Squirrel Island

The Pioneer Summer Colony

Squirrel Island is a tiny island about a mile south of Boothbay Harbor, and it holds a distinction that matters: it is the oldest summer colony in Maine. In 1871, a group of investors laid out lots, built fourteen cottages, and established a pattern that would spread up and down the Maine coast for the next half century. The summer colony idea, where families from the cities came to the coast for the season and built communities around shared simplicity, started here.

What is remarkable is how little has changed. The island still has roughly 100 rustic cottages, a village green, tennis courts, a chapel, and a small library. There are no motor vehicles of any kind. No cars, no motorcycles, no golf carts. Walking is the only way to get around, and a mile-long wooden boardwalk traces the island’s perimeter above the rocky shore. The lanes between cottages are narrow, shaded by spruce, and surfaced with cement sidewalks or packed earth. You reach the island by mailboat from Boothbay Harbor, a one-hour narrated trip that passes through the inner harbor islands before landing at the Squirrel Island dock.

The island is a village corporation within the town of Southport, governed by the Squirrel Island Association, which enforces rules that preserve the island’s pedestrian, unplugged character. There are no year-round residents. The season runs from mid-June through mid-September.

The Boardwalk

The signature feature of Squirrel Island is the wooden boardwalk that circles the island’s perimeter. About a mile long, the boardwalk runs along the rocky shoreline, past cottage gardens, through spruce groves, and above tidal pools. It is the island’s main pathway, its social space, and its most distinctive feature.

Walking the boardwalk takes about 30 to 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. The views alternate between open ocean, the Boothbay Harbor coastline, and the sheltered coves on the island’s lee side. Benches are placed at intervals for sitting and watching the water.

What to Do

Squirrel Island is a place for doing very little, and doing it well. Walk the boardwalk. Sit on a bench. Watch the lobster boats. Read a book in the shade of a spruce tree. Explore the tide pools at low water. Chat with the summer residents who are happy to share the island’s history.

The island has a chapel that hosts Sunday services in summer and occasional evening lectures. The library is small and well-curated. The tennis courts are in good shape. There is a community building where evening events are sometimes held.

There are no shops, no restaurants, and no commercial establishments of any kind. The island is entirely residential and the amenities are for the community, though visitors who arrive by mailboat are welcome to walk the public paths and boardwalk.

Getting There

Balmy Days Cruises operates the Squirrel Island mailboat, the NOVELTY, from Pier 8 in Boothbay Harbor. The trip takes about one hour each way, with several short stops to pick up and drop off islanders at various points in the harbor before landing at Squirrel Island.

The mailboat runs daily from mid-June through mid-September. Fares are approximately $26 round trip for adults and $13 for children under 12. Schedules vary by day of the week, so check the current schedule at balmydayscruises.com or call (207) 633-2284.

The service typically gives you one to two hours on the island between the arrival and return trips. That is enough time to walk the boardwalk, explore the paths, and take in the atmosphere.

When to Go

Practical Notes

Bring everything you need. There is no store, no water fountain, no restroom available to visitors, and no food on the island. Pack water, snacks, sunscreen, and a rain jacket.

Wear comfortable walking shoes. The boardwalk and paths are well-maintained but some sections are uneven.

The island is a private community that welcomes visitors on the mailboat. Stay on public paths and the boardwalk. Do not enter private property or cottage grounds.

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