Wild and Free! Cutler Coast Backpacking in Maine | The "Bold" Coast & West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

What a beautiful spring weekend! After watching the easternmost sunrise in America at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse (must do), we headed from The Inn on the Wharf (amazing views, great prices, delicious breakfast) to park at the trailhead.
We walked out on the ocean side of the Fairy Head Loop and returned the Inland side of the loop the next day due to rain making those more technical rock areas seem more sketchy. We registered at the trailhead, which is supposed to be required so that hikers know if they'll have a site ahead before lugging out all their gear. However, several groups had not registered, so just be prepared for anything! There is no fee or permit required, so this registration is all they require (along with following posted rules).
You can find their brochure and map with noted campsites here:
www.maine.gov/...
All Trails also has the Fairy Head loop with some campsites noted if you use their app.
If you can't seem to find the Fairy Head sites, either start climbing some stairs and/or look for the hanging buoys next to another path.
There were a lot of blowdowns this early in the season (late April), but there was always a way to get around, under, or over. Maybe 3 areas were more difficult (blowdown-wise), but nothing that couldn't be done. Our clothes were treated with permethrin (highly recommend when in this area!), so we were comfortable bushwhacking a bit around the trees and then just doing vigilant checks after.
It was an AMAZING trip that we'll remember forever. So incredible to fall asleep right above the waves crashing on the rocks, feeling the marine layer swirl around us. This was my husbands first backpacking trip and I've put over 500 miles into backpacking, but we both thought it was a moderate hike with fully loaded packs; they do advise you to pack in all water, so that adds a bit of weight. Speaking of water! I did notice several fresh water streams, but they seem pretty seasonal. Use your best judgement when carrying in water, and bring a filter just in case.
As always, thanks for being here! Means so much :)
Music licensed by Soundstripe.

[@MichaelJones-lq5is]

For those interested in this area I recommend the Boot Head trail, between Quoddy and Cutler. This super mossy trail has a blowhole at the end, a very unique and interesting feature. Very tide dependant though. I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's a couple hours before high tide that it does it's thing. But, there's a lot of newer preserves in this area, I'm sure none will disappoint. The trails at Quoddy Head are also amazing.

[@tinwenwalks]

One thing I definitely want to do is go back and explore more trails on either side of the preserve. These are great suggestions, thank you so much ☺️

[@martinrivera3385]

+1 for Verve coffee!

[@tinwenwalks]

😆 so good

[@JUANORQUIO]

W❤️W! That’s Awesome! Cheers for more exciting and incredible adventures!🥂❤️✨

[@tinwenwalks]

Thank you! 😊

[@lauralossie3893]

Excellent video, thank you for sharing!! I can’t wait to hit this trail. Were there spots to hang a hammock at your site?

[@tinwenwalks]

Thank you 😊 there could have been, or at least nearby….i know I’ve seen photos of people hanging hammocks at the earlier sites along the way for sure. Hope you have an awesome time out there!

[@Thomas_J_Giraffamann]

👍

[@tinwenwalks]

🙌

[@BrianPowersHomes]

Excellent video, thank you! We will be there next week. We can't do an entire day but we will be doing a 4-5 hour hike through Cutler. How much of the Coastal Path can we cover if we do 2.5 hours out from the parking lot and 2.5 hours back in?

[@tinwenwalks]

We had a lot of fallen trees that slowed us down, but you should be able to make it at least halfway before turning around and get all the good views. The AllTrails app also shows a shorter option to take the coastal trail to an ocean lookout if you end up more pressed for time.

[@tinwenwalks]

We can't wait to go back, it was one of our faves ever ❤️

[@BrianPowersHomes]

@@tinwenwalks Now that I think about it more we might just end up spending the day at Cutler so we can do the whole coastal trail. Was trying to split time between Cutler and West Quoddy Head but Cutler seems worth it.

[@tinwenwalks]

You could always just do West Quoddy for the sunrise (also a cool experience), it's a quick 20ish mins or so to the Cutler trailhead from there. Depends on the weather, been so rainy this summer 🌧⛈️ hope yall enjoy the journey, whatever it ends up being!