Goose Rocks [lighthouses]
Stay at Goose Rocks

For those who desire a more extended lighthouse experience,  Goose Rocks can  accommodate up to 8  guests or be used for longer visits as a token of appreciation to those who support our mission of lighthouse preservation. Donations to Beacon Preservation fund 100% of its expensive restoration and upkeep, encouraging  us to make Goose Rocks available to those whose financial support provide the foundation for lighthouse survival.  Such dedication to lighthouse preservation is often accompanied by a strong desire to experience a real “slice of lighthouse life” with a prolonged visit, offering visitors a chance to absorb the beauty of the Fox Islands as the Goose Rocks lighthouse keepers did for nearly 80 years. 

Minimum donations have been established, particularly in the popular summer months, to allow us to offer a full range of services and amenities to our supporter-guests and maximize our ability to maintain Goose Rocks for future generations.  If you have a specific date or timeframe in mind for your visit or event, contact us early to reserve your time at Goose Rocks.  It’s our way of saying “thank you” for your contribution and support.

Remember, your donation entitles a party of six (6) family and/or friends  to enjoy Goose Rocks for up to 24 hours;  contact us if you need to accommodate more than six people or wish to bring children under 18 years of age. See our “Frequently Asked Questions” for all the details about getting to Goose Rocks and how Goose Rock supporters are able to avail themselves of a Goose Rocks visit.

View our new online calendar for Goose Rocks availability!

2010 Pre-Solar Installation "Be a Keeper" SPECIAL: 

We've reduced our suggested donation rates by $100 a night for stays through July 31, 2010 while we refurbish the Goose Rocks "keep" kitchen and bathroom.  During this reconfiguring of electric and plumbing and installation of new solar and battery system, the Goose Rocks keeper's experiences will be more "camper style" stay with only oil lamps and flashlights for lighting, bottled water for drinking, Weber grill for cooking, cooler for refrigerator, and down comforters for warmth.  Goose Rocks now has a composting toilet!    If you're up for the quasi-camper challenge, enjoy Goose Rocks' four comfortable and well-furnished upper level rooms and three catwalk decks while the basement-keep is mostly "off limits" during restoration. 

All donations for 2010 go toward the installation of our new solar panel array, marine wind turbine, and desalinization system, a project conducted as part of our Green Light Academy (www.GreenLightAcadeME.org)curriculum to teach "green collar" skills and technology to high school students. The installation has recently been rescheduled for August 1-14th, 2010 to accommodate our Green Light students.  Thanks to the coordinated efforts of Green Light Academy and Purepoint Energy, by August 15th we will have a complete sustainable energy system, including battery-stored electricity, and reverse-osmosis system to provide clean, running water for our kitchen and bathroom.

Please note:  your boat transportation from North Haven to the lighthouse, and overnight visit at Goose Rocks, includes up to six people.  Please add $100 for each additional keeper (up to 8 maximum with prior permission). 

MAY:  $400 minimum donation per day

May visits are often, by necessity, based on “short-notice” arrangement.  May is a month which is often cold, and weather and sea conditions will dictate our ability to safely transport visitors to Goose Rocks.  If you want to visit in May, please be flexible with your dates or willing to book last-minute as conditions allow;  please note that the Memorial Day weekend (Saturday through Monday) is priced separately.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:   minimum donation of $2000 for 3-day weekend

JUNE:  $500 minimum donation per day
June can be one of the brightest or wettest months of spring, sunny in the afternoons but sometimes cold at night and foggy in the mornings.  This is often considered the “renter’s season” on North  Haven, with restaurants opening to their full summer schedule and a fresh season of social and cultural events offered at Waterman’s Community Center on North Haven. This is a great month, if you can roll with the changing weather or enjoy smaller crowds,  to make Goose Rocks a unique vacation destination --or even “side diversion”—during a visit to MidCoast Maine.

JULY:  $600 minimum per day
July features a full complement of North Haven’s longtime summer crowd.  Rockland's Blues Festival and other local events make for lively crowds.  In North Haven, three restaurants and a deli stay busy with the expanded population, and Waterman’s offers daily activities for children while featuring a theatrical, musical, or cultural event almost every evening. The Farmer’s Market can be found at the ball field every Saturday morning, and a reservation is usually required to ensure your car gets on a specific ferry. The weather is typically in the 70s and 80s, with long sunny days, cool evenings, and brilliant sunsets.

AUGUST:  $800 minimum per day
August is the most popular month for vacationing in Maine. The weather is at its best: sunny and clear, with most days in the 80s or 90s and evenings balmy and mild.  Rockland’s Lobster Festival , North Haven's "Lungfest", and the onslaught of travelers and tourists to the Penobscot Bay region can make accommodation on the mainland nearly impossible, so this is an ideal time to enjoy an extended visit to Goose Rocks, or use it as an overnight stop if sailing or boating through the Fox Island Thoroughfare to the Acadia region.  The sunrises and sunsets as viewed from Goose Rocks are absolutely amazing, and stargazing (especially watching meteor showers!) is highly rated by previous keepers.

SEPTEMBER:  $600 minimum per day

September can be a really gorgeous time of year;  the  crowds have died down but the parade of sailboats and windjammers is still in full effect in the Thorofare.  Cooler mornings and evenings give way to bright sunny days in the 70s, but the water is often still warm enough for a swim. The sunsets are still rosey, and moon- and star-gazing is often at its best this time of year.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND:  Minimum donation of $4,000 for Labor Day Weekend (3 day stay)

 OCTOBER:  $500 minimum  per day; 

Columbus Day weekend $600 per day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Like May, October can be a tempermental month for weather, with nor’easter winds and even hurricanes  possible as climate cools.  Still, it is an extremely mild and beautiful time of year to enjoy the changing seasons, colorful foliage, and fading light, so for the adventurous who enjoy solitude we try to accommodate flexible visitors as long as weather and sea conditions permit.  The broad scarlet sunsets are some of the most colorful of the year.

See our “Frequently Asked Questions” for all the details about getting to Goose Rocks and how Goose Rock supporters are able to avail themselves of a Goose Rocks visit.