Warren Island State Park is a once-in-a-lifetime Maine experience that you’ll never forget (but, like, in a good way). This family-friendly island with a long history has something for everyone—quiet, private sites, scenic ocean views, wildlife sightings, beaches, and grassy areas for kids and games.

Please note: Warren island is accessible by boat only, therefore accommodations need to be made in advance. I’ll cover getting to the park further down in this post.

History

The town of Islesboro gave Warren Island to the State of Maine as a gift in 1959. The island has also previously been home to several families, including George Warren, who lived on the island for sixty years. Their farm house sat in the middle of Warren Island and was surrounded by farm land. George’s son, J.W Warren, also has a home on the northwest shore of the island. In 1861, Warren sold the island (all but one acre) to Mansfield Clark, an Islesboro resident, for $600 (crazy, right?!). The acre of land was passed along to David Williams, who lived along the northeast shore. If you visit the island today, you’ll find remains of their residence near picnic site # 1.

In 1899, the island was once again sold to W.H. Folwell, who built a state-of-the-art log cabin on the island that was deemed the most expensive cabin in New England. Eventually, the Folwell family could no longer pay their taxes and the island was acquired by the town of Islesboro and then sold to the State of Maine for $1.00 in 1958 with the intention of being used for recreation purposes. Warren Island was officially named a state park on June 30th, 1967. There was a large ceremony that, rightfully so, included a lobster dinner, clams, pie, and coffee.

Getting There

Getting to Warren Island is—time consuming. And a little bit stressful for those that aren’t so keen on the ocean. But luckily, i’m here to share my experience with you so you can plan ahead and make your trip as stress-free as possible! There are a few options for getting to the island. One is to charter a boat. There may be a few different options based on your budget, but the company recommended to me was Quicksilver Water Shuttle and Charter Boat. Their website has loads of information about getting to Warren Island State Park. They don’t do scheduled trips, but you can privately charter a boat for up to six people, gear, kayaks, etc. for $130 each way, a total of $260. This option is definitely the most convenient, but also the most expensive.

The second option is the least expensive: launching your own boat/sea kayak/canoe from a public boat launch in Lincolnville and huffing it across Penobscot Bay to Warren Island. The trip is about 3.3 miles one-way, so 6.6 miles total. Please be aware that this option can be very dangerous if you do not have any experience boating/kayaking/canoeing on the ocean. Plan ahead and be smart. Also be sure to consider the tide schedule— it’s best to leave and arrive Warren Island during hide tide.

The third option is relatively less expensive than the first option, but a lot more time consuming. It involves renting either sea kayaks or canoes, taking the Lincolnville Ferry to Islesboro, loading all of your stuff into the kayaks/canoes and launching them at the boat launch in Islesboro, finding a parking spot either at the ferry terminal or along the road, paddling the 0.5 mile to and from Warren Island State Park, loading your kayak/canoe/gear back into your car, and taking the Islesboro Ferry back to Lincolnville. I found this option to be time consuming, but also very adventurous. To give you an idea of price, we rented a canoe from Maine Sport Outfitters for $60.00/day and bought a two-way ferry ticket for $13.00/per person. The total was $86.00.

Our Experience

Due to the lack of information that I could find while planning our trip to Warren Island, I wanted to take the time to share all of the details of our trip. Let’s start with getting to the island. We rented a canoe, but you can also rent a sea kayak for $69.00/day, or a tandem sea kayak for $69.00/day. It all comes down to personal preference. We were bringing our dog with us, so we needed as much room as possible. Maine Sport Outfitters also have special pricing if you are going to be renting kayaks or canoes for more than a day. We have a Subaru Outback with a built-in roof rack, so loading and unloading the canoe was easy. The staff provided everything we needed—straps, life jackets, and paddles, and showed us how to properly strap down the canoe. Having the canoe on top of our car really didn’t impact our travels at all. We were able to get on and off the ferry effortlessly.

Once we got to the ferry terminal, we were very confused about where to go and what to do. First, you need to go inside the ferry office and get your physical tickets. Then, you have to figure out where to park. Right next to the ferry office, you’ll see blue lines on the road that mark parking spots. These are for people that reserved their ferry tickets in advance and are guaranteed a spot on the ferry. If you are one of those people, then you’ll park there. If not, then you have to follow the signs in the parking lot that say “ferry line up” or something along those lines. Odds are there will already be a line of cars that you can line up behind. If you didn’t make reservations for the ferry, I strongly suggest getting to the terminal at least 45 minutes ahead of the time you wish to depart at, or arriving one departure time before your departure time, for extra precaution. Obviously, the better option is to just make a reservation so you are guaranteed a spot.

I was very surprised by how many cars can fit on the ferry—26!!!! It was incredible. Getting on and off the ferry was very timely and effortless. Once we got off the ferry, we pulled over on the side of the road and backed right into the boat launch so we could unload all of our stuff. Then, my husband parked the car while I prepped the canoe for launching. Everything fit perfectly in our canoe, including our dog, so that was a relief. I would definitely encourage everyone to pack light for your trip to Warren Island! Less is more.

The cove we began paddling in was nice and calm, but as soon as we got out into the bay, we were surrounded by huge ocean waves. If you know me, then you know I am terrified of the ocean so this was a huge test of my ability to stay calm in a stressful situation. Thank god my husband has a lot of canoe experience and was able to navigate us through the waves safely and keep our stuff dry. I just paddled forward and hoped for the best.

The Island

Warren Island is so very unique and beautiful. As soon as we arrived at the docks, every worry and stress I had floated away—I was in paradise. Every corner was picturesque and trust me—nothing went uncaptured.

Warren Island is home to 12 extremely private campsites, complete with their own picnic table and fireplace. Three of them—sites 1, 5, and 6 have an Adirondack shelter, which is great for nights with strong winds. There are clean porta-potty restrooms throughout the island, as well as faucets with drinking water and picnic areas. The island is very accommodating to large groups, as there is a group camping area, a group picnic shelter, as well as a group picnic area. Right next to the pier is a day use area, complete with restrooms, a sheltered picnic area, and a rocky beach.

Other highlights of the island include scenic walking trails, a tidal flat, views of Penobscot Bay, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. There are also several swimming spots and grassy areas perfect for lawn games!

We camped on site 5 and I have to say— I think it’s nicest site on the island! The site is grassy, private, HUGE, and has it’s own Adirondack shelter for when the weather is windy or rainy. Plus, it’s on the North side of the island, which means it’s super close to the Islesboro public boat launch. We had the most relaxing weekend camping, swimming, hammock-ing, walking the trails, and just unwinding. And not to mention that the sunrises and sunsets were absolutely unreal. We’ll definitely be coming back!

Please note: this island is carry-in/carry-out/leave no trace—which includes all trash, visitors may gather firewood on the island or request firewood to be at their site when they arrive for a small fee, and pets are allowed but must be on-leash while walking around the island.

Warren Island State Park is the ultimate Maine camping experience for adventurers and adventurers at heart! Bring your friends, family, dogs, and make memories that will last a lifetime!

Happy exploring, friends!