Hog Island, Brooklin
Once owned by famed author E.B. White, Hog Island’s beaches and granite ledges invite exploration on the eastern edge of Eggemoggin Reach.
Hog Island is great for:
- Picnicking – Choose any of the island’s seven pocket beaches for a family picnic.
- Camping – Spend a night at the preserve’s designated campsite after an evening of scanning the surrounding waters for resident wildlife.
- Kayaking – Venture a little more than a half mile from Brooklin to reach Hog Island’s alluring shoreline.
- Walking – Head out along the informal network of paths that wind from the campsite through the southern lobe of the island.
How to get there
The Brooklin municipal boat ramp (a sand beach with vehicle access), located at the end of Naskeag Point, offers easy hand carry and motorized boat access for small trailer-able boats.
From the ramp, Hog Island’s eastern cove is 0.6 miles west-southwest. The surrounding waters offer good, protected anchorage for larger boats, and smaller boats and kayaks can land on the beaches.
For a complete map with legend and guidelines, click on the Printable Preserve Map above.
Notes on topography, flora, and fauna
Hog Island is located at the eastern edge of Eggemoggin Reach, near the confluence of Penobscot Bay and Blue Hill Bay. Situated just south of Naskeag Point in the town of Brooklin, the Island consists of two distinct lobes separated by a north-south trending isthmus that, at low tide, stretches into extensive mud flats. The west and east-facing coves formed by the lobes and isthmus feature sandy beaches; the rest of the shoreline is varied and includes steep cliffs, fringing salt marsh, and tidally exposed bedrock ledges. Once cleared and farmed, Hog Island is now covered with maturing spruce-fir forest. The only relics of its agricultural and industrial past are cellar holes.
How Hog Island became open to the public
Hog Island was generously donated to MCHT by Mrs. Allene White and her family. The island first came into the White family’s ownership in 1941, when Allene’s father-in-law, beloved author E. B. White, purchased Hog. Hog was sold by the White family in 1954, and in 1976 the new owner protected the island with an Acadia National Park conservation easement. Hog re-joined the White family in 1990 when it was purchased by E. B.’s son Joel.
This place belongs to all of us. Help us take care of it!
Preserve information/guidelines
- Camp At Established Campsite
- Limit Stay to 2 Nights
- Groups of 6 or More and Commercial Users by Permission Only. Please call 207-729-7366.
- Fires By Permit Only – Maine State Law
- Contact Maine Forest Service at 207-827-1800 for Permit
- Keep All Fires Below High Tide Line
- Do Not Cut or Break Tree Limbs, Dead or Alive
- Leave No Fire Unattended
- Completely Extinguish All Fires
- Carry Out All Trash
- Including Human and Pet Waste and Toilet Paper
- Keep Pets Under Control
