The interconnected trail system at Shackford Head State Park includes some easy walking trails and some more challenging, uneven terrain (particularly on the Ship Point and Schooner trails). The trails are not accessible, but the picnic area near the parking area is accessible.
Enjoy the fine overlooks but use care near high cliffs and bluffs. The best shore access is at Cony Beach (by the parking area) or from the Broad Cove Trail. Great care should be taken when exploring these beaches because of the tides that fluctuate 20 feet in a short amount of time.
The Shackford Head and Overlook Trails (1.2-mile roundtrip) provide fantastic views of Cobscook Bay and surrounding peninsulas. If you enjoy challenging terrain with additional overlooks, continue on the Ship Point Trail (an additional half-mile loop) and return to the parking lot via the Schooner Trail for a total of roughly 2 miles.
When eagles are nesting on park lands, certain trails may be temporarily closed to protect young eagle families from disturbance. Please respect signs posting trails as closed.
Read about MTF Accessibility Ambassador Enock Glidden's visit to the park using his wheelchair at MTF Stories.
View BPL's map and guide for Shackford Head State Park.
The Park is often wreathed in fog that forms when warm, moist air from the mainland meets masses of cold air over the surrounding waters. Pack extra layers of clothing, be prepared for low visibility, and carry a park map when hiking.
Shackford Head State Park is not routinely staffed. Please take extra precautions when you visit as there is no ranger assistance close by. Wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for uneven terrain.
From the park's overlooks, visitors can see Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, the town of Lubec, and the Eastport cargo pier on Estes Head, as well as aquaculture pens where Atlantic salmon are raised. Park trails afford great opportunities for wildlife watching as well - with warblers and hermit thrushes in the woodland areas, and bald eagles, common terns, and spotted sandpipers along the shore. Ornithologists have documented 28 different bird species nesting on the headland.
Cobscook Trails Project
The trails on Shackford Head State Park are part of a larger network of hiking trails in known as Cobscook Trails. Cobscook Trails is a cooperative project of conservation landowners and community partners that seeks to expand opportunities for nature-based recreation and tourism in eastern Washington County. The group produces "Cobscook Trails: A Guide to Walking Opportunities around Cobscook Bay and Bold Coast Region," a 55 page booklet describing walks on 19 area properties. Find more information about Cobscook Trails, including how to purchase the guidebook, visit: The Cobscook Trails Project.
This trail passes through a property that was acquired in part with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program. For more information about the LMF program and the places it has helped to protect, please visit the LMF webpage.
Visit Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands online for more information and a printable map or contact:
From North or South: Take US Route 1 to ME Route 190 in Perry. Travel 7 miles, passing the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation and a causeway (part of an unfinished project designed to be the largest tidal dam project in the world, when built in the 1930s). Approaching the city of Eastport, the road bends to the left by a gas station. Take a hard right-hand turn onto Deep Cove Road, and travel 0.8 miles to the entrance of Shackford Head State Park (a gravel drive on your left just before the campus of the Maine State Marine Technology School (known locally as the "Boat School"). The main trailhead is just off the circular gravel drive to the left of the large brown sign beyond the interpretive panels.
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