Deer Isle
Deer Isle is the island you cross to get to Stonington , and the mistake is treating it only as that. The interior is a network of back roads through spruce and blueberry barrens, with coves and inlets appearing at the end of unmarked turns, and a craft tradition that has drawn…
The island is reached by a 1939 suspension bridge from Sedgwick. Narrow, high, and slightly alarming the first time. Once across, the pace changes immediately. There is no through traffic, because there is nowhere to pass through to.
What Deer Isle is known for
The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is the reason the island has the density of makers it does. Founded in the 1950s and set on a steep wooded slope above the water, it draws faculty and students in ceramics, glass, metal, wood and fiber from all over. Many stayed. The result is that a drive around the island turns up studios and small galleries in places with no other commerce at all.
The other thing the island is known for is quiet. There is no commercial strip. Villages (Deer Isle, Sunset, Sunshine, Oceanville) are crossroads with a few houses and a church.
Things to do
Drive the loop roads with no particular destination; that is the honest answer for how most visitors spend their time. Aragosta at Goose Cove (4.7 across 242 Google reviews) is the island's most ambitious kitchen. The Historic Deer Isle Suspension Bridge itself (4.8 from 56 reviews) is a genuine landmark rather than just infrastructure.
The Nature Conservancy and local land trusts maintain preserves with short trails to the shore, Barred Island and the Settlement Quarry among them. Sea kayaking in the sheltered water on the island's east side is excellent and forgiving.
Getting here and when to go
From Route 1 at Orland, head south through Blue Hill and Sedgwick. Budget the better part of an hour from the highway, longer than the distance implies.
Summer is the season for the galleries and the school's public events. September and early October are the best combination of open businesses and empty roads. In winter almost everything closes.
Common questions
Is Deer Isle worth visiting?
Yes, if you want quiet more than convenience. There is almost no nightlife and very little shopping, but the payoff is a working island of granite ledges, lobster wharves and narrow roads that dead-end at the water. Most people pair it with Stonington at the southern tip and stay two or three nights rather than passing through.
What is Haystack Mountain School of Crafts?
It is a residential craft school on Deer Isle, known nationally for summer sessions in ceramics, blacksmithing, weaving, glass and wood. Its modernist campus of cedar studios steps down a wooded slope toward the shore and is an architectural landmark in its own right. The school is a large part of why the island supports a working craft community.
Can you get to Isle au Haut from Deer Isle?
Yes. The mail boat to Isle au Haut runs from Stonington at the southern end of Deer Isle, and it is the standard way to reach the remote section of Acadia National Park out on that island. Capacity is limited and the crossing is exposed, so reserve in advance and expect sailings to move with the weather.
Where can you eat on Deer Isle?
Choices are few and mostly seasonal. Aragosta at Goose Cove, rated 4.7 from 242 reviews, is the island's destination restaurant and books up well ahead. Otherwise expect lobster shacks, general stores and a handful of small cafes toward Stonington. If you are staying more than a couple of nights, plan on cooking some meals.
