The islands featured -- Crow and Thief -- are owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and are accessible by personal watercraft, such as sea kayaks, sailboats, or powerboats. However, access to some sites may depend on the sea conditions or the tide.
Crow Island is located in a protected, easily accessible, and picturesque stretch of water, making it a popular destination in Muscongus Bay. The shoreline displays exposed bedrock while the interior contains a mature spruce and deciduous forest, as well as two camping areas.
Thief Island has a sumac grove on its north end and a shady spruce forest in its interior, where Spanish moss hang from the canopy. A trail running down the east side passes through a climax spruce forest with many blowdowns. Be aware of poison ivy, especially beyond the northern campsites.
The Maine Island Trail is America’s oldest recreational water trail, connecting over 200 island and mainland sites open for day visits or overnight camping while traversing a variety of natural settings from sandy beaches and quiet bays to saltwater rivers and bold shores. Trail properties are owned by an assortment of private landowners, conservation organizations, and federal, state and municipal agencies, all of whom generously make their land available to visitors in exchange for the promise of respectful use and careful stewardship.
To learn more about boating in the Muscongus Bay region and plan your trip, visit the Maine Island Trail Association website. There you can:
The Maine Island Trail is a dynamic water trail. There is no official route, and the experience is influenced by the weather, the seasons and by regional variations in the character of the Maine coast. The Trail itself is constantly changing. Sites are frequently added and removed, usage guidelines are revised based on owner preferences, and stewardship strategies are adjusted to meet changing environmental conditions. To ensure that Trail sites remain well cared for and to fulfill our pledge of responsible use to site owners, it is important for all visitors to plan their trip using current information about the Trail.
Visit Maine Island Trail Association online for more information or contact:
Waldoboro's Dutch Neck and Bristol's Round Pond launches are both public, paved, all-tide launch ramps with daytime parking available. Dutch Neck also provides overnight parking.
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