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Egg Rock Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Entrance to Frenchman Bay
Closest City: Bar Harbor, Maine
Latitude: 44.3534 Longitude: -68.1383
Body of Water: Frenchman Bay
Open to Public: Site: Yes, September thru March
Tower: No
Station Established: 1875
Present Tower Activated: 1875
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 40 ft.
Optic: 250mm Rotating, 1980
Fifth Order Fresnel, 1875
National Register Reference #: 87002270
Listing Name: Egg Rock Light Station
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Located on a huge, barren ledge at the mouth of Frenchman Bay, the Egg Rock lighthouse consists of a 19 foot, square masonry tower with cylindrical lantern room that was removed in 1976  only to be replaced with an aluminum replica by the Coast Guard ten years later due to objections from the public. The tower protrudes from the center of the 1.5 story, wood keeper's residence. Considered downright ugly by some, the original fifth order Fresnel lens was replaced by an airport-type signal at the same time the original tower was removed. A 250mm rotating beacon was installed in 1980 and remains to this day.
Egg Rock, off the eastern shores of Mount Desert Island, marks the seaward approach to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. The light was manned for over 90 years until if was automated in 1966. The site also hosts a brick sound signal building (1904) and a generator house.
The only inhabitants of the ledge over the past forty years have been the many seals and birds that call Egg Rock home. The site, which is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and managed by Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge, is closed to the public during the bird nesting season but is accessible September through March. Still an active aid to navigation, the tower in closed to the public. Numerous boat tours out of Bar Harbor and surrounding communities offer fabulous photo opportunities.
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