Sheep

Located near the eastern entrance to the Deer Isle Thorofare, Sheep Island is composed of spruce forest rimmed with pink granite. The owner maintains paths that lead through stately stands of mast trees and spruce thickets in an island populated with osprey, songbirds of many kinds, otter, and deer.

Visitors can hike the trails, enjoy the ledges and tiny pocket beaches, and camp in the two designated areas on the west side of the island. The larger site is located at the southwest corner of the island, facing Little Sheep Island. It can accommodate six people, and it is quite possible to focus group impact on the granite ledges at the shoreline. A smaller site for two people can be found at the northwest end of the island. A trail enters the woods near a small clearing and a campsite can be found at the start of the trail.

There is no historical record of habitation on Sheep in the 1900s. It seems to have been used for a sheep pasture and as a woodlot. A conservation easement held by the [Island Heritage Trust](https://www.islandheritagetrust.org/) protects this island from development in perpetuity.

Sheep was the very first private island to be included on the Maine Island Trail and it deserves our ongoing careful stewardship.