossy woods are at their greenest and the shore is quiet. Cool, sometimes foggy. Time any visit to a low tide.
Summer
Warmest weather and the most pleasant crossing, but the small lots fill fast on weekends. Come early to a morning low tide.
Fall
Crisp air, foliage in the surrounding forest, and thinner crowds. Still entirely dependent on hitting low tide.
Winter
Open but raw and exposed, and the trail and bar can be icy. Cold water makes any misstep on the crossing serious.
Packing List
Barred Island Visit
- A tide chart, planned around low tide
- Sturdy shoes that can handle wet sand
- Water and a snack
- A layer for the breezy shore
- Binoculars for bay birds and seals
- A watch or phone to track the rising tide
- Downloaded directions (no cell service)
FAQ
When can you walk out to Barred Island?
The sandbar to the island is exposed and walkable for about two to three hours on either side of low tide. At high tide it lies under roughly four feet of water, so you must time your visit around the low.
How long is the trail at Barred Island Preserve?
The trail through the spruce forest down to the shore is about a mile and a half, rated moderate, over roots and rocks. The crossing to the island itself is short and easy when the bar is out.
Can you get stranded at Barred Island?
Yes. If you stay on the island too long, the rising tide covers the sandbar and cuts off the return. Watch the water and start back well before the bar narrows. Cold water makes a stranding genuinely dangerous.
Are dogs allowed at Barred Island Preserve?
No. Dogs are not permitted at Barred Island in order to protect the preserve's ecosystem. Camping and fires are also prohibited.
Is parking easy at Barred Island?
No. The lots are small and roadside parking on Goose Cove Road is prohibited. If both lots are full, plan to return at another time rather than park along the road.
For more of Deer Isle, see the granite overlook at Settlement Quarry Preserve or the mossy Crockett Cove Woods.
