Georgetown Island

An Island Built for a Day Trip

Georgetown Island extends south from Bath like a long finger pointing into the Atlantic, connected to the mainland by a bridge on Route 127. The island is 10 miles long and rarely more than a mile wide, and driving its single main road from north to south takes about 25 minutes. Along the way, you pass through a landscape that compresses some of the best things about the Maine coast into one manageable day.

Reid State Park sits near the southern end with two of the few sandy beaches on the midcoast. Five Islands, a tiny fishing village at the island’s tip, has what many locals consider the best lobster pound in Maine. Between the two, the Josephine Newman Sanctuary offers forest trails and tidal creek walks through undeveloped coastline. And the drive itself, winding through spruce forest with glimpses of Sheepscot Bay and the open ocean, is as good as any scenic byway in the state.

Georgetown does not have the name recognition of Boothbay Harbor or Camden, and that is part of its appeal. The beaches are real, the lobster is fresh, and the drive is worth every mile.

Reid State Park

Reid State Park is the headliner. It has two sandy beaches, Mile Beach and Half Mile Beach, separated by rocky Todd’s Point. Sandy beaches are genuinely rare on the Maine coast, where rocky shores dominate, and Reid’s beaches draw crowds on hot summer days.

Mile Beach is the larger of the two, a long arc of sand backed by dune grass with views across Sheepscot Bay to the islands beyond. The water is cold. This is the Atlantic, not the Caribbean, but on a warm July day, people swim, wade, and bodysurf. The beach has lifeguards during summer months, bathhouses with changing rooms, and a snack bar.

Half Mile Beach is more sheltered and slightly warmer, tucked behind a rocky headland. It tends to be less crowded than Mile Beach and is a better choice for families with small children.

Between the beaches and beyond, the park has trails through coastal forest and along rocky headlands with ocean views. The Griffith Head trail offers some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on the midcoast.

Five Islands

At the southern tip of Georgetown, the village of Five Islands consists of a wharf, a lobster pound, and a few houses. The Five Islands Lobster Company operates from the wharf, serving lobster, crab rolls, fried clams, and chowder at picnic tables overlooking a scatter of small islands in Sheepscot Bay.

The setting is extraordinary. You eat on a working wharf, surrounded by lobster traps and fishing gear, with the islands spread out in front of you. The lobster is hauled in by the boats you can see from your table. It does not get more direct than this.

Josephine Newman Sanctuary

This 119-acre Maine Audubon sanctuary sits on the west side of Georgetown Island, protecting a stretch of forest, rocky shore, and tidal creek along Robinhood Cove. The trail network covers about 2 miles, with paths through mixed forest and along the shore.

The sanctuary is free and open year-round. It sees a fraction of the visitors that Reid State Park gets, making it an excellent option for a quiet nature walk. The birding is good, especially during migration, and the tidal creek supports great blue herons, osprey, and various shorebirds.

When to Go

Planning Your Day

The ideal Georgetown day trip starts at Reid State Park in the morning (arrive by 9am in summer), walks the beach and Todd’s Point, then drives south to Five Islands for a lobster lunch. After lunch, stop at the Josephine Newman Sanctuary for a quiet afternoon walk before heading back north. The whole island can be covered comfortably in a half-day.

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