The Easternmost Point of the U.S.


	Above: This is both the easternmost and east-southeasternmost point of the U.S. This is at Quoddy Head State Park, near Lubec, Maine. I first visited this park in 1985 and it was good to be back (1:24)

The easternmost point of the United States is at Quoddy Head, Maine. It's also known as "West Quoddy Head," which is interesting considering that it's the easternmost point of the U.S. (which begs the question: where exactly is East Quoddy Head?). There’s a wonderful state park here featuring the majestic and distinctive red-and-white striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, which was built in 1858.

I first visited this site in the fall of 1985, the first extreme compass point I had ever been to, and it’s where my interest in visiting extreme geographic points all began. Little did I realize that 31 years later, I'd spend most of a year traveling around the country visiting such extreme sites in a quest to hopefully become the first person to visit all 16 extreme geographic compass points in the contiguous U.S.

Maine has five of the 16 extreme geographic compass points in the U.S. and the previous day I’d visited three of them: the north-northeasternmost, northeasternmost, and east-northeasternmost points, all along the St. John River in northern Maine. After camping in Aroostook State Park in northern Maine after that whirlwind adventure, I headed down to the east coast of Maine (called “Down East”) the next day.

My primary destination was Quoddy Head, which interestingly is not only the easternmost point of the U.S. but the east-southeasternmost point of the U.S., as well. Two for the price of one was a deal I just couldn’t pass up! During my first visit to Quoddy Head, back in October 1985, I’d camped at nearby Cobscook State Park on the Maine coast, then the next morning I was the first visitor to Quoddy Head State Park. It was still a manned lighthouse back then, with Coast Guard staff operating the lighthouse around-the-clock. During the hour that I was there, I had the park all to myself – except, of course, for the lighthouse keepers.

My, how things have changed. I pulled into the parking lot in mid-afternoon and was surprised by all the visitors. There was even a school bus here loaded with school kids enjoying a field trip. The lighthouse was now automated and the former Lighthouse Keeper’s house had been converted into a Visitor’s Center. I walked into the Visitor’s Center and a couple older guys were sitting behind the desk. I told them about my adventure around America, visiting the 16 extreme compass points and mentioned that not only was this the easternmost point of the U.S., but it was also the east-southeasternmost point, something they apparently didn’t realize.

It was a beautiful afternoon and I spent about two hours in the park, walking on the trails, taking dozens of pictures of the beautiful lighthouse and the grounds, and shooting a short video. As the sun started to dip on the horizon, I left the park -- the final visitor of the day, apparently. Then I headed into nearby Lubec, which is the easternmost city in the U.S., where I stopped at the easternmost grocery store in the U.S. and bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner. And being the Extreme Geographer, I didn't pick out just any rotisserie chicken, mind you, but selected what I carefully determined to be the easternmost rotisserie chicken.

I drove around Lubec a bit, then headed back up Highway 1 to my favorite state park on the Maine coast, Cobscook,, where I camped at one of the most incredible campsites I've ever seen, right on the rocky bay. As I sat by my campfire in the chilly and nearly-empty campground that evening, while eating my easternmost chicken, I thought how, after 31 years, it was nice to be back.

Summary:

I visited this site on September 29, 2016.
To read my story and see my photos, click here.
The coordinates of this point are: 44° 48.898' N, 66° 57.030' W.
To see a Google Map of the easternmost point, click here.
To see the panorama photo I created at this site, click here.

How to Get There:

To get to this point, travel on Highway 1 in eastern Maine until you reach State Highway 189, then head towards the city of Lubec, the easternmost city in the U.S. Just before you reach Lubec, you'll see a sign pointing to the right for Quoddy Head State Park. Take this road all the way to the end. There's a parking lot here. Be advised that the grounds are open only during daylight hours (hours vary, so check their website). And this is a State Park, so there is a small admission fee.