Once situated on the island, we were ready to explore. Armed with a map and nature guide book of the island, we plotted our course and off we went. First of all, have you ever been in a place so silent, that it’s actually distracting? There were numerous trails within the heart of the island like that.
At one point, Becky mentioned ‘this is where the fairies live’. I don’t know much about fairies, but imagine my surprise when we actually hiked a trail that had ‘fairy houses’ scattered about. It appears that this one trail on the island is known for this. There are a few photos in the enclosed gallery showing some of those.
We also hiked some of the more difficult trails along the shoreline, which presented their own beautiful views.
On the southern most part of Monhegan Island is Lobster Cove, an area where an old ship ran aground in 1948. The wreckage can still be seen today. According to the book I had, all crew members and captain were rescued by the US Coast Guard.
On the eastern side of the island was Whitehead, which was another spot we explored. This dramatic cliff was my personal favorite place to be, watching the seabirds fly by every couple of minutes. The cliff is also a gull nesting site due to it being inaccessible to predators.
We largely explored the northern end of the island, where Seal Ledges and Pebble Beach can be reached. We were planning to hike around the entire island, but the gorgeous views and crashing of the waves had us stopping frequently to soak it all in. Ultimately, to make sure we had enough daylight while hiking the island’s dense trails we detoured through the heart of the island to get back into town.
Please enjoy the photos in the gallery below from our hiking adventure. Next up will be the wildlife encountered on the island, so stay tuned for more!
YL & Free