Deer Isle is an island town in Penobscot Bay, reached from the mainland by a suspension bridge at Sedgwick. It had 2,194 residents in the 2020 census, according to Wikipedia, and it shares its island with Stonington, the working harbor at the southern end. Long a draw for artists and craftspeople, it is home to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, a string of small galleries, coastal preserves and some of the quietest scenery in Downeast Maine.
Planning your visit? See our guide to things to do on Deer Isle.
Deer Isle is best known for its craft and art community, its granite-quarry history and its bridge-and-causeway approach across Eggemoggin Reach, with Stonington, a lobstering harbor, just down the island.
Deer Isle, Maine at a glance
- County: Hancock County.
- Population: 2,194 (2020 census), according to Wikipedia.
- Villages: Wikipedia lists Deer Isle, Eggemoggin, Little Deer Isle, Mountainville, North Deer Isle, Reach, South Deer Isle, Sunset and Sunshine.
- Next door: Stonington is a separate town on the southern third of the island.
- Getting on the island: a narrow suspension bridge that opened in 1939, according to Wikipedia.
- Size: 123.67 square miles in all, but only 29.72 of it land, according to Wikipedia. Most of the town is water.
Things to do on Deer Isle
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
Haystack is a nationally known craft school on the island, and its campus is at 89 Haystack School Drive in Deer Isle. Its visit page says staff-led campus tours run on Wednesdays from June through August, last about an hour, and cover uneven terrain and many stairs; the tours do not go inside the studios or other buildings. The 2026 tours have ended, and Haystack says 2027 tour information is expected in early May 2027. The campus is open May through October, per the same page, and the school’s winter office is at 22 Church Street in the village. We have not seen a tour fee listed, so check Haystack before you go.
Galleries, studios and shops
The Maine Magazine’s 48-hour guide to the island names the Jill Hoy Gallery (coastal paintings in a white barn outside the village) and J. McVeigh Jewelry, plus The Art of Evelyn Kok in Stonington. It also names Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies in Deer Isle, where you can sample jams and chutneys with scones and tea among life-size metal sculptures by Peter Beerits. Hours change by season, so call ahead.
Hiking and the water
The Island Heritage Trust maintains public preserves around the island. Its page for Settlement Quarry Preserve, which is actually in Stonington, describes trails of about 1.5 to 1.8 miles (the trust gives both figures) through an old quarry, with views of the Merchants Row islands and Isle au Haut from a platform at the top. The Maine Magazine also points to the Barred Island Preserve (a roughly 1.5-mile hike to a tidal sandbar), the Edgar M. Tennis Preserve, Lily Pond Park, and Causeway Beach beside the bridge between North Deer Isle and Little Deer Isle. Old Quarry Ocean Adventures rents kayaks in Stonington. Follow each preserve’s posted rules, which for Settlement Quarry include day use only, no fires and staying on the trails.
Stonington and Isle au Haut
Continue south to Stonington for the working harbor and the Stonington Opera House, a year-round performance venue. Boats from Stonington serve Isle au Haut, where part of Acadia National Park lies. Check the boat company’s current schedule before you plan the trip.
Where to eat on Deer Isle
Aragosta at Goose Cove has moved to 300 Goose Cove Road in Deer Isle, in the former Goose Cove Lodge, after six years on Main Street in Stonington, according to Down East. The Maine Magazine names chef and owner Devin Finigan and dishes such as lobster ceviche and Deer Isle halibut. Down East says it closes from November to April and serves weekend brunch in season, so confirm it is open before you drive down. The Maine Magazine also names 44 North Coffee (roasted on Deer Isle), and, in Stonington, the Harbor Cafe, Stonecutters Kitchen and the seasonal Acadia House Provisions. Our earlier page listed Eaton’s Lobster Pool in Little Deer Isle; we could not confirm its current status, so check before you go.
Where to stay on Deer Isle
The Maine Magazine describes the Pilgrim’s Inn, a National Register property built in 1793 and operating as an inn since 1890, with 12 guest rooms and three cottages overlooking Mill Pond. It also names Goose Cove Resort, the Inn on the Harbor in Stonington and the Deer Isle Hostel. Down East says the Goose Cove property has four ocean-view suites and seven cottages. Availability and seasons vary, so confirm before you book.
Getting to Deer Isle, Maine
Drive down the Blue Hill Peninsula and cross the Deer Isle–Sedgwick suspension bridge over Eggemoggin Reach. By our estimate it takes about an hour and a half from Bangor, a little under two hours from Bar Harbor, and about three hours from Portland. Allow extra time in summer. Once on the island, Route 15 runs south to Stonington.
Best time to visit Deer Isle
Summer is when Haystack runs its Wednesday tours and when most galleries and restaurants are open. Some, including Aragosta, close in the colder months, so winter is quiet and many places have limited hours. In our view early fall is a good time for the preserves, but check what is open.
A short history of Deer Isle
The name and the granite
According to Wikipedia, deer were abundant on the islands, which is how the name arose. The town was incorporated in 1789, when it included Little Deer Isle, Deer Isle and Isle au Haut. Granite from island quarries was used for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Manhattan Bridge and John F. Kennedy’s tomb at Arlington National Cemetery, Wikipedia says.
- 1789: Deer Isle is incorporated.
- 1897: the southern third of the island becomes the separate town of Stonington.
- 1939: the suspension bridge to the mainland opens.
- 1962: John Steinbeck visits while writing Travels with Charley, and writes that “one doesn’t have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle,” according to Wikipedia.
Deer Isle, Maine FAQ
What is Deer Isle, Maine known for?
The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, a community of artists and craftspeople, its granite-quarry history, quiet coastal preserves, and the harbor town of Stonington on the same island.
What are the best things to do on Deer Isle?
Visit galleries and studios, take a Haystack campus tour in summer, hike an Island Heritage Trust preserve, stop at Nervous Nellie’s, and continue to Stonington. See our things to do on Deer Isle guide.
Is Deer Isle the same as Stonington?
No. Stonington has been a separate town since 1897 and covers the southern third of the island. Both are reached by the same bridge, so most visitors see them on one trip.
How do you get to Deer Isle?
By car, across the suspension bridge at Sedgwick. See the directions above.
How big is Deer Isle?
2,194 people in the 2020 census, according to Wikipedia.
Day trips from Deer Isle
- Stonington: the working harbor at the island’s southern end. See our Stonington guide.
- Isle au Haut: reached by boat from Stonington, with part of Acadia National Park.
- Castine: a historic village across the bay, about an hour away by our estimate. See our Castine guide.
- Blue Hill: on the way in, with shops and studios. Check what is open.
Looking for work in Deer Isle? Browse Jobs in Deer Isle on JobsInMaine.com.
Our details come from Wikipedia, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, The Maine Magazine, Down East, and the Island Heritage Trust, checked November 9, 2026. Dates, hours and businesses change, so confirm before you go.