Great Wass Island Maine’s Best Kept Secret?
By ‘Stock Photo Queen’ Katie Dobies.
Yesterday I drove to Great Wass Island to hike a 4.5 mile loop along the Downeast coast. I learned about the area in a magazine, where they showed it off with an impressive aerial shot. I immediately knew I needed to go there. Stock photography really does inspire! Indeed, after experiencing the Great Wass Island Preserve Trail yesterday, I already want to go again! This hike is worth driving 20 hours for. I highly recommend it if someone wants to get off the beaten path on their travels Downeast.
Lucky for me, it’s only an hour away from Franklin, where I live, yet it’s so remote that I couldn’t have passed more than 20 cars on the way. Approaching the bridge to the island, the temperature dropped and I smelled that distinct salty air that brings back nostalgia of summer vacations. I realized that I was, remarkably, not on vacation, but I live in Maine now. My younger self would be pleased to know that I ended up moving here from New York.
The Pine Tree State has some of the most beautiful scenery in the US and plenty of secrets to discover. The gentle breeze makes the Bold Coast feel like paradise in the summer, but I painfully learned that ‘breeze’ in the winter makes you want to stay in and hibernate. The entire landscape freezes over.
Great Wass Island, five miles long and a mile and a half wide, in Beals, Maine, is part of the Great Wass Archipelago, home of over 40 islands off the coast of Maine near Jonesport. And it seemed that I had it all to myself except for one passing family when I began my hike. There was something sacred about being on and island alone with the jack pines for the first couple of miles. We were standing at the headland of Maine and our country together like warriors, on the verge of the vast and powerful, yet protective Atlantic Ocean.
The Great Wass Preserve hike is a 4.5 mile loop. Half of it is along the beautiful rocky coastline with its unique plateau bogs, blue waters and majestic tides. The other half is easy hiking in the jack pine woodland. I was glad that I wore hiking boots. When walking on rocks and seaweed, it’s important to watch your step so as not slip or get your foot caught in the wrong place. The rocky formations are just calling out to be explored, especially the ones that are like flat shelves, which the trail utilizes with blue trail markers occasionally as you meander around the otherwise unmarked sections of the island.
The water lines on the huge rocks were unusually high from the tide. I learned more about this phenomenon after the fact. At the time, I was most grateful for my unplanned arrival during low tide. It exposed an enchanting sandy beach surrounded by cliffs of granite. Paradise. It was there that I noticed the tidal lines were two or three times my height. I later learned that between here in the Gulf of Maine Maine and northward to the Bay of Fundy the tide height will be intensified to as high as 38 foot tides, some of the highest in the world! Great Wass Island sees about 15 foot tides sitting on the Fundian Fault. Typical tidal range in the world is around 2-6 feet.
Great Wass Islands boasts some rare kinds of plant, animal, and marine wildlife. I saw a bald eagle, Canada geese, gulls and forest and sea creatures. After the hike it was a treat to take off my hiking boots in exchange for light and airy sandals on my feet for the drive home. As I was sitting on the back of my car I realized I was feeling peaceful, not thinking about anything, and nothing was stirring around me except the gentle breeze and sound of ocean waves not far off. I was home. My mind was free, my body felt good and my soul was fed. Great Wass Island is quite possibly one of Maine’s best kept secrets.
I hope you enjoy the photos and they inspire you to visit this special place in Maine and the United States. Thank you for reading the first of my travel articles on Stock Photo Queen! Sign up for monthly emails to follow my travels. Find photos for your own travel, lifestyle and faith stories at stockphotoqueen.com.
