Enjoy panoramic views of Penobscot Bay, tide pools teeming with life, hiking trails, and more with a visit to Moose Point State Park. Less than five minutes down the road from our Searsport bed and breakfast, Captain Nickels Inn.
Maine’s rugged coastline is iconic and one of the most scenic parts of the entire country. People come from all over just to soak in those stunning views.
Excellent views of the coast around Penobscot Bay are readily had in Searsport – but Moose Point State Park is one of the more popular spots to take them in.
Moose Point State Park, once home to a dairy farm, is less than three miles south of our Searsport inn on U.S. Route 1. The 183 wooded acre park is named for a rocky point jutting out into the bay. It is a quiet, scenic spot and typically much less crowded than other, similar Mid-Coast Maine parks.
Visiting Moose Point
Moose Point amenities include seasonal restroom facilities, a playground area, picnic tables, grills, and a picnic shelter. The park’s strategically placed benches serve up captivating views of Islesboro, Sears Island, Northport Harbor and the Eastern side of Penobscot Bay.
Moose Point is also home to three distinct hiking trails, with a combined total distance of over 1.3 miles.
Big Spruce Trail (0.5 mile/804 m) takes you through the park’s lush evergreen woods. The trail features two areas with benches overlooking the Bay. Lovely!
Moose Trail (0.6 mile/965 m) is known for its diverse wildlife. Quiet hikers will enjoy the variety of birdsong as well as possible views of raccoons, skunks, white-tailed deer, squirrels, porcupine, and even the occasional moose!
Meadow Trail (0.4 mile/644 m) offers an easy, ocean-side walk. The trail passes by two staircases that will take you to pebble beaches and the water’s edge.
Tide pools at Moose Point are home to a diverse array of fascinating marine organisms, like sea stars, anemones, and crabs. You can find marine wildlife outside the tide pools as well. Seals, porpoises, and many waterfowl: double-crested cormorants, loons, sand pipers, sea ducks, and osprey. You may even spot a bald eagle!
As I mentioned above, all three trails intersect for an easy hike of just over 1.3 miles long.
Moose Point State Park
310 W Main St, Searsport, ME 04974
Moose Point State Park is seasonal, open daily from Memorial Day through October 1st, 9am to sunset. You can still visit the park during the off-season, but the restroom facilities will be closed. An onsite pit toilet remains open all year ’round.
Learn more at the park website: www.maine.gov
Updated March 2024