Spaulding

One of the few overnight camping options in the Muscle Ridge Channel, 25-acre Spaulding Island sits at the mouth of the Weskeag River about midway between Tenants Harbor and Owls Head Light. In 2014 the entire island was protected with a conservation easement held by [Maine Coast Heritage Trust](https://www.mcht.org/), which ensures that it will remain a largely wild, undeveloped island in perpetuity. The owners live in two cottages on the southern side facing the Muscle Ridge Channel. Their privacy should be respected.

A tiny campsite is located approximately halfway down the northwest shoreline of Spaulding at a site marked by a small cairn. Moss-covered and among a dense forest of mixed spruce and hardwoods, the campsite has a wild, pristine feel to it. This quiet, sheltered site, just large enough for a two person tent, overlooks a cove covered with mussel beds (check the red tide hotline) that dries out during the bottom third of the tide, limiting access. A low tide at the wrong time of day could slow your departure, so check the tide tables carefully.