Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It dates from 1791. Nearby, Fort Gorges (2.8 mi) leads the list.
A lighthouse inside Cape Elizabeth
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 16°, with about 69" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Portland is the nearest base
Portland is 1 miles northeast, with 65 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Boston
Boston is about 98 miles southwest (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Established in 1791
Portland Head Light dates from 1791. About ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep
May, June, July, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 63–79°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
The weather by month
Every month near Portland Head Light is set out below.
Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a headland at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it was the first lighthouse built by the U.S. government and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keeper's house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.
- Type
- Lighthouse
- Established
- 1791
- Listed
- National Register of Historic Places (1973) · Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
- Wikipedia readers
- 42K a year
Where to base yourself for Portland Head Light
For a bed close by, look to Portland (65) and Old Orchard Beach (99).
- 1Fort Gorges
- 2Popham Colony
- 3Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
- 4Portland Museum of Art
- 5Funtown Splashtown USA
Old Orchard Beach
9,533 people · 23% vacation homes
10 mi southwest of Portland Head Light
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Portland Head Light | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Elizabeth | in town | — | 2 1 hotel · 1 RV park | 9,827 | $732K | A+ |
| Portland | 1 mi northeast | — | 65 45 hotels · 1 motel · 12 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 1 campground | 69,911 | $490K | C |
| Old Orchard Beach 23% vacation homes | 10 mi southwest | 15 min | 99 30 hotels · 39 motels · 11 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 10 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 9,533 | $367K | B |
| Scarborough | 7 mi southwest | 10 min | 30 14 hotels · 5 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 5 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 24,547 | $552K | B+ |
| South Portland | 4 mi west | 5 min | 22 17 hotels · 4 motels · 1 lodge or cabins | 27,007 | $441K | B |
| Saco | 13 mi southwest | 20 min | 24 5 hotels · 8 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 21,159 | $413K | B |
| Freeport | 17 mi north | 25 min | 31 13 hotels · 12 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 5 campgrounds | 8,934 | $508K | B+ |
| Kennebunkport 30% vacation homes | 21 mi southwest | 30 min | 37 16 hotels · 1 motel · 12 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 3,717 | $741K | A− |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Other places close by
These lie within 56 miles as the crow flies.
13 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
56 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee223 mi Ancient sitePopham Colony
33 mi MuseumMaine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
43 mi MuseumPortland Museum of Art
55 mi Scenic railwayConway Scenic Railroad
37 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
513 mi Theme parkFuntown Splashtown USAPhoto credits
Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Lake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Gwernol assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Portland Museum of Art: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Conway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Funtown Splashtown USA: Paulec252, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Your questions on Portland Head Light
Is Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth?
Yes. It’s inside Cape Elizabeth, ME.
When is the best time to visit Portland Head Light?
May, June, July, August and September, with highs of 63–79°.
How far is Portland Head Light from Boston?
About 98 miles southwest of Boston, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Portland Head Light?
Portland International Jetport (PWM), about 5 miles away.
Where should I stay near Portland Head Light?
Portland (1 mi, 65 places to stay), Old Orchard Beach (10 mi, 99 places to stay) and Scarborough (7 mi, 30 places to stay).
What locals in Cape Elizabeth say
Start the conversation in Cape Elizabeth’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.