Which landing do you want? Isle au Haut has two, and the ferry treats them very differently. Town Landing is the village: post office, store, church, school, and a working lobster harbor. It is served every week of the year, in every one of the operator's four seasonal tables. Duck Harbor is a float at the edge of Acadia National Park, closest to the campground and the trailheads, and it is on the timetable only while the seasonal tables run.
The boat that serves both is Isle au Haut Boat Services, which locals call the Mailboat because it carries mail and freight as well as people. It has been running for more than sixty years, became a non-profit in 2002, and covered about 84 % of its costs from fares, mail and freight in 2025 — the balance coming from the Town of Isle au Haut, the Maine DOT, the National Park Service and donors. That mix explains why a 45-minute crossing to an island of sixty-odd people still runs on a winter Tuesday.
Everything in the grid underneath belongs to the fall season, which runs to October 12, 2026. The day after that the winter table takes over, and with it the two changes that catch visitors out: no Sunday service, and no Duck Harbor.
Three sailings on weekdays, two on Sunday, and where Duck Harbor fits
Monday to Saturday, to October 12
| From Stonington wharf, Seabreeze Avenue | From Isle au Haut Town Landing |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | 08:00 |
| 10:00 | 11:45 |
| 15:30 | 17:00 |
Sunday, to October 12
| From Stonington wharf, Seabreeze Avenue | From Isle au Haut Town Landing |
|---|---|
| 10:00 | 11:45 |
| 15:30 | 17:00 |
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, October 13 to May 22
| From Stonington wharf, Seabreeze Avenue | From Isle au Haut Town Landing |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | 08:00 |
| 15:30 | 16:15 |
Tuesday and Thursday, October 13 to May 22
| From Stonington wharf, Seabreeze Avenue | From Isle au Haut Town Landing |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | 08:00 |
| 11:30 | 12:15 |
| 15:30 | 16:15 |
Fall schedule, August 31 – October 12, 2026, with the winter tables that follow it; read from the operator on September 22, 2026 Isle au Haut Boat Services — Schedule · 2026-09-22
What a seat, a bike and a parking space cost in Stonington
Tickets are sold face to face at the Stonington booth on the day you travel, first come first served — there is nothing to reserve online for the scheduled boats, and nothing to buy on the island. Two pieces of luggage travel with every ticket; a third costs extra, counted before you reach the window.
The parking rates below matter more than they look. Almost everyone leaves a car on Deer Isle for the length of their stay, and the operator sells the space along with the seat.
| Adult, round trip | $ 48 |
| Adult, one way | $ 24 |
| Child, round trip | $ 24 |
| Child, one way | $ 12 |
| Ticket book, 20 trips | $ 450 |
| Pets | Free |
| Adult | $ 34 |
| Child | $ 17 |
| Bag beyond the first two | $ 3 |
| Bicycle | $ 15 |
| E-bike or kayak | $ 35 |
| Luggage box, small (25 cu ft) | $ 35 |
| Luggage box, large (35 cu ft) | $ 45 |
| Outdoor, per day | $ 14 |
| Half day | $ 8 |
| Indoor, per day | $ 16 |
| Outdoor, per month | $ 235 |
| Indoor, per month | $ 285 |
Fares read from the operator on September 22, 2026; parking rates as posted for 2026, effective June 1 Isle au Haut Boat Services — Tickets & Rates, and Getting Here & Parking · 2026-09-22
A wharf on Deer Isle, a float at the end of a village road
The asymmetry between the two ends is the thing to plan around: one has a ticket booth, a parking lot and a phone number, and the other has a post office and a store.
Stonington wharf, Seabreeze Avenue
Everything transactional happens here. Tickets are sold in person at the Ticket Booth on the day of travel, first come first served, from May through October; in winter they are sold on the boat instead. Parking is dockside — you stop at the booth first and a dockhand tells you where to put the car — and there are three slow chargers for electric vehicles if you call ahead.
Check-in closes early by small-boat standards: 30 minutes before departure, ticket-book holders included, and the operator suggests 45 minutes to an hour on summer and holiday weekends. Luggage carts are kept on the gangway, and there is a restroom on the dock.
Isle au Haut Town Landing
The Town Landing is the middle of a year-round community of a little over sixty people: post office, island store, Congregational church, Revere Memorial Hall with the town offices and library, and the K–8 school are all within walking distance of the float. It is a working harbor, so the lobster boats have priority over sightseers on the pier.
There is no ticket booth on the island side and no way to buy a fare there, which is why the return is settled in Stonington. A composting toilet sits at the Ranger Station, 0.3 miles south of the landing.
Down through Merchant's Row to the Isle au Haut Thorofare
The run threads out of Stonington between the islands of Merchant's Row and turns into the Thorofare, which is why the operator sells the same boat as a sightseeing cruise. Among New England's crossings that is a rare piece of double duty.
Check-in, gear, and what happens when the boat fills
- Thirty minutes, no exceptions
Every passenger checks in at the Ticket Booth at least 30 minutes before departure to secure a seat, including people travelling on a 20-trip ticket book. On summer and holiday weekends the operator asks for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Day hikers should ride to Duck Harbor
Duck Harbor is the closest landing to the Acadia trailheads and the campground. From Town Landing it is roughly four miles by road or wooded trail, which is a walk, not a stroll.
- Bikes and kayaks stop at Town Landing
The operator is not permitted to carry bicycles or kayaks to the National Park float. If either is part of your trip you get off at Town Landing and ride or paddle from there.
- Luggage boxes are booked, not bought on the day
Reserve a box at least 24 hours in advance, then arrive an hour before departure for packing and loading. There is no hoist at Duck Harbor, so anything landed there has to be carried by hand.
- The captain can bump you
Passengers, luggage and freight all travel at the captain's discretion, and if the boat fills, people or gear move to the next sailing. In winter that can mean a long wait for the next one.
- Services on the island are thin
There is a store, a post office and, in summer, a lunch cart parked outside it several days a week. Bring what you need, especially water and layers: the park service notes that the island runs about 10 °F cooler than the mainland.
Sixty residents and half a national park
The Wabanaki called the island Sulessik, seashell place. Samuel Champlain, working along the Maine coast in 1604, named it High Island — Isle au Haut — because it carries the highest ground in Penobscot Bay. A small summer colony arrived in the 1880s, and in 1943 the heirs of its founder gave part of the island to the federal government. That gift is why nearly half of Isle au Haut is Acadia National Park today, with 18 miles of trail, a mile-long freshwater lake, five miles of paved road and seven of rough track.
The other half is private: summer houses and a year-round fishing community of a little over sixty people. For them the boat is not scenery. It is how the high school students get to school, how the doctor is reached and how parcels arrive, and it is one reason Isle au Haut is still one of the few unbridged island towns left in Maine. The same coast carries two quite different arrangements: a municipal transit district at Peaks Island, and a private company on the Frenchman Bay run to Winter Harbor.
Planning a day, or a week, on Isle au Haut
Should I get off at Town Landing or at Duck Harbor?
If you are coming to hike Acadia for the day, Duck Harbor — it is the direct access to the campground and the trailheads. If you are visiting the village, staying overnight outside the campground, or bringing a bike or a kayak, Town Landing. The two are about four miles apart by road or trail.
Does the Duck Harbor stop run all year?
No. The operator's spring, summer and fall tables include it; the winter table, valid October 13 to May 22, states No Duck Harbor Service and No Sunday Service. Town Landing is served year-round.
How early do I have to be at the ticket booth?
Thirty minutes before departure at the very least, and that applies to ticket-book holders too. On summer and holiday weekends the operator asks for 45 minutes to an hour, because parking and loading take time on a crowded dock.
Where do I leave the car in Stonington?
On the operator's own dock: $14 a day outdoors, $16 indoors, $8 for a half day, and $235 or $285 by the month. Stop at the Ticket Booth first and wait for a dockhand to point you at a space.
Can I take a bicycle or a kayak over?
To Town Landing yes — $15 for a bike, $35 for an e-bike or a kayak, each way. To Duck Harbor no: the operator is not allowed to land them at the National Park float, so anything on wheels or a hull disembarks in the village.
Can I buy a ticket on Isle au Haut for the trip back?
There is no ticket booth on the island at all. Buy the round trip at Stonington before you sail. The one exception to booth sales is winter, when tickets are sold on the boat rather than in the booth.
What is the Round Trip Cruise, and why is it cheaper?
The same scheduled sailing, ridden out and back without leaving the boat: $34 for an adult against $48 for a full round trip. On some sailings you can step off briefly at Town Landing.
Is there really an extra dollar on the fare?
The operator advertises a temporary $1.00 fuel surcharge on each adult one-way fare, with child fares exempt, to come off when diesel prices settle. Its notice is dated "effective May 1" with no year attached, so budget for it and ask at the window.
The winter table mentions special Sundays in spring. Can I rely on those?
Not from the published text. The operator lists March 28 and April 25 in both 2026 and 2027 with different directions attached, and the 2026 dates were Saturdays that fall outside the winter table's own validity. Until that is corrected, call (207) 367-5193 before planning around a spring Sunday.