Phippsburg: Coast, Nature and History

Phippsburg offers several ways to plan your trip: beach visits, trails through protected coastal landscapes, and places with military or colonial history. If you’re looking for a hotel, first consider which of these themes you want to shape your stay. The places vary in character and in their stated access conditions. This can help you make your choice based on what you’d like to do.

Beach Visits and Opening Hours

Popham Beach State Park is located on Maine Route 209 in Phippsburg. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to sunset unless otherwise noted; the entrance gate may temporarily close before sunset. Since access conditions can change seasonally, it’s a good idea to check the park’s notices before your visit. The park has bathhouses, solar-heated freshwater showers for rinsing off, and charcoal grills. The eastern picnic area was lost to winter storms.

The Phippsburg Land Trust properties have different hours: they are open to everyone year-round, free of charge, from sunrise to sunset. These different hours are a practical point of reference when planning your visits throughout the day.

Hiking and Coastal Landscapes

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area is an area for hiking and beach visits. It encompasses around 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands. It extends from the Sprague River, across the Morse River, to the upper edge of Seawall Beach. Hiking and visiting the beach here lets you experience a vast coastal landscape of protected salt marshes and coastal uplands.

Ridgewell Preserve offers views of Seguin Island and the Atlantic Ocean. The trail passes through wooded areas to “Dinosaur Rocks”; from there, a short path leads to a viewpoint overlooking Seguin Island.

Island Access and Historic Sites

Malaga Island Preserve is a 42-acre conservation area at the mouth of the New Meadows River in Phippsburg. Malaga Island is accessible only by boat. After landing on the beach on the north shore, recreational visitors can explore the island on a nearly one-mile loop trail through its wooded interior.

Malaga Island is also a place with a turbulent history: from the mid-19th century until 1912, the island was home to a racially mixed fishing community. In 1912, the residents were forcibly evicted by the State of Maine. This history is as much a part of understanding the place as its present-day designation as a conservation area.

Other historical references span several centuries. The Popham Colony was an English colony founded in 1607 in Phippsburg, Maine. Fort Baldwin was built between 1905 and 1912 and originally consisted of three batteries. Fort Popham is a granite-built fort on the banks of the Kennebec River, constructed during the Civil War.

Wilbur Preserve protects the southern half of Cox’s Head. The site was the scene of militia activity during the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Together with the forts and the Popham Colony, it offers a selection of historical themes spanning different periods.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

These places offer specific points of interest for planning your stay; Malaga Island also has a special access requirement. When choosing a hotel, compare the details of each offer and make your decision based on the destinations that will shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Bath, West Bath and Topsham.

View the broader travel guide: Sagadahoc County.