Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for Northeast Harbor, ME

When God created Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, he didn’t forget boaters. He created Northeast Harbor.

Well, of course, it was really George B. Dorr and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who put the pieces together of what would become one of America’s greatest natural treasures, but there’s no disputing that the location of Northeast Harbor just so happens to serve as an ideal seaside basecamp for exploring Acadia. The harbor itself, just 300 yards wide at its entrance, provides excellent shelter while the shoreside services available to boaters could not be much more ideal.

Boaters are not the only ones to recognize the beauty of Northeast Harbor – it has become one of the most exclusive enclaves on the coast, with celebrities and hedge fund managers alike buying up the estates that dot its shores. Such residents haven’t completely locked up the town for their own personal use, though, with the delightful downtown still serving as a wonderful place for a stroll and the Asticou’s Azalea Garden and Thuya Garden both offering a chance to experience a horticultural marvel. And at the end of the day, your dinghy is only a few steps away!

If you are looking for a way to enter Acadia National Park through a distinctly more relaxed doorway than you will find in Bar Harbor and Frenchman’s Bay, Northeast Harbor represents a wonderful option for boaters and other coastal travelers.

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Boating in Northeast Harbor, ME Map View

Anchorage for small vessels is available in depths of 14 to 28 feet in the lower part of the harbor. This anchorage is about 200 yards wide and favors the western shore. Anchorage is also available in depths of 5.6 to 7 feet in the inner harbor; the uppermost part of the inner harbor is shoal.
The town pier and ferry landing, on the southwest side of the inner harbor, has float landings and finger floats for transient and seasonal berthing of yachts. All have reported depths of 10 feet alongside. Water is piped to the pier, and electrical shore power is available. The pier is used by the mail and passenger ferry that calls year-round at Cranberry Island. A concrete ramp and a marine railway are close eastward of the town pier. Telephone, washrooms, ample parking, and showers are available at the town pier. Gasoline and diesel fuel can be obtained by truck on short notice, and ice, provisions, and marine supplies are available. A boatyard, about 150 yards northwestward of the town pier, has a mobile hoist that can handle craft up to 20 tons for hull repairs or open storage. There are many private piers with float landings about the harbor.
The harbormaster supervises dockage at the town pier; he may be contacted on VHF-FM channels 16 and 68, by calling 207-276-5737, or at the town pier.
Gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, and limited marine supplies can also be obtained at a pier on the west side of Northeast Harbor, about 0.4 mile above the entrance. Depths of 25 feet are reported alongside the pier.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
Bear Island, on the eastern side of the entrance to Northeast Harbor, is high and wooded. Only the stone foundation, covered 2 feet, and a few submerged piles remain of the old Coast Guard wharf on the northwest side of the island; a buoy is about 90 yards westward of the ruins. A pier and float landing are on the north side of the island. The passage north of the island is almost blocked by rocky ledges awash at various stages of the tide, and passage should not be attempted. A lighted bell buoy south of the island marks the western entrance to Eastern Way.
In the middle of the entrance to Northeast Harbor is a rock which uncovers 3 feet. A buoy is on the east side of the rock, and a lighted bell buoy is on the west side. The best passage into the harbor is westward of the rock.