Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park

1,345 Acres of Deliberately Wild Maine Coastline

Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park in Brooksville, Maine, is a park designed to stay wild. Its 1,345 acres of rocky coastline, forest, meadows, and wetlands along Penobscot Bay are managed with a single guiding principle: preserve the landscape as unchanged as possible. No developed campgrounds, no motorized recreation, no modern intrusions — just trails through ecosystems that look much as they did centuries ago.

The sanctuary was created through the generosity of Anita Harris, who donated her family’s coastal estate to the State of Maine with explicit conditions that it remain undeveloped. Her vision was a place where nature, not recreation infrastructure, takes priority — and the park continues to honor that intention.

Trails Through Five Distinct Ecosystems

Approximately 7 to 9 miles of trails traverse the sanctuary, connecting five distinctly different landscapes:

• Backshore Trail (0.5 miles) — Crosses old estate fields to a rocky beach with views across Penobscot Bay toward Castine
• Goose Falls Trail (0.9 miles) — Follows the shoreline past the Bakeman Cemetery with bay and island views
• Beaver Flowage Trail (1.2 miles) — Winds through cedar and fir forest around a wetland complex where beaver and muskrat signs are common
• Mountain Loop Trail (1.3 miles) — A moderate climb to the summit of Backwood Mountain with elevated coastal panoramas
• Bakeman Farm Trail (0.6 miles) — A quiet loop through open fields to a historic farmstead foundation

The trails follow old roads and footpaths rather than engineered hiking surfaces — adding to the sense of exploration and the feeling that you’re walking through someone’s private estate (which, historically, you are).

Wildlife Along the Penobscot Bay

The sanctuary’s diverse habitats — rocky shore, tidal flats, meadow, wetland, and forest — support an exceptional variety of wildlife. Bald eagles and osprey nest along the coast, great blue herons patrol the mudflats, and migratory songbirds fill the forest during spring and fall. On the ground, white-tailed deer, red foxes, porcupines, and beavers inhabit the woods and wetlands.

The combination of saltwater and freshwater environments within a single park creates ecological edges where species diversity peaks — making Holbrook Island one of the best birding locations on the Blue Hill Peninsula.

The Island Itself

Despite the park’s name, Holbrook Island — a small offshore island visible from the mainland trails — is only accessible by boat. The mainland portion of the sanctuary is the primary visitor area, accessible by road from Brooksville. The park is free to enter and open from 9 AM to sunset year-round.