Inner Bay

The Casco Bay Watershed boasts 785 islands, islets, and exposed ledges.

Major Islands
(Island descriptions provided by Casco Bay Island Alliance.)

Chebeague
Chebeague (pronunciation: “shuh big” (without a significant emphasis on either syllable)  is the largest island in Casco Bay at almost five miles long and 1½ miles wide. It is home to over 360 year-round people and more than 1,600 summer residents. Its name means “isle of many springs.” It is served by Casco Bay Lines which calls at Chandler Cove on the southern end of the Island and by Chebeague Transportation Company which runs from Cousins Island to the Stone Wharf on Chebeague. 

Cliff
Cliff Island sits approximately six miles offshore and is the outermost island served by the Casco Bay Lines ferry service. Cliff Island boasts a year round population of approximately 60 people, the smallest of the Casco Bay inhabited islands.  In the summer, it grows to about 200. Originally named “Crotch Island” for its H-shape and natural harbors, the name was changed in 1892 when the island got its first post office. Cliff Island has extensive property under conservation trust, permanently protecting its rural atmosphere. The island is the only year-round island in Casco Bay that has no paved roads and, while cars are allowed, most people walk, bicycle, or use golf carts for transportation.  A barge ramp was added in 2008 to ease delivery of trucks and heavy items.

Great Diamond
Great Diamond Island is located 4 miles off the coast of Portland and has the smallest year round population of the islands serviced by Casco Bay Lines.  This quiet island’s population swells from a low of 50 in winter to 600 in summer.  With less than a square mile of area the island is crisscrossed with miles of dirt roads and foot paths, and is graced by 23 acres of protected Old Growth Forest.  The island is a granite outcropping with numerous small wet sand coves and a few small white sand beaches.

Little Diamond

Little Diamond Island formerly known as Little Hog Island is part of the City of Portland and is the closest island community to Portland.  At low tide it is connected by a sandbar to Great Diamond. The Northwest portion of the island was subdivided in the late 19^th century and is now a summer community of about 55 cottages served by Casco Bay Lines. Most of the remainder of the island was owned until the early 21^st century by the Sisters of Mercy order who operated a seasonal orphanage and retreat house there.

Long
Long Island is located 6 miles off the coast of Portland, accessible by Casco Bay Ferries (about 45 minutes), water taxi or private boat.  The island is 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, and has a winter population of 210 (according to the 2010 census), swelling to over 1000 in the summer. Many residents, summer and winter, work in the lobster industry. Long Island claims the best sand beaches in the bay, including South Beach, a state beach. The island has a “west end” and an “east end” with a conservation area in the center.

Peaks
Peaks Island, the most populous of the Casco Bay islands, is home to some 1,000 year round residents and an additional 4,000 or so summer residents.  It is a favorite summer destination for thousands of day-trippers and vacationers. It lies about 3 miles east of and a 15 minute ferry ride from Portland, Maine. The harbor side of this 720 acre island is where most of the year-round homes, businesses and civic departments are located. The interior and backshore are heavily forested with many newer homes scattered along the shore. A large portion of the forested area is protected by conservation easements.  In 1834 Peaks officially became a neighborhood in the City of Portland.