Getting Here
Portland, Maine is 100 miles north of Boston and approximately one hour driving time from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If you are arriving from the South, take the Maine Turnpike, I-95 N to I-295 N via EXIT 44. Get off at Franklin Street, EXIT 7. Continue for 1 mile. Franklin Street will T onto Commercial Street. Straight ahead is the Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal parking garage. Go around the north (left) side of this brick 4-story parking garage; the terminal is on the right, behind the garage. Purchase tickets inside the glass fronted area. We recommend parking in the Ocean Gateway Lot ($15/day), with is just North of Casco Bay Lines (#38 on the map linked below). Leave yourself at least 15 minutes extra time, as ferries leave on schedule.
Shipping your Kayak to Peaks Island
Casco Bay Lines will ship your kayak as freight. CBL crew must load and unload your kayak from the ferry. It is helpful if you have kayak wheels.
Check in at the freight desk, which is behind the passenger terminal, well ahead of your ferry's departure time. You can drop your kayak off in the curbside loading zone outside the freight area.
Freight rates for kayaks: $15.20 Peak Season / $10 Off-Peak
Freight is paid for one-way. Anything shipped back to Portland at the end of your stay must be paid for at pick-up in the freight shed.
Kayak Beach
Our beach is about 200 feet north of the Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal on Peaks Island, which is to your left as you get off the ferry. We are just beyond the old boathouse with dark brown shingles.
Walk up the hill from the ferry, and turn left at the intersection. Proceed through "town", past Hannigan's Island Market and the Cockeyed Gull restaurant. Kayak Beach is down the very steep hill to your left.
Lodging
We recommend 8th Maine Museum and Lodge. 8th Maine is an historic building, perched high on the rocky shoreline overlooking Whitehead Passage. Rooms are rustic, with shared bathroom facilities. Guests are welcome to use the large shared kitchen and dining area, and to enjoy the huge wraparound porch. There is also an outdoor shower, lines for hanging things to dry, and an outdoor grill.
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes