Island gems

We’ve only lived out on Peaks for about a year, but that’s enough time to find island gems. Some of them can be found on the well-trodden tourist trail, but a few are more out of reach to the typical island day tripper.

With the amount of time we’ve been spending on-island and outside these days – given the COVID pandemic – I thought it fitting to highlight my top three.

Davies Cove

Ocean Spray Road is a short, dead-end dirt track with two summer homes. At the end of the road is a yellow sign announcing the entrance to what I refer to as Island Narnia, better known as Davies Cove. It’s classic postcard-perfect Maine. Here the evergreens meet the ocean. A quick stroll up the trail brings you to a protected inlet where Quinn and I like to hang out at high tide. It’s one of the few island beaches with enough space to spread out when the tide is in. The conservation land is managed by Peaks Island Land Preserve and open to all. But don’t tell too many people about Island Narnia – we want to keep it magical.

Backshore Ledge 

The backshore of the island is home to a series of rocky beaches with boulders and stones of different sizes. On some, the rocks have been washed down to a fine mix of pebbly sand. Other have more watermelon-sized rocks perfect for setting up a small beach fire below the tidal line. I’m particularly fond of one of these coastal gems quite close to our house. Sheltered from the road by a patch of brush is a ledge that juts out like a thick lower lip into the sea. Sitting on this perch at high tide conjures up an image of a lookout on the top of the crow’s nest. I like to head there early in the morning when the island sleeps to catch a glimpse of the sunrise.

Picnic Point

Picnic point is the perfect place to, well, do exactly that. Pack up a picnic and spend a lazy afternoon watching the white caps pummel the cliffs over on Cushing Island. Quinn adores this place, particularly for its crunchy seaweed and ramshackle rope swing. The most unique feature of Picnic Point is the point itself, which looks like a little island but really is an isthmus. Head over the sandbar and you’ll find several winding footpaths that lead to other side of the island. There you can sit on a long rocky ledge that overlooks Whitehead Passage. It’s a good spot to watch the late summer cruise liners come in, a topic for another blog for sure. There are many more island gems scattered throughout Peaks – and I’m sure readers have their own. Send me yours!