The Lighthouse at the end of the world.

Well..at least at the end of America. Especially as you can see islands marking Canada just over the narrows.

My friend with me has the goal of going to the most extreme locations of any place such as the most northern point. In this case, West Quoddy Head lies at the most eastern point of the United States. Our Google Maps even showed us changing time zones to the Atlantic Time Zone when we crossed over to the area close to the Lighthouse

Lighthouse Stats

The lighthouse is located at West Quoddy in the West Quoddy State Park. The original lighthouse was built in 1808 (by order of President Thomas Jefferson). The original wooden lighthouse was replaced with this brick lighthouse in 1858. The tower stands at 49 feet tall with a diameter of 16 feet. The Lantern stands about 83 feet above sea level.

Fun Fact. The Red and White lighthouse design of this tower is the only “candy striped” lighthouse in the United States.

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The lighthouse is automated these days and operational 24/7. It is maintained by the US Coast Guard.

Light: 1000W light bulb
Height: 49 Feet | 89 feet above sea level

Visiting the Light House

The lighthouse grounds are open daily, although the visitor’s center does close at 4:30. (You can still walk around the grounds).

Tours of the top of the tower are Saturdays during July and August.

The lighthouse itself has a few posts and plaques marking the location and some other information about the lighthouse. Additionally there are a few trails that offshoot from the parking lot and lighthouse area to get views along the cliffs of the water and Canada in the distance. You can get some great views of the Quoddy Narrows, Bay of Fundy, and Campobello Island.

Visitors Center

There is a small visitor center and gift shop that is open daily from 10-4:30 (Closed most of the winter). The visitor center has on duty staff who can provide information about the lighthouse as well as information posted about the lighthouses history and operations.

The Visitor Center is open from Memorial Day for the tourist season.

Other Info

Is there an East Quoddy Head Lighthouse?

This is an interesting thing as often the lighthouse on the Canadian side is referred to as the East Quoddy Head lighthouse. There are two Lighthouses on Campobello Island, Mulholland Point Lighthouse and Head Harbour Lightstation. The Head Harbour Lightstation is what is referred to as the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Be sure to have your passport with you if you plan to cross over as it is in Canada.

Lubec

The small town of Lubec Maine is actually a cute little town to stop for a bit, grab some food, or even some souvenirs. We ended up eating here during our stop at West Quoddy Head, just a stone’s throw away from the border to Canada. Sadly we couldn’t cross because my friend had forgotten to bring his passport with him.

Eating around Lubec

We ended up eating at Frank’s Dockside Restaurant, which had a beautiful view of the water. The food overall was good as well. Lots of seafood.

Other Restaurants

• Lubec Brewing Co (41 S Water St, Lubec)
• Morano’s Authentic
  Pizza (53 Pleasant St, Lubec)
• The Wharf Restaurant (46-54 Commercial St, Lubec)
• Water Street Tavern (12 Water St., Lubec)

Shopping

We ended up also shopping at West Quoddy Gifts for some local gifts of the area. The shop was cheekily called the “Eastern Most Gift shop in the US”. Although I did point out there is a gift shop at the lighthouse. However they said their gift shop was called that before the new/current shop at the lighthouse visitor’s center opened.

Lodging in Lubec

Hotel in Lubec are a bit sparse compared to some larger neighbors more inland. However Lubec is a good stop especially if you are staying the night before heading into Canada or other locations further abound (Its a bit of a drive from major cities in Maine as well).

• The Inn on the Wharf
• The Lodge at West Quoddy Station
• The Eastland Motel
• Cohill’s Inn
• The Keepers Cottage (whole house)

Getting There

West Quoddy Head is located at the eastern most point in the US. Getting here, you’ll need to have your own mode of transportation. The Lighthouse is located about 15 minutes outside of the main town of Lubec.

Driving Distances

Augusta: 3.5hrs
Bangor: 2.5 hrs
Bar Harbor: 2.5 hrs
Portland: ~4 – 4.5 hrs
St. John (NB): 2-3hrs* (Requires Border Crossing)

Read More

• Cadillac Mountain – Maine

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