Portland Head Light

Cape Elizabeth, Maine | Historic lighthouse

Active aid in USCG Light ListNational RegisterPublic grounds (sourced)Tower closed (sourced)

Plan your visit

Visitor details below were read from the cited pages.

Grounds access: Public park, open year-round from sunrise to sunset; free to enter (donations welcome).Source: Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth, checked 2026-11-11
Tower tours: Tower is open to the public only one day a year, on Maine Open Lighthouse Day.Source: Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth, checked 2026-11-11
Offshore / viewing: Unknown — check for a legal public viewpoint
Parking: Pay-and-display parking at several park lots (card only at meters); no charge in the Overflow lot. Rates are posted by the operator and can change.Source: Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth, checked 2026-11-11
Fees: Park entry free; parking fees apply (see official page). Museum fees: see official page.Source: Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth, checked 2026-11-11
Hours: Park: sunrise to sunset. Museum in the former keepers' quarters: seasonal, Memorial Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, 10 am-4 pm (per the operator page).Source: Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth, checked 2026-11-11
Address (per official source): 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Last checked: November 11, 2026
Official site: portlandheadlight.com

Never trespass: respect closures, Coast Guard property and private land. Report a change.

About this lighthouse

The lighthouse stands in Fort Williams Park, a public park owned and maintained by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. The park is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, and the tower can be photographed from many points in the park.

The U.S. Coast Guard lists Portland Head Light in its current Light List as an aid to navigation, describing the structure as “White tower”. Light List entries describe the light for mariners; they do not say whether the site is open to visitors.

The structure is recorded in the National Register of Historic Places. A National Register listing documents historic significance. It does not mean the public can visit.

Awaiting verification: Wikidata gives 1791 as the year this station or structure was established. We have not yet confirmed this against a primary source, so it is not shown as a fact. See the Wikidata lead.

Facts panel

Sourced facts about Portland Head Light
Managed / operated by	Town of Cape Elizabeth (Fort Williams Park)
Navigation status	Listed as an aid to navigation in the current USCG Light List (LLNR 7565) [1]
Light characteristic	Fl W 4s [1]
Focal height	101 ft above water [1]
Nominal range	19 nautical miles [1]
Structure (USCG description)	White tower. [1]
National Register	Listed as “Portland Headlight” (NRIS 73000121), NPGallery record dated 4/24/1973 [2]
NRHP significant years	1790 1891 1885 [2]
NRHP areas of significance	Commerce Transportation Architecture Communications [2]
County	Cumberland County
Coordinates	43.62306, -70.20778 [3]

Getting there

Directions should target a legal public viewing location. The official source lists: 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107.

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open larger map. The pin marks the lighthouse position, not a parking area or a permitted viewpoint.

Accessibility

We have no verified accessibility information for this site yet. Contact the site manager before your visit if you need step-free access.

Nearby lights

Straight-line distance between lighthouse positions, not a driving time or route.

Ram Island Ledge Light — 1.2 mi straight-line (Maine)
Spring Point Ledge Light — 2.2 mi straight-line (Maine)
Portland Breakwater Light — 2.6 mi straight-line (Maine)
Cape Elizabeth Light — 4.0 mi straight-line (Maine)
Halfway Rock Light — 8.8 mi straight-line (Maine)

Sources

Light List Vol. I entry LLNR 7565 “Portland Head Light” — U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (weekly edition 11/11/2026). https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/weekly-light-lists (checked 2026-11-11)
National Register of Historic Places record 73000121: “Portland Headlight” — National Park Service, NPGallery (NRHP). https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/73000121 (checked 2026-11-11)
Wikidata item Q2105159 (used as a lead for coordinates and identifiers) — Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2105159 (checked 2026-11-11)
Wikipedia article (background reading, not a primary source) — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Head_Light (checked 2026-11-11)
Park Information - Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park — Fort Williams Park / Town of Cape Elizabeth. https://portlandheadlight.com/contact/ (checked 2026-11-11)

Last checked November 11, 2026. Found an error or a closure? Send a correction.