I love the Maine Coast, but here is the reality... (Kittery: house, buy)

[Tejas1976]

Ever since I discovered hiking rocky shorelines with crashing waves and moody skies, it was truly love at first sight. The west coast is full of this kind of landscape, but for those who prefer the east coast, there are very few places like this, and all of it is arguably located in Maine (not counting Martha's Vinyard and a few other isolated areas).

But here is the catch...

Catch #1

Maine has over "3,500 miles of coastline", but only 5 percent is open to the public.
You heard me right.
5%
Even Texas - who many criticize as being poor stewards of their coastline, has substantially more than 5% as public land.
For those of us who value the idea of public access to the coast, it is rather sobering.

I get that one solution is just to work as hard as I can to get rich and buy a house on the ocean for my little piece of paradise, but I value hiking over hundreds of miles of coastline, such as the Oregon Coast with 300+ miles of public access directly facing the Pacific Ocean.

Catch #2

Obviously 5% of 3,500 miles is 175 miles - which, although still very small, is better than nothing. However, it is miniature really, when you consider the huge megalopolis population coming in droves from points south that is looking for the same rocky shorelines, with crashing waves and moody skies - or even just a secluded beach to relax on.

Catch #3

Furthermore, small islands and bays and inlets are counted in the "3,500" miles of coastline, but a much smaller percentage of that coastline is directly facing the Atlantic Ocean. The distance between West Quoddy to Kittery by driving is about 295 miles, so I would estimate that the amount of coastline directly facing the Atlantic is probably much less than that, after studying the maps. So, if we take 295*.05, we get 15 miles of public access directly facing the ocean...truly pathetic.

Of course we know my above calculation is somewhat absurd and false, but is it really? Obviously, we know that the public has about 70 miles of public beach access. Popham Beach and Reid State Parks are very busy during peak season. But when one ventures up to Cutler and the "Bold Coast" and finds crowds and traffic jams along hiking places even there, we know in our hearts we have a public access issue.

Maine is a beautiful state with a unique culture, but one aspect of Maine culture that I find distasteful is very little public access to the coastline.

I get that I can trespass on private property and get away with it, and many friends have told me that it's really the way to deal with it.
But that's not my style.
I refuse to trespass on private property - even if owners of such private property have left for the season.

[svband76]

Hm. I've never thought the same way. There is Cutler and that is not what I would call crowded. I've never felt crowded anywhere in Maine. Save for Acadia, but that's only July- Aug. Interesting argument though. I thinking you're splitting hairs.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by zalewskimm

Hm. I've never thought the same way. There is Cutler and that is not what I would call crowded. I've never felt crowded anywhere in Maine. Save for Acadia, but that's only July- Aug. Interesting argument though. I thinking you're splitting hairs.

Acadia is crowded June to mid-September, for the record. That's the new reality.

[AustinB]

Go east to the Schoodic part of Acadia. No crowds. The cliffs just a mile past Frazer point are my favorite.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

Acadia is crowded June to mid-September, for the record. That's the new reality.

That's because it's a major tourist destination.

I was there the second week of June on a Wednesday. Bar Harbor itself was an absolute madhouse. The road around MDI was busy - not slammed, but congested. Some parts of the park were extremely busy. I can't even imagine what it would be like on a holiday weekend.

I stopped at several state parks going up US-1. Wolfe's Neck Woods was one. Sure, these places are tiny compared to Acadia, but I basically had the place to myself in the early morning.

[Hollytree]

According to this, 12% of the coast is in public ownership.

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/doc...s-in-maine.pdf

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Tejas1976

Ever since I discovered hiking rocky shorelines with crashing waves and moody skies, it was truly love at first sight. The west coast is full of this kind of landscape, but for those who prefer the east coast, there are very few places like this, and all of it is arguably located in Maine (not counting Martha's Vinyard and a few other isolated areas).

But here is the catch...

Catch #1

Maine has over "3,500 miles of coastline", but only 5 percent is open to the public.

Hold on.

You are assuming that 'private property' means the public has no access.

If you follow the local news, every year there are court cases where land owners want to prohibit the public from accessing their beach property.

... In Maine, the answer is usually some combination of the following: Private property holders typically own the shore all the way down to the low water mark; The state or town may own shoreline areas including beaches; The public has certain rights to use the shoreline, even where a private owner holds legal title.

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/doc...s-in-maine.pdf

I own riverfrontage land. I can not restrict public access to the river bank on my privately owned land.

[Last1Standing]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

Acadia is crowded June to mid-September, for the record. That's the new reality.

I wish it were only June to mid-September. It's not that easy to get a decent campsite in the national park even in October!

[homestead123]

Isn't land below the mean high tide mark considered public domain?

Isnt there some New England Maine tradition / law about "roaming" on unposted property??

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bangord...-on-your-land/

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by homestead123

Isn't land below the mean high tide mark considered public domain?

Isnt there some New England Maine tradition / law about "roaming" on unposted property??

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bangord...-on-your-land/

yes. Exactly.

It was first explained to me as a 'fowling' law. Anyone shooting duck is allowed to travel and hunt in that region along all waterways.

My land includes about 10-acres that produces fiddleheads, all below the mean high watermark. Anyone [everyone] who comes onto my land from canoes can access my land to pick fiddleheads.

The only form of 'protection' is that if the picker is doing it commercially, three years ago a new law requires that they get the landowners written permission to sell the fiddleheads.

Also we have seen this topic come up in regards to seaweed harvesting.