At the highest tide mark, just above the last row of seaweed you can see jumbled piles of driftwood, smoothed by the action of the sea and deposited high on the beaches during winter storms to dry and bleach under the hot summer sun. Long regular rows of blackening seaweed mark the passage of each tide. The scene is an ever changing one as each tide slowly rearranges the pattern of the rocks, the sand and the residue from the sea. This narrow band between the low and high water mark is a world of its own populated with plant and animal life peculiarly adapted to living part of each day submerged by the ocean water and the rest of the time exposed to the drying sun and wind. No visit to Washington County would be complete without the thrill of discovering the beauty of the beaches and rocky cliffs that form the boundary between the pounding sea and the land. The left-hand fork is a shortcut through the resort, but the resort management prefers that you not go that way unless you are a guest at the resort.Washington County on the East Coast of Maine You can be seriously injured from waves and from falling on the rocks, so be careful, or be safe and just enjoy the view from the beach.Ĭoming back, when you get near Carambola Beach Resort, you will find a fork in the trail. To get to the pools, you have to climb carefully along the rocky shoreline, staying close to the water. Waves crash into the tide pools, and the water cascades out. It is too steep and unsafe for most people, but the view of the valley from the top is nice, so take a look, and then go back and take the side trail.Īt Wills Bay, there are small tide pools on the west end of the beach (to the left as you face the water). * If you miss the side trail, you will soon come to a very steep downhill section of trail. Turn right on the dirt road, which goes to Wills Bay.

Turn left on that side trail, which goes downhill, ending at a dirt road. The main trail continues straight west, but look for a side trail on the left (south)*, marked by a piece of cloth tied to a tree branch. After about 30 minutes, you will come to an open grassy area. When you climb up the embankment, there is a sign saying, 'Trumbull Trail.' If you can’t find it, ask at the guardhouse.įollow the trail west through the forest. On the right side of the road is a small embankment. Walk back to the paved road that you took from the guardhouse, and follow it uphill until it is passable only on foot. Turn right to the first parking area, or go straight and left to the second parking area, where you'll see various material piled up.

The trailhead is straight up this road, but you will park first. Annaly Bay and its large tide pools is further west, and the terrain and directions from Wills Bay to Annaly Bay are difficult, so it is not described here.)įrom the intersection of Route 80 and Route 69 on the north shore, go west on the shore road for about 1 mile to Carambola Beach Resort. (Wills Bay is sometimes mistakenly called Annaly Bay. The trail is usually clear, and short pants should be OK. The trail is mostly forest and shaded, and it closely follows the north shore, although there is no access to the water from the trail until Wills Bay.

St croix tidal pools