Swans Island: Ferry, coastal trails and fishing history

Different themes shape trip planning on Swans Island: the ferry crossing from Bass Harbor, fishing history, and trails through forest and boulder landscapes leading to beaches. Each of the following destinations offers a distinct focus. This can help you decide whether, during your time on the island, you would rather explore the landscape, the coast, or the history of fishing.

Ferry to Swans Island

The Swan’s Island Ferry operates between Bass Harbor and Swans Island. The crossing is six miles long and takes 40 minutes. Both the route and crossing time are relevant to your planning. Schedules and fares may change, so check the details before you travel.

Fishing history at the museum

The Swan’s Island Lobster and Marine Museum has a unique collection of local artifacts that tells the story of fishing on Swan’s Island. The focus is on local objects and their connection to fishing history, distinguishing the museum’s subject matter from the nature-focused trails at Back Cove and Noah’s Ballast. If you organize your time on the island around your interests, you can give cultural history and nature experiences their own distinct focus.

Forest trail and boulder landscape

In the Back Cove preserve, a one-mile trail leads through a quiet forest landscape. Noah’s Ballast offers a different focus: the 10-acre preserve is located at the southeastern tip of Swans Island and features an extensive boulder field deposited during the last glaciation.

The 1.5-mile hiking trail at Noah’s Ballast leads to Goose Pond, offers ocean views, and reaches an old boulder beach at its highest point. This beach formed after the last glaciation. By comparison, the trail at Back Cove is half a mile shorter. The differences therefore concern both the stated length and the landscapes described: forest is the main feature of one route, while the other route’s description combines a pond, ocean views, and a boulder beach. This gives you a concrete basis for weighing a shorter forest trail against a longer route with several named landscape destinations.

Beaches and Burnt Coat Lighthouse

The trails around Hockamock Head offer beautiful views and access to two beaches. The Long Point Beach Trail is on the ocean-facing side of Hockamock Head and includes a pebble beach. The Burying Point Trail is on the harbor side and leads to a sandy beach. The beaches can therefore be distinguished by their described locations and surfaces: pebbles on the ocean-facing side, sand on the harbor side.

The tower at Burnt Coat Lighthouse offers tours up to the lantern room. This is a different focus from the beach trails: the tour centers on the lighthouse, while the trails focus on the views and the different beach destinations. Together, these offerings provide different ways to plan your time on Swans Island around your interests in the landscape, coast, and lighthouse.

Discover more destinations: Orland, Bar Harbor, East Holden, Bucksport, Brooklin, Gouldsboro, Ellsworth, Surry

For the broader travel overview: Hancock.