A handful of Maine lighthouses get all the attention.
The most photographed, Portland Head Light, sits at the entrance to Casco Bay. Owls Head is within reach, too.
But there’s plenty that, this summer, might take just a little more effort than they’re worth. So, while dreaming of summer over a sometimes dreary Memorial Day weekend, consider this virtual lighthouse tour.
Sure, it lacks the sensation of sea breeze in your hair, the sounds of migratory shorebirds calling, the feeling of a lighthouse keeper’s ghost breathing on the back of your neck, but it makes it up in ease of access.
Of the 55 active lighthouses in the state, according to the latest accounting by the Maine Office of GIS, just a handful are within easy reach of the mainland.
Knox and Hancock counties boast the most, but many, predictably, are on the farthest reaches of the coast or on islands.
A group of others are in an unknown state, demolished or inactive, according to the Maine Office of GIS list.
Keeping those lighthouses of dubious status in mind, leave the above maps for virtual tours and make sure to do a little more Gazetteer or online research before setting out for lighthouse spotting.