Squirrel Point Lighthouse Photo by Christine Wolfe
When we think of Maine lighthouses we often conjure up images of isolated beacons perched on wave-battered cliffs overlooking the open Atlantic. This month we are exploring lights on the opposite end of the bold coast spectrum – the three unique Kennebec River lights south of Bath. These riverside lights have guided ships up and down the Kennebec since 1898.
We put in at the Morse Cove State Boat Launch on the Fiddlers Reach Road in Phippsburg and headed four miles downriver to Squirrel Point Light, opposite the Phippsburg Congregational Church. Mixed in with the hundreds of cormorants flying low over the water were bald eagles, osprey, sandpipers, and plenty of Canada Geese with their fluffy yellow youngsters scrambling behind them.
An osprey perches on navigational marker Photo by Christine Wolfe
The Kennebec has strong currents and eddies. Paddlers will need to be proficient in Class I whitewater. You will want to get the tide right on this outing. We hit the tide perfectly, paddling the last hour of the outgoing tide down to Squirrel Point and riding the incoming tide back up to the Range Lights.
You will pass by a number of large navigational cans, nuns, and markers used to guide the Bath Iron Works ships down the river. A mile before Squirrel Point you will pass a few small islets with harbor seals on them. The white steeple of the Phippsburg Congregational Church is a welcoming sight.
Phippsburg Congregational Church opposite Squirrel Point lighthouse Photo by Christine Wolfe
Squirrel Point offers a good perch to watch passing boaters headed down to Fort Popham, and to enjoy the artistic swirls of water created by the currents. As with the other two lights we will visit, non-profit groups are working hard at each light station to raise awareness and money to bring the lights back to their former splendor one project at a time. The seasons have taken a toll on the lights and the lighthouse keeper homes. Check out the boathouse at Squirrel Point. It slopes down to the river, and yet the builders made the windows traditionally straight, not matching the angle of the roof.
An hour later we were exploring the grounds of the Kennebec River Range Lights near the northern end of Fiddlers Reach. These two small lights work together to keep ships in the deepest part of the channel as they work their way up the river to Bath. As long as you kept the two structures lined up, you were right where you were supposed to be. A boardwalk leads from the water 200 yards into the woods to the second tower. It is a delightful meander with wood anemone, fringed polygala, and bluets lining the walkway.
Kennebec River Range Lights Photo by Christine Wolfe
A white pine stands on the lawn at water’s edge. On a 70-degree day it was a delight sitting on the soft cool grass in the shade watching the river unfold in front of us. The rich spring palette of yellows, greens and browns of emerging leaves bordered the river. A gentle breeze played its age-old song of contentment in the pine boughs. It was the perfect spot to hang out and appreciate all that had passed this spot: native people fishing for sturgeon; Benedict Arnold on his way to Quebec in 1775; the largest wooden schooner ever built, the six-masted Wyoming, built at the Percy and Small shipyard on what is now the site of the Maine Maritime Museum.
One last light remained; Doubling Point Light. This octagonal white wooden light marks the right angle turn up to Bath. A wooden walkway leads out to it from shore. We enjoyed views north to Bath Iron Works with its impressive cranes and Zumwalt class destroyer sitting still in the water. Cars, gleaming in the midday sun, crawled over the Sagadahoc Bridge on their way along Route 1.
It was time to head back to our car. The six hours had flown by, some of it paddling, but a lot of it on land lounging and exploring the grounds and various buildings associated with each light. Consult the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (map No. 6) for help in getting to the Morse Cove boat launch in Phippsburg just to the east of Route 209. Note – each light can also be visited by car, with Squirrel Point involving a 15-minute hike from your vehicle.
Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools, and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for civic groups, businesses, and schools. Contact: michaelj_perry@comcast.net
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