NE Lighthouse Tour - Need Suggestions

Hi All...

We are planning trip to NE to view lighthouses. Any route suggestions or "must do's"? [Looking for Lodging (B&B's preferred)/restaurants and/or driving routes]

Timing is end of August/first of September. Don't really know how far north we'll go...we have a stop in Cape Cod for a couple of days...only thing on agenda at this time.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Karen

Wow, Karen.. New England Lights. You could spend a month and do them all.

We went on 3 different motor coach tours this past fall.

1. Connecticut and Rhode Island
2. Cape Cod
3. Portland ME and south to Mass border.

These were all long days.

I think the most enjoyable was Cape Cod. Here we tried to at least view every lighthouse on the Cape. I think we missed a couple because of poor viewing.

Can you narrow down your request? Perhaps the number of days you plan to set aside for lighthouse looking?

BTW, the Connecticut lighthouses are, in general, a bit more difficult to find and view (private access, etc.) while Rhode Island's Lighthouses are almost all viewable. Maine takes great pride in its lighthouses.

Hi Karen,

JC is correct when he says a LH tour of New England is an ambitious thing to take on. I'm very familiar with all the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Lights. I have also visited many in Maine from Portland south.

Where will you be coming from and how long do you plan on staying in this area? Send me a little info and I'll try to point you in the right direction to maximize the number of lights in the shortest period of time. I'm also very familiar with the best area restaurants, and where the best deals are.

Let me know and I'll try to help.

Bob M

Sept.4,1999 - Lighthouse Cruise Extravaganza A 6 hour cruise from Boston to the North Shore to view 12 Light Stations ( includes Boston Light and Minots Ledge ) Departs Rowes Wharf, Boston 10AM - 4PM Boston Harbour Explorers, P.O. Box 690744, Quincy,MA 02269 or call 1-617-479-1871

We are making pretty much the same trip first 2 wks of July. Not time fram I wanted but only 2 week period on calendar. Oh well. In our case we will be on a lighthouse viewing pilgrimage. More the better. Puling our pop-up camper with us.

I hope to leave with a general plan of attack with 3 basic requirements: (1) We will get to the East/West Quoddy lights. (2) Need to stop over in Saratoga Springs, NY to see my aunt. (3) if time permits we will try to hit Niagra Falls area. This one could wait for its' own trip if need be.

Generally I plan to leave Indiana, head for Boston and turn left. Will try to visit as many of the Hudson River lights as possible (Mike???). Would like to figure out how to also visit Colchester but not too sure about roads going cross country in light of full size van and 20+ feet of camper - have heard that some of the roads get narrow and windy??

I too will look forward to feedback, ideas & suggestions from everyone.

Karen & Brian - check Lighthouse Digest's site each month for calendar of events & other info. Link here is to the March 99 calendar which has many cruises listed. The Elms B&B in Camden ME puts on many of the excursions and is reputed to have a wonderful lighthouse theme.

http://www.lhdigest.com/archives/1999/March_1999/calendar.html

We are looking forward to our trip and will try and get some thoughts posted soon as we get back.

Dave


[This message has been edited by Dave H (edited 03-29-99).]

Check the tides for East Quoddy as you can only go down then cross over and then up then across then down and across at low tide to really see anything but the very top of the tower. Get there an hour or two before maximum low tide so you can get back before the tide comes back in and you have to wait hours for the next low tide to get back. I think the window that you can walk over is around 4 hours or less. Wear shoes that won't slip too much on wet and slick rocks. The first part of the trip at the bottom of the first ladder it is very slick and rocky. The next part you climb a ladder that isn't straight up but on a bit of an angle so you feel like you are crawling. The next step is a testament to the fact that they aren't a whole lot of people that have gone before you because the path through a little island is still overgrown in spots and not beaten down. The next step is down a ladder that is straight up and down and also has rungs that seem to be set almost twice as far apart as normal. Next you can get a full view of all of the buildings and tower from some gravel area or more slicker and bigger rocks. It was one of my neatest experiences of visiting a lighthouse. It is a special memory probably because I just didn't just pull into a parking lot, get out of the car, walk 50 feet and I was touching the lighthouse. Just the trip to both Quoddy lighthouses shows a lot of determination; you just don't drive by them by accident. Check the tides timing is everything at Head Harbor Lighthouse (EQ).

WackoPaul '
Keep the Flame

If you really get bored, read this new thread on a New England, Lake Ontario, Hudson River vacation we took last year during the 1998 Reunion. It may at least give you an idea or two.

The trip to Maine (from Ohio) might be worth reading for Dave, much more interesting than just cruising across Mass. to Boston and turning north. This one takes you along Lake Ontario, up through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire and straight over to Maine's midcoast.
http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/forums/Forum15/HTML/000022.html

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-RodW
[This message has been edited by Rod Watson (edited 03-30-99).]