Ten Ways To Find The Wild Coast of Maine While Backpacking and Hiking Isle Au Haut

Love the rocky Maine coast, but wish you could find some place to enjoy it that was undeveloped, wild, and without visible human intrusion?

Do wild coastlines still exist in Maine?


Yes! In my next two blog posts I will focus on two such places: Isle Au Haut in this post and the hike-in only Cutler Coast Public Land at the northeast tip of America in my next blog post.

Isle Au Haut

Last year (2018), I made my first ever trip to Isle Au Haut, a part of Acadia National Park that is an island seven miles off of the coast of Maine accessible only by boat. Although there is a town with 40 residents, a road (partially more of a dirt ATV track in spots) ringing the island, and scattered private residences, most of the southern two thirds of the island is protected NPS land featuring undeveloped coastlines with hundred foot sea cliffs and forests where you lose sight of humanity.

My 2018 trip abruptly ended after scratching my cornea on day two. You can read the story from that experience, see the photos, and get more logistical information on visiting Isle Au Haut including a map of the area here. This past year (2019), I returned to Isle Au Haut and hiked 36 miles over 3 days.

In this post I will tell the story of someone seeking to answer the question:

How can you find real coastal wildness on a trip to Isle Au Haut?

#1. It starts on the boat ride through a channel with wild granite islands to get there.



For most people who don't sea kayak or own their own boat, this is the only way to see these beautiful islands and the sea birds like razorbills that stay off to sea.



#2 The chance to be alone.



During the height of summer, you can get a boat ride directly to southern half and Duck Harbor campground, the only backcountry campsite in Acadia National Park. However, I have intentionally only visited in May when you have to hike at least 4 miles from the town landing on the north end of the island. This enhanced the wilderness factor by helping avoid encountering day hiker who would have to hike 8 round trip miles to even start the wild southern trails and manage to catching a ferry back off the island that same day. My strategy worked. I saw no one on the trails on both trips, though I did have company at camp.

#3 The only legal way to backpack in Acadia.



What a joy it is to camp at Duck Harbor with the sounds of the ocean (visible through the trees) and chorus of coyote calls to fall asleep to and the birds to wake up to. No road noise or RV generators here!

The ocean is just steps from camp


#4 The chance to photograph SUNSETS over the Atlantic, probably alone!

Usually impossible on the mainland because the ocean faces east, the island gives you the chance to face west and watch the sun set over the ocean(like the shot at the beginning of this post).




#5 Completely undeveloped cliff bound shores.





This unlike the main section of Acadia on Mount Desert Island where you can see roads, tourists, and cars intruding.




#6 New unseen compositions of Acadia for the serious photographer

For serious nature or landscape photographers, there are many iconic existing photos from iconic places like Acadia that have been replicated over and over and over again. Visiting Isle Au Haut allows you to be creative, or forces you to be creative, to find new compositions. You won't find these on instagram or magazines

My personal favorite shot was this one. I noticed this formation of rocks with seaweed slowly being exposed as the tide receded and knew I could get out there eventually as the ground became uncovered. I really was hoping for a pink sky, but this was still nice none the less using a long exposure to blur the surrounding ocean.


There are also so many interesting detail you can take the time in silence and solitude to notice and photograph.


Interesting orange lichen on eroded coastal cliff.


#7. Beautiful intact mossy, spruce, lichen forests.

The trails on Isle Au Haut have many sections of dense spruce, moss, and lichen forest.





Sometimes these trails were littered with downed trees covered in old man's beard.






#8 Unexpected Wildlife

How did big mammals like deer and coyote or small ones like rabbits and squirrels get out to an island 7 miles off of the coast? A mystery indeed!! Swim? Island hop? Was the water level lower during the last ice age and these island might have been connected? I was looking at a depth chart for the surrounding ocean in the ranger's station and that was my guess.

I was surprised at how many coyotes are on the island. Their scat was everywhere. One night I heard the coyotes howling back and forth near camp. I even found a coyote skull on trail this time!



#9 Climbing on cliffs like a little boy.

What child visiting any portion of the Maine coast didn't the thrill of clambering over the rocks for the first time? You can recreate that joy and freedom, except with no nervous parents telling you to be careful every 5 seconds.


A little rock climbing on Eben's Head


#10 Secret Trails.



As if Isle Au Haut wasn't off the radar enough, there are a bunch of secret trails out there! I made two excursions to unofficial trails but won't say much about these! One ended at this spot and another passed an active bald eagle nest at the head of a wild cove where I got to watch them for an hour in solitude.


So those are the 10 ways to find the real wild coastline on a visit to Isle Au Haut, but on second thought, don't visit. Then there would be too many people and it wouldn't be wild. But if you must visit seeking the wild, please behave in a way that keeps it wild.