Explore the Cranberry Islands
Set sail aboard the schooner Ambergris and discover Maine's most enchanting island archipelago — wild shores, living history, and a way of life that time has gracefully left behind.
Great Cranberry Island
The larger of the two islands at roughly two miles long, Great Cranberry is a peaceful gem with a welcoming community of around 40 year-round souls. Ride the beloved Cranberry Explorer golf cart along its single road, visit the Preble-Marr Museum at Cranberry House, browse the Art Center, and hike the trail to the cobblestone beach at Whistler Cove.
Nature & Wildlife
Hike the Coastal Trails
Great Cranberry's well-marked trails wind through quiet forest to dramatic rocky shorelines. The Cranberry Shores Trail and the path to Whistler Cove — a beautiful cobblestone beach — offer easy, memorable walks with sweeping ocean views at every turn.
A Hidden Gem Off the Coast of Maine
Lying just south of Mount Desert Island, the Cranberry Isles are an archipelago of five emerald islands cradled by the cold, clear waters of the Gulf of Maine. Though within sight of Acadia National Park, they inhabit a world utterly their own — unhurried, authentic, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Named for the wild cranberries that carpet their meadows, these islands have been home to fishermen, lobstermen, and their families since the late 1700s. Today, that spirit endures. Weathered cottages line quiet lanes, colorful buoys hang from porches, and the rhythm of life follows the tides.
Where Acadia draws the crowds, the Cranberry Isles offer solitude, intimacy, and the rare pleasure of feeling like you've discovered something magnificent that the world hasn't quite found yet.
Little Cranberry Island (Islesford)
The most vibrant of the islands, Islesford buzzes with creative energy. Home to Acadia National Park's Islesford Historical Museum, a celebrated waterfront restaurant, exquisite art galleries, a wooden boatbuilding school, and the spectacular Ashley Bryan Pavilion — its stained-glass artistry alone is worth the voyage.
Things to Do
From wild coastal trails to living history museums, there is something here for every kind of traveler.
Nature & Wildlife
Watch for Seals & Seabirds
The waters around the Cranberry Isles teem with wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for harbor seals lounging on ledges, cormorants diving in the shallows, ospreys overhead, and the occasional porpoise slipping through the kelp-green water.