Bass Harbor Head Light Station Accessibility Information

Bass Harbor Head Light Station accessible viewing platform.

NPS Photo by Robyn Smyth

Quick Facts

Location:

116 Lighthouse Rd, Bass Harbor, ME 04653

Designation:

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988

Amenities

8 listed

Accessible Sites, Parking - Auto, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Toilet - Vault/Composting, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible

Bass Harbor Head Light Station is located on the western side of Mount Desert Island, near Southwest Harbor. Known for its lighthouse and sweeping views of Bass Harbor, Bass Harbor Head Light Station is a great location for families and visitors with mobility limitations to enjoy an iconic view of one of Maine’s historic lighthouses.

Getting to Bass Harbor Head Light Station

Portions of the Bass Harbor Head Light Station complex are accessible to wheelchairs. The lighthouse itself is not open to the public. Off state route 102 A, at the end of Lighthouse Rd, drivers will find a parking lot and, on the right-hand side, three accessible parking spaces. All accessible parking spots are designated by a sign on a white fence.

An Acadia parking pass or valid NPS park pass is required to park at Bass Harbor Head Light Station.   

What to Expect

With the newest addition of a wheelchair accessible viewing area, Bass Harbor Head Light Station is viewable by visitors of all physical abilities.

There are three designated viewing areas, one to the left of the lighthouse: the cliffs. To get down to the cliff viewing area visitors will follow a short gravel path that leads to a wooden staircase, 37 steps, and then a series of 27 wide stone steps.

The viewing area to the right is a steep paved driveway and takes visitors directly next to the lighthouse and an informational wayside.

The third viewing option is the accessible viewing area directly in front of the accessible parking spots. This is a packed gravel overlook providing a great view of the lighthouse and the landscapes surrounding it.

There is an accessible restroom at the end of the parking lot, in the left restroom compartment.

Tags: acadia national park, accessibility, acadia, bass harbor head light station, wheelchair accessible

Open Transcript  Open Descriptive Transcript

Transcript

The video shows a wooden building which holds vault toilets at the end of an asphalt parking lot. A forest of tall evergreen trees sits behind the parking lot and restrooms. There are two accessible spaces on the right side of the parking lot, designated by faint paint on the ground. As the video pans to the beginning of the parking lot, there is a white fence along the parking lot with scattered Conifer trees behind it. Through the trees, there are glimpses of the ocean. At the beginning of the parking lot, there is one accessible space, designated by a sign on the white fence. Adjacent to this parking space, there is an asphalt path down to the lighthouse. A large white building with green trim and the NPS logo sits at the start of the path. The path is lined with a rope fence and wooden posts as it steeply curves downhill to the left and to the lighthouse.

Descriptive Transcript

The video shows a wooden building which holds vault toilets at the end of an asphalt parking lot. A forest of tall evergreen trees sits behind the parking lot and restrooms. There are two accessible spaces on the right side of the parking lot, designated by faint paint on the ground. As the video pans to the beginning of the parking lot, there is a white fence along the parking lot with scattered Conifer trees behind it. Through the trees, there are glimpses of the ocean. At the beginning of the parking lot, there is one accessible space, designated by a sign on the white fence. Adjacent to this parking space, there is an asphalt path down to the lighthouse. A large white building with green trim and the NPS logo sits at the start of the path. The path is lined with a rope fence and wooden posts as it steeply curves downhill to the left and to the lighthouse.

Duration:

49.399 seconds

An accessible description and transcript of the Access Bass Harbor Head Light Station in Acadia National Park. (July 2025)