Shackford Head State Park

About this park

Shackford Head State Park, established in 1989, protects 87 acres of coastal headland on Moose Island in Eastport, Maine's easternmost city and one of the first places in the continental United States to see the sunrise each day. The park's trails climb through spruce-fir forest to open headland overlooks with sweeping views across Cobscook Bay and the Canadian border town of Campobello Island, visible just across the water. Managed as a satellite property of nearby Cobscook Bay State Park, Shackford Head has no campground or beach of its own, offering instead a network of shoreline and inland hiking trails through a landscape shaped by the region's dramatic tides and rugged, rocky coastline. The park's position on Moose Island connects it directly to the small, historic city of Eastport, known for its fishing heritage and distinctly remote, edge-of-the-map character. Because of its far Downeast location, well beyond the reach of most Maine coastal tourism, Shackford Head draws a modest but dedicated stream of hikers specifically seeking out its quiet trails and dramatic bay views. Its combination of genuine wilderness feel and proximity to an actual small city gives it a character distinct from the more remote Cobscook Bay park it is administratively paired with.