Coastal Public Access

Maine Coastal Public Access Guide

The Maine Coastal Public Access Guide is a compendium of publicly accessible beaches, boat launches, parks, and trails in Maine’s 144 coastal municipalities and townships. The sites include federal, state, municipal, and publicly accessible private lands, including land trust properties. The guide was originally published by Maine Coastal Program in 2013. Information for all sites was updated in 2025. Development and updates to the guide are ongoing. The Maine Coastal Public Access Guide is available in two formats:

  1. Interactive web map for the entire Maine coast 
  2. Printable PDFs for Southern and Midcoast Maine

Interactive Web Map (Entire Maine Coast)

View Map Full Screen

This interactive map provides information about the amenities and uses of each public access site in coastal Maine municipalities. The sites can be filtered based on-site activities, site amenities, environmental setting, and parking information.

Download the Map Information and User Instructions (PDF).

Printable PDFs (Southern and Midcoast Maine)

These printable PDFs contain maps and information about the amenities and uses of each public access site in the listed municipalities.

  1. South Berwick, Eliot, Kittery, York (PDF, 50MB)
  2. Ogunquit, Wells (PDF, 24MB)
  3. Kennebunk, Kennebunkport (PDF, 31MB)
  4. Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach (PDF, 29MB)
  5. Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, South Portland (PDF, 25MB)
  6. maine-coastal-public-access-guide-6portland_may2026.pdf
  7. Portland Islands (Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Cliff Island), Long Island (PDF, 24MB)
  8. Chebeague Island, Falmouth, Cumberland (PDF, 19MB)
  9. Yarmouth, Freeport (PDF, 7MB)

Disclaimer

While we strive to share accurate and up-to-date information, please be sure to confirm visitation hours and site use rules with the site owner or manager; if you become aware of an inaccuracy, please contact us at the email address below. The information presented here is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legally binding. If there is a discrepancy between what is in the guide and local rules, the local rules should be considered accurate. 

We have done our best to indicate sites that have some accessible features such as handicap parking or universally accessible trails, but accessibility may vary and we cannot guarantee sites are fully accessible. Please check the site descriptions (in PDF files above and linked in the map) or with site owners/managers for more information.

Please contact us at MaineCoastalProgram@maine.gov with any questions.

Last update: June 2026

This guide was prepared by Maine Coastal Program under award CZM NA22NOS4190151 & NA21NOS4190064 to Maine Coastal Program from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Department of Commerce.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the many people and organizations who helped provide the data needed to update the guide. We also appreciate our coworkers who provided feedback and assistance throughout the update process.

Citations

2025 update

Britsch, M. and Nickerson, B. Maine Coastal Public Access Guide (2025 Update). Maine Coastal Program, Maine Department of Marine Resources and Maine Office of Community Affairs, 2025.

Original edition

Noordyk, Julia, ed. Maine Coastal Public Access Guide. Maine: Maine Coastal Program, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, 2013.