Traveling the Trail

• Paddling Safety
• Big Ships, Little Boats
• In-Water Survival
• Island Hazards
• Mooring
• Safety on the Trail
• Tying It All Together - Three Great Knots For Use Out On The Trail
• Weather

Boating safely, following Leave No Trace principles, and respecting the usage guidelines set by island owners is critical to ensuring continued access to the islands. We appreciate your commitment and support.

Plan Safe, Boat Smart!

The ocean is an inherently dangerous environment in many ways -- even in the mildest of circumstances and most sheltered locations.  Safety planning is always extremely important when traveling the coast by small craft.  Plan your route, recognizing there are places where it is a very long way between MITA sites, and always have a backup plan. Be sure your craft is intended for ocean use, in sea-worthy condition, and captained by a capable skipper.  Always remember to wear your Personal Flotation Device and to bring a means of communication such as a VHF radio with you. Cell phones can be useful, but can also be unreliable off the coast of Maine.  Cold water kills, so dress for water temperatures, not air temperatures. Also consider carefully your visibility on the water in whatever consitions you might find yourself.  Finally, before venturing out in any sort of craft leave a float plan with a reliable person listing your destination, route, the number of people with you, and when you plan to return. (Be sure to notify your contact when you return!) If the weather is threatening, play it safe and DO NOT GO OUT!  Please follow links to the right for detailed articles on the topic of safety. 

PLEASE NOTE:
MITA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURY OR OTHER LOSS THAT MAY RESULT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY DUE TO USE OF THIS ONLINE GUIDE, OUR PAPER GUIDE OR THE MAINE ISLAND TRAIL.

Private Trail Islands

We are grateful to the more than 100 private individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations that so generously share their properties with MITA members. It is a special privilege for Trail users to visit private islands on the coast. All visitors are asked to make an extra effort to minimize their impact on these islands and to pay particular attention to the specific requests – listed in the island pages – of the owners. Many private island owners enjoy visiting their islands; please respect their privacy. Your MITA membership card is your written permission to visit the private islands listed in this Guidebook.

A special note about confidentiality: The information about the private Trail islands listed in this Online Guide is intended for use by MITA members only. Please refrain from identifying islands by name or location, or paraphrasing Guide information in websites, magazines, or newsletters without written permission from the owners or from MITA. Publicly speaking or writing about private Trail islands compromises owner trust and could put continued access to these sites in jeopardy.

The following nonprofit organizations have demonstrated their support for responsible coastal access by welcoming MITA members on several of their properties.

Appalachian Mountain Club: 617-523-0636. www.outdoors.org
Bowdoin College: 207-725-3346.  www.bowdoin.edu/outing
Chewonki Foundation: 207-882-7323. www.chewonki.org
Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust: 207-699-2989.  www.ccltmaine.org
Conservation Trust of Brooksville, Castine, and Penobscot: www.theconservationtrust.net
Damariscotta River Association: 207-563-1393. www.draclt.org
Harpswell Heritage Land Trust:  207-721-1121. www.hhltmaine.org
Island Heritage Trust: 207-348-2455. www.islandheritagetrust.org
Kennebunkport Conservation Trust: 207-967-3465. www.kporttrust.org
Maine Audubon: 207-781-2330. www.maineaudubon.org
Maine Coast Heritage Trust: 207-729-7366. www.mcht.org
Nature Conservancy: 207-729-5181. www.nature.org
Nature Trust of New Brunswick: 506-457-2398. www.naturetrust.nb.ca
Oceanside Conservation Trust of Casco Bay:  www.oceansideconservationtrust.org
Outward Bound: 866-467-7651. www.outwardbound.org
Pemaquid Watershed Association: 207-563-2196. www.pemaquidwatershed.org.
Portland Trails: 207-775-2411. www.trails.org
Rippleffect: 207-791-7870. www.rippleffect.net

Public Trail Islands

The federal, state, and municipally-owned islands in this online guide are open to MITA members and the general public for day use and often for overnight camping. Please adhere to the guidelines outlined in the island descriptions and on island signs.  

City of Portland Parks & Recreation Department: 207-874-8793. www.portlandmaine.gov/rec/rec.asp
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL): 207-287-3821. www.state.me.us/doc/parks
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W): 207-287-8000. www.state.me.us/ifw/
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&W), Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge: 207-546-2124. www.fws.gov/northeast/mainecoastal

Islands Not on the Trail

For years, boaters in Maine enjoyed a friendly tradition in which many island owners willingly shared their lands with others. Most people assumed that the public had a legal right to use the area between the high and low water marks for a broad range of recreational purposes. In the spring of 1989 however, the Maine Supreme Court (in a split decision in the Moody Beach case) ruled that the public right to use the intertidal area was restricted to the traditional uses of fishing, fowling and navigation.

What does this mean for those who want to land on a private island? Strictly speaking, one can go ashore to hunt or fish from the rocks or to escape the weather. But because most coastal Maine deeds convey legal ownership down to the low-water mark, walking on an island—even below the high-tide line—may be interpreted as trespassing.

In short, if you wish to use private islands not listed in the online Guide, you must gain special permission from the owner. Using private islands not listed in the MITA Guide without permission jeopardizes MITA’s efforts to ensure access and good working relations with island owners. To find out who owns a particular property call the Town Clerk, or if the island is in an unorganized township, the Land Use Regulatory Commission at 207-287-2631.

Organized Groups

Organized groups often put different pressure on the islands than a private party.  Group size, room to spread out, and privacy are all different for organized groups.  Groups using public Trail islands are asked to set group size at a level that will allow other groups or individuals to share the island.  Commercial, scout and school groups must obtain permission directly from the landowner.  Group leaders are asked to contact MITA at trail@mita.org or 207-761-8225 to discuss trip planning.