Directions
Bass Harbor lighthouse is the easiest of the Acadia National Park lighthouses to visit. There is a short walk which takes you to a series of wooden steps that lead you down onto the many granite boulders that provide a great view of the harbor side of the lighthouse. Bass Harbor lighthouse is located in Bass Harbor/Seawall area of Acadia National Park. Which is located in the southwestern part of Acadia. Acadia National Park map is available under the map and resources page. If traveling by car from the head of Mount Desert Island, from Route 3 bear right into the west lane onto State Route 198(also known as Rte 102 & Rte 3). Travel about 4 miles then turn left on Rte 102 south. Passing through Southwest Harbor continue to Rte 102 A. Pass through Bass Harbor, going about 2 miles. The road turns left towards the east, before this sharp turn in the road, continue straight onto Lighthouse Road, and the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
This location requires minimal route
exploration. Select the green
“View Map” tab to view this location on Google maps. Enter your starting point for detailed
driving directions. Download a free copy
of the Four Factors of Filter Highlight Photography in PDF format by selecting
the “ebook download” tab above. This 37 page guide covers how
to take a single image and apply minor manipulations that will help you produce
consistent reproducible results. You will also learn the processes of camera set-up, image
editing, and advance scouting techniques used by professional photographer
Christian James. Free park maps,
tide tables reports, ebooks and additional information can be found under the
Maps and Resource tab located in the black bar at the top of the screen. The best time to photograph this locations is
sunrise and sunset. Nikon D3x 14-24mm Lens @
20mm f16@ 1/6 second ISO 50
Exposure Value -1.3 with a 3 Stop (0.9) Soft-Step Spilt ND Filter. 10/23/11 4:28 p.m.
The provided degree readings when combined with computer software such as SunPath and a Suunto Degree Dial will tell you what degree and angle the sun will rise and set. This advance scouting allows photographers to plan their trip during the right time of year.
The provided tide table gives an example of suitable days when the tide and sunset correlate to similar conditions when this photo was taken. At low tide, exposed rocks extend 20-30 feet down and to the left of the frame. At high tide, the rocks in this photo with black coloration would be underwater. The ideal conditions for Bass Harbor Lighthouse is what I call "mid-tide." The easiest way to figure out mid-tide is to add/subtract 3-4 hours from low/high tide and sunset. Example: if sunset is at 8 pm the ideal low tide time would be 4-5 pm this would create "mid-tide" because high tide would be between 11-11:59pm. So basically as long as high tide or low tide is 3-4 hours before sunset conditions would be ideal. Free tide reports can be found under the "Maps and Resources" tab located in the black bar at the top of the screen.
