Fort Knox
Fort Knox, now Fort Knox State Park or Fort Knox State Historic Site, is located on the western bank of the Penobscot River in the town of Prospect, Maine, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the mouth of the river. The months with the kindest weather are May to September, at 63–78°F.
A landmark inside Prospect
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 11°, with about 72" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Stockton Springs is the nearest base
Stockton Springs is 4 miles southwest, with 5 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep
May, June, July, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 63–78°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
How the seasons run
Here is how the weather at Fort Knox changes month by month.
Fort Knox
Fort Knox, now Fort Knox State Park or Fort Knox State Historic Site, is located on the western bank of the Penobscot River in the town of Prospect, Maine, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the mouth of the river. Built between 1844 and 1869, it was the first fort in Maine built entirely of granite; most previous forts used wood, earth, and stone. It is named after Major General Henry Knox, the first U.S. Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery during the American Revolutionary War, who at the end of his life lived not far away in Thomaston. As a virtually intact example of a mid-19th century granite coastal fortification, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and declared a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970. Fort Knox also serves as the entry site for the observation tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge that opened to the public in 2007.
- Type
- Landmark
- Listed
- National Historic Landmark (1970) · National Register of Historic Places (1969)
- Wikipedia readers
- 24K a year
Overnight near Fort Knox
The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Bangor (31) and Ellsworth (22).
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Fort Knox | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect | in town | — | — | 703 | $197K | — |
| Bangor | 18 mi north | 25 min | 31 22 hotels · 3 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 32,518 | $220K | D |
| Ellsworth | 16 mi east | 25 min | 22 8 hotels · 2 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 7 campgrounds | 8,862 | $242K | C |
| Searsport | 9 mi southwest | 15 min | 9 3 hotels · 1 motel · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground | 2,737 | $224K | — |
| Belfast | 15 mi southwest | 20 min | 18 4 hotels · 2 motels · 9 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 6,988 | $341K | A− |
| Bar Harbor 24% vacation homes | 29 mi southeast | 45 min | 100 30 hotels · 16 motels · 33 inns & B&Bs · 13 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds | 5,352 | $538K | A |
| Stockton Springs | 4 mi southwest | 5 min | 5 2 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 1,593 | $259K | — |
| Orland 24% vacation homes | 7 mi east | 10 min | 6 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 4 campgrounds | 2,224 | $277K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
More near Fort Knox
These well-known places are within 64 miles.
Big draw33 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
32 mi MountainCadillac Mountain
33 mi LighthouseBass Harbor Head Light
61 mi LighthousePemaquid Point Light
35 mi MuseumFarnsworth Art Museum
64 mi GardenCoastal Maine Botanical Gardens
54 mi National MonumentFrances Perkins National Monument129 mi Ski areaCamden Snow Bowl31 runs · 836 ft verticalPhoto credits
Acadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cadillac Mountain: The original uploader was NightThree at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 · Bass Harbor Head Light: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pemaquid Point Light: WestportWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Farnsworth Art Museum: Panoramio user MementoMori, CC BY 3.0 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: CMBG editor, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frances Perkins National Monument: Robert Reed, NPS employee (per the same source), Public domain
Fort Knox: what to know
Is Fort Knox in Prospect?
Yes. It’s inside Prospect, ME.
When is the best time to visit Fort Knox?
May, June, July, August and September, with highs of 63–78°.
What is the closest airport to Fort Knox?
Bangor (BGR), about 17 miles away. The nearest big hub is Portland International Jetport (PWM), about 98 miles.
Where should I stay near Fort Knox?
Bangor (18 mi, 31 places to stay), Ellsworth (16 mi, 22 places to stay) and Searsport (9 mi, 9 places to stay).
Word from Prospect
No one has shared advice yet; Prospect’s Town Square takes questions.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.