Cushing Island, Maine: Can You Visit This Private Island?
No, the public can't visit Cushing Island. It is a privately owned island in Casco Bay, and going ashore is limited to residents and their invited guests. There are no public trails, shops, beaches or ferries for day visitors.
What you can do is see it, and see it well. Cushing's best features face the water: the sheer rock cliff at Whitehead, the granite ledges and pocket coves, the shingle-style cottages and the old brick buildings of Fort Levett. It sits right at the mouth of Portland Harbor, so a boat gets you a close, unhurried look without setting foot on anyone's land.
At Bird's Eye Maine, Cushing is one of the islands we pass most often on the way out to the lighthouses. Here is what you will see from the water, how the island became a private summer colony, and how invited guests actually get there.
Why Can't You Visit Cushing Island?
Cushing Island lies within the City of Portland, but the land itself is private. Around 45 families spend their summers there, with a caretaker living on the island year round, and the community limits access to owners and the people they invite.
Where Cushing Sits in Casco Bay
Cushing is a short run from the downtown waterfront, at the outer edge of Portland Harbor. Peaks Island lies to the north across Whitehead Passage, and Portland Head Light stands to the southwest across the main shipping channel on the Cape Elizabeth shore. That makes it one of the first islands you meet heading out to sea, and ships, ferries and lobster boats all pass along its western side.
Protected Land and Residents' Privacy
Much of the island is a nature preserve owned by the Cushings Island Conservation Corporation, which keeps it from being developed. Between that protected land and the residents' homes, there is simply no public ground to walk. Please respect that from the water too: no beach landings, and no kayak stops along the shore.
Not to Be Confused With Cushing on the Mainland
Cushing, Maine is also a small town in the Midcoast, along the St. George River, best known for the Olson House, the setting of Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World. If you are planning a drive to see art and preserves, you want the town. If you want the cliffs at the mouth of Portland Harbor, you want the island, and you will need a boat.
What Can You See From the Water?
A slow loop by boat shows you the most dramatic side of Cushing Island: tall cliffs, rocky coves and long views out toward the open ocean.
Whitehead and Whitehead Passage
Whitehead is the headline, a sheer rock cliff at the end of the island facing Peaks across the passage. It has drawn painters and photographers since the 1800s. Up close you notice the streaks and fractures in the rock, gulls riding the updrafts, and white water at the base on a breezy day. When there is a swell running, we hold off a little farther for comfort. When it is calm, gliding through the passage feels like slipping past a stone wall.
The Shoreline and Its Coves
Cushing's shoreline is a mix of granite ledges and a few small beaches of sand and cobble tucked between the rocks. At low tide you catch the smell of rockweed and see the dark band of mussels and barnacles along the waterline. These beaches are private, so enjoy them from the deck. If you'd like sand under your feet, there are beaches in Casco Bay where we can drop you off, and our post on a private beach in Maine you reach by boat explains how that works.
Fort Levett and the Cottages
From the water you can pick out two very different kinds of building. The shingle-style summer cottages sit among the trees and along the high ground, while the red brick of the old Fort Levett buildings looks oddly formal among them. Both stories are told below.
On Toward Portland Head Light
Leave Cushing behind and Portland Head Light comes into view almost straight across the channel, with the keepers' house below the tower and Ram Island Ledge Light out to the east. Most guests see Cushing and the lighthouses in the same outing, and our post on seeing Portland Head Light from the water covers that stretch. If that sounds like your day, our private Lighthouse Tour passes Cushing on the way out.
How Did Cushing Become a Private Summer Colony?
Cushing went from a family-owned island to a Victorian summer resort, then to a planned summer colony, and gained an Army fort along the way. Each layer is still visible from the boat.
Lemuel Cushing and the Ottawa House
Lemuel Cushing, a businessman born in Quebec, bought most of the island in 1859 and set out to make it a summer resort. The centerpiece was the Ottawa House, a grand hotel where Victorian guests arrived by steamer and sat on wide porches in the harbor breeze. The first hotel burned and was rebuilt, and the second burned in 1917 and was never replaced. The family name stuck, which is why you will see the island written as both Cushing and Cushing's Island.
Francis Cushing and Frederick Law Olmsted
In 1883 Lemuel's son Francis Cushing hired Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind New York's Central Park, to plan the island as a summer colony rather than a typical resort. Olmsted's plan called for large house lots, curving drives along the high ground for ocean views, and the shoreline and scenic lookouts kept open for common use. Not all of it was built, but the island still follows much of that layout, and Portland architect John Calvin Stevens worked on the island too. Its open, uncluttered shoreline is a big part of why Cushing looks the way it does from the water.
Fort Levett and the Harbor Defenses
From the 1890s the U.S. Army acquired land on the island and built Fort Levett, which guarded the main ship channel at the harbor mouth and stayed in use for coastal defense through World War II. It was one link in a ring of harbor forts that also included Fort Gorges and Fort Scammel in the inner harbor. Island residents later bought the fort land and turned several of its brick buildings into homes.
How Do People Get to Cushing Island?
There are two very different trips here: sightseers circle the island by boat, while invited guests travel to the dock. We handle them differently.
Seeing Cushing on a Private Trip
Every trip we run is private, so if Cushing is high on your list, just tell Captain Matt and he will build the route around it. The Lighthouse Tour and the History Tour both suit the island, and each runs 2 to 4 hours. Most guests book three hours, which leaves time for the cliffs, Fort Gorges and the lighthouses. Bring a light jacket even in August, because the breeze off the outer harbor is always cooler than downtown.
Water Taxi for Residents and Invited Guests Only
Our water taxi lists a Cushing stop, and it is for residents and their invited guests only. If a homeowner has invited you, the listed rate and booking details are on that page. We do not drop sightseers on the island.
The Island's Own Ferry
Cushing also has its own seasonal ferry from Long Wharf in Portland for owners and their guests. Schedules change from year to year, so ask your host for the current timetable and where you will be met when you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you walk around Cushing Island as a day visitor?
No. Every part of the island is private land or protected preserve, and there are no public trails. The cliffs, coves and fort buildings are all easy to see from a boat instead.
Can you kayak to Cushing Island?
You can paddle past it, but please don't land. The beaches are private, and the island sits beside the busy main shipping channel, so it is a trip for experienced paddlers only.
Are there vacation rentals on Cushing Island?
There is no public lodging. Any stay happens through an arrangement with an island owner, who follows the community's own rules for guests.
Is Cushing Island part of Portland?
Yes. Like Peaks, House and the Diamond Islands, it lies within the City of Portland, even though the land on Cushing is privately owned.
What is the best way to photograph Cushing Island?
From the water in the early morning or late afternoon, when low sun lights up the cliff at Whitehead and the cottages along the shore. A private trip lets you slow down or circle back for the shot you want.
Not on anyone's guest list? You can still see Cushing at its best, from your own boat with your own captain and up to 6 guests aboard, on a trip that never needs to land. Our Lighthouse and History Tours both swing past the island on the way to Portland Head Light. Call 207.632.9369 or email info@birdseyemaine.com and Captain Matt will map out a route for your group.
