Home / Guides / Southwest Harbor
Mount Desert Island, Maine
Southwest Harbor is the quieter west side of Mount Desert Island, with Bass Harbor Head Light on the cliffs, a freshwater swimming beach at Echo Lake, and coastal trails a short drive from town.
Photo: Bass Harbor Head Light Station on the cliffs at the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island, Kent Miller, National Park Service, Public domain
Southwest Harbor sits on the west side of Mount Desert Island, about 25 minutes from Bar Harbor, in the same national park but away from the Park Loop Road crowds. Official NPS pages place Bass Harbor Head Light Station on the southwest corner of the island, in Tremont: a short boardwalk to shoreline viewpoints, and a lighthouse that is not open to the public.
Echo Lake Beach, listed as open from 15 April to 1 December, is one of the park's two popular swimming beaches. Ship Harbor Trail is named on the official coastal hiking pages. Seawall has a year-round picnic area and a seasonal campground. A park entrance pass is required year-round.
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
A coastal trail on this side of the island, named on the official NPS coastal hiking pages. Confirm current conditions, and follow park hiking rules, pets on a leash, no bicycles on hiking trails. A park pass is required.
A picnic area at Seawall, on the west side of Mount Desert Island. Official hours pages listed it as open year-round. A park pass is required.
Season Official hours pages listed this picnic area as open year-round (check before you go).
Quieter park trails on this side of Mount Desert Island, away from the Park Loop Road. Official hiking pages are the place to confirm current routes and closures before you go. A park pass is required.
A historic light station on the cliffs at the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island, in Tremont. Official pages describe a short boardwalk to shoreline viewpoints, an accessible overlook, and a steep paved drive up to the light. The lighthouse itself is not open to the public. Parking is limited to 27 spaces; roadside parking is prohibited, and official pages warn of congestion around sunset. A park pass is required to park.
Season The lighthouse itself is not open to the public; the grounds and viewing areas are. Official pages warn of limited parking and congestion around sunset (check before you go). A park pass is required to park.
A freshwater swimming beach on the west side of the island, one of two beaches official NPS pages name as popular for swimming in summer (the other is Sand Beach, on the east side). Official hours pages listed it as open from 15 April to 1 December. Official swimming pages say the park’s swimming beaches are monitored for bacteria weekly from June through August, and that swimming in natural areas has risks. Confirm current beach status before you go. A park pass is required.
Season Official hours pages listed the beach as open from 15 April to 1 December. Official swimming pages say swimming beaches are monitored for bacteria weekly from June through August (check current beach status before you go).
A national park campground on the west side of the island, near the coast. Official 2026 dates were listed as 20 May to 12 October, at 10 a.m. Reservations are made in advance, not at the campground office; confirm current booking rules. A park pass is required.
Season Official 2026 dates were listed as 20 May to 12 October, at 10 a.m. Reservations are made in advance (check before you go).
A west-side picnic area. Official hours pages listed it as open from 27 May to 15 October. A park pass is required.
Season Official hours pages listed this picnic area as open from 27 May to 15 October (check before you go).
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
A seasonal museum on Little Cranberry Island. Official hours pages listed it as open from 15 June to 19 September; confirm current hours and how to reach the island before you go.
Season Official hours pages listed it as open from 15 June to 19 September (check before you go).
The quieter side of Acadia, with Southwest Harbor as a base for the light, Echo Lake and the west-side trails. Official pages contrast this side of the island with the Park Loop Road on the east. A park pass is required inside the park.
A museum in Southwest Harbor of wooden bird carvings, in a building dedicated to the work of Wendell Gilley, a local carver and birdwatcher. Official pages listed winter hours, from 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027, as Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a holiday closure from 14 December 2026 to 14 January 2027; confirm current hours before you go.
Season Official pages listed winter hours, from 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027, as Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a holiday closure from 14 December 2026 to 14 January 2027 (check before you go).
Official hours pages listed paved park roads, including the Park Loop Road, as open from 15 April to 1 December, and unpaved roads from 15 May to 15 November. Carriage roads were listed as year-round, with seasonal closures. Confirm current road status before you go.
Season Official hours pages listed paved park roads as 15 April to 1 December, and unpaved roads as 15 May to 15 November. Carriage roads were listed as year-round, with seasonal closures (check before you go).
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
A museum of wooden bird carvings in Southwest Harbor. Official pages listed winter hours, from 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027, as Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a holiday closure from 14 December 2026 to 14 January 2027; confirm current hours before you go.
Season Official pages listed winter hours, from 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027, as Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a holiday closure from 14 December 2026 to 14 January 2027 (check before you go).
Part of our Maine and New Hampshire seacoast guides.
Photo: Bass Harbor Head Light Station on the cliffs at the southwest corner of Mount Desert Island, Kent Miller, National Park Service, Public domain
Photo: Seawall Road on the quiet side of Mount Desert Island, through marsh and spruce, Giorgio Galeotti, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: A west-side lookout in Acadia, with islands and water in the distance, Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain
