Walking the Marginal Way in Maine

The Marginal Way is a 1.25 mile paved cliff walk that runs along the edge of the Atlantic between Shore Road and the fishing harbor at Perkins Cove. It is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful and accessible coastal walks in America.

Unlike rugged hiking trails that demand boots and effort, the Marginal Way is gentle, a meandering path lined with wild roses, bayberry bushes, and wind-sculpted pines. It follows the contour of the rocky headland, rising and falling softly, offering view after view of the crashing surf, granite ledges, and the endless blue of the Atlantic.

This is a walk for everyone: families with strollers, couples seeking romance, elderly visitors wanting ocean views without the hike, photographers chasing the perfect wave shot. The Marginal Way asks nothing of you but to show up and pay attention.

History

The path began with a gift. In 1925, Josiah Chase, Jr. conveyed a mile-long strip of oceanfront property to the Town of Ogunquit, a donation that the Marginal Way Preservation Fund traces back to a modest parcel at a corner of Oarweed Cove. Over time the path was paved and extended into the cliff walk that exists today.

The name comes from its position on the margin between land and sea, the edge where the solid earth gives way to the ever-changing ocean.

On 23 March 2022 the Marginal Way was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In its determination the Maine commission wrote that the path “is locally significant for its association with entertainment/recreation and conservation” and that “the property’s donation to the Town for public use is a significant example of the preservation of sections of the Maine coast for public use during a period of rapid coastal development.”

The path is not self-maintaining. Storms have repeatedly torn out sections of it, and the Marginal Way Preservation Fund was founded in 2010, after one particularly damaging storm, specifically to build an endowment for the repairs. It became a 501(c)(3) in 2011. Maintenance today is shared between the Fund, the Town’s Marginal Way Committee, and the Town of Ogunquit.

The Route

Basics

Length: 1.25 miles one way
Terrain: Paved path, roughly five feet wide in most places, with rolling hills
Direction: Can be walked in either direction
Endpoints: Shore Road, between the Sparhawk Resort and the Anchorage by the Sea (north), and Perkins Cove (south)
Season: Open year round, but the Preservation Fund does not maintain it in winter

Neither the Town nor the Preservation Fund publishes a walking time. Allow the better part of an hour if you plan to stop, which you should.

Accessibility

The Marginal Way is paved throughout. The Preservation Fund’s own answer on strollers and wheelchairs is that yes, both can be accommodated, and that “the path is roughly five feet wide in most areas.”

There is also a loaner wheelchair. The Fund says one is available for public use at the Ogunquit Fire Department: leave your driver’s license with them while you have it, and the license is returned when you bring the chair back.

Beyond that, neither the Town nor the Fund publishes a grade profile or an ADA determination for the path, so if accessibility is critical, scout the section you intend to walk or call ahead. The stairs on the trail are on the side access down to Little Beach, not on the main path.

Which Direction?

North to South (Shore Road to Perkins Cove):

End at Perkins Cove with restaurants and shops
Closer to the larger Main Beach and Obeds lots
Walk toward the morning sun

South to North (Perkins Cove to Shore Road):

Start with coffee and pastry in the Cove
End near the beach end of the village
Walk toward the afternoon sun

The popular choice: Many people walk from the Shore Road end to Perkins Cove, have lunch or explore the harbor, then take the trolley back.

What You’ll See

The Ocean Views

The Marginal Way delivers what it promises: view after view of open Atlantic. You’ll see:

Waves crashing on granite: The rocky coast here is dramatic, with waves exploding against ledges and sending spray into the air during rough conditions.
Tidal zones: Depending on the tide, you’ll see exposed rocks covered in seaweed and barnacles, or churning water reaching high on the ledges.
Open ocean: The view extends to the horizon, uninterrupted.

The Benches

There are 39 benches along the Marginal Way, numbered 1 to 39 on the Town’s trail maps, and the Preservation Fund describes them as sited for unobstructed viewing. Each carries a memorial plaque.

The Town’s FAQ notes that named benches are no longer available, though plaque space on the Marginal Way can still be reserved through the Preservation Fund with a refundable deposit.

The unwritten rule: It is perfectly acceptable. Expected, even. To sit on these benches and do nothing. Stare at the ocean. Watch the waves. Listen to the gulls. This is what the benches are for.

The Landscape

The Preservation Fund lists the native flora along the path as bayberry, honeysuckle, bittersweet, and “gnarled shrubs of fragrant pink and white sea roses.”

Rosa rugosa: The wild beach roses bloom pink and white in early summer, filling the air with fragrance. Even when not blooming, their dense bushes line much of the path.

Gnarled pines: Wind-sculpted trees, bent by decades of ocean wind, frame views and provide occasional shade.

Granite outcrops: The bedrock breaks through in places, reminding you of Maine’s geological foundation.

Named Spots Along the Way

The Town’s trail maps label the features worth slowing down for, and they number the benches, which makes them a handy way to keep your place. Walking north to south from the Shore Road end you pass Little Beach around benches 6 and 7, Mother’s Beach at bench 8, Lobster Point and the lighthouse at benches 9 and 10, the Monument in the low teens, Devil’s Kitchen around benches 17 to 19, the three Frazier Pasture access points in the twenties, and then Cedar Grove and Oarweed Cove as you come into Perkins Cove. The maps also mark a 100-year-old tree, a geology sign, and a footbridge.

Little Beach: a small cove reached by stairs from the Briar Bank access point, marked “D” on the Town’s map, in the northern third of the walk. At low tide it opens up for tide pooling and sitting on smooth rock. At high tide much of it is under water, so check a tide chart before you plan around it.

The lighthouse: near Lobster Point stands a small white structure shaped like a lighthouse. The Preservation Fund’s map calls it the Marginal Way Lighthouse and the Town’s map marks it as access point “E, Lighthouse.” Neither publishes what the structure actually is, so treat the various stories you will hear about it as folklore.

Wildlife

Birds: Seabirds are constant companions, gulls, cormorants, and occasionally ospreys or eagles.

Marine life: Watch for harbor seals in the water, especially in cooler months.

Tide pool creatures: Sea stars, crabs, periwinkles, and anemones in the rocky intertidal zone.

Perkins Cove

The southern terminus of the Marginal Way opens into Perkins Cove, one of the most photographed fishing harbors in Maine. The Town describes it as a working fishing and artist community on a peninsula between the Josias River and Oarweed Cove, with the ocean on one side and a small harbor on the other.

What’s There

The Footbridge: A small pedestrian drawbridge crosses the inlet to the inner harbor, and lifts to let boats through. The Town calls it the Perkins Cove Bridge and lists it as the notable feature of the Cove.

Working Harbor: Despite the tourism, Perkins Cove remains a working harbor. The Town’s Harbormaster describes it as “an active working fishing harbor that provides the livelihood for active commercial fisherman and lobstermen.” Traps are stacked on the docks.

Restaurants: Multiple options from casual lobster shacks to sit-down seafood restaurants. Most have harbor views.

Shops and Galleries: Art galleries, boutiques, candy shops, and souvenir stores fill the small buildings around the cove.

Boat Tours: Whale watching, sailing, and fishing charters depart from the cove.

Eating in Perkins Cove

The cove is a prime lunch spot after your Marginal Way walk:

Lobster rolls: Multiple spots serve the Maine classic
Fried seafood: Clams, scallops, fish
Ice cream: Essential after a walk
Sit-down dining: Several restaurants with water views

Timing: the Cove is busiest around the middle of the day in season. Eating earlier or later makes finding a table easier.

The Shore Road End

The northern trailhead is on Shore Road, between the Sparhawk Resort and the Anchorage by the Sea. From here you can walk into Ogunquit village, continue on to Ogunquit Beach, or catch the trolley.

Practical Information

Parking

Parking in Ogunquit is notoriously challenging in summer. The Town runs eight paid lots and publishes both their sizes and their rates.

Lot	Spaces	2026 rate
Main Beach	410	$9.00/hr, $50.00/day
Footbridge Beach	201	$8.00/hr, $45.00/day
Obeds	175	$6.25/hr, $36.00/day
North Beach	163	$8.00/hr, $45.00/day
Lower Lot	137	$8.25/hr, $46.50/day
Perkins Cove	43	$6.25/hr, 3 hour limit
Jacobs	30	$2.25/hr, 2 hour limit
Upper Lot	27	$2.25/hr, 2 hour limit

All lots run 8am to 9pm, and paid parking is enforced from 17 April to 31 October 2026. The Town resets these rates each spring, so confirm before you budget for a later season.

The Preservation Fund’s own advice on where to leave the car is the two ends: “You can pay to park in season, either in Perkins Cove or at Obed’s Lane Lot, behind the Dunaway Center and Ogunquit Fire Station.” Perkins Cove has only 43 spaces and a three hour limit, so it turns over fast and fills early. Obeds is four times the size and, in the Fund’s words, “nearer the north end and a good place to park with nearby trail access.”

Two things that catch visitors out: the Town prohibits parking on any public way, street, lot or property between midnight and 6:00am, and the Perkins Cove and Obeds lots both have restrooms while the path itself has none.

A workable plan: park at Obeds or Main Beach, walk the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove, eat, and take the trolley back.

The Ogunquit Trolley

The trolley is your best tool for walking the Marginal Way one way without doubling back. It is run by the Ogunquit Trolley Company, a private operator, not by the Town.

2026 season and fares, as published by the operator:

Runs 1 July through 15 October, daily, 9am to 9pm
$5.00 per adult, per ride
$3.00 per child under ten, per ride
Trolleys do not operate in inclement weather

Note the start date. There is no trolley in June, which surprises people who arrive in early summer expecting one.

The 2026 stop list includes Main Beach, the Sparhawk, Perkins Parking Lot and Perkins Cove, so both ends of the Marginal Way are covered. The operator advertises no day pass.

Best Times to Walk

Time of Day:

Early morning: quietest, softest light
Midday: busiest and brightest
Late afternoon and sunset: golden light, thinning crowds

Nobody publishes crowd counts for the Marginal Way, so treat any specific arrival time you read as a guess. The reliable pattern is simply that mornings and evenings are quieter than the middle of the day, and that a summer Saturday is busier than a Tuesday in June.

Season:

Summer: peak crowds but full services, warm weather, flowers blooming
Fall: fewer crowds, comfortable temperatures, trolley running into mid-October
Spring: quiet, can be foggy or cool
Winter: very quiet and dramatic, but see the warning below

Winter, in the Preservation Fund’s own words: you can walk the Marginal Way all year, “however, we don’t maintain it in the winter and there are frequently icy patches from the run-off water, as well as snow.” Take that seriously on a cliff path.

Weather Considerations

Fog: Ogunquit gets foggy, especially in early summer. The Marginal Way in fog has its own moody beauty, but views are limited.

Wind: The exposed coastline is windy. Bring a jacket even on warm days.

Rain: The paved path gets slippery when wet. Passable but less pleasant.

Rough seas: After storms the waves can be spectacular and spray reaches the path in places. The same storms are what damage the path, so check whether any section is closed before you set out.

Rules and Etiquette

Dogs: the Town’s ordinance reads “Dogs are permitted on the Marginal Way from October 1st to March 31st” and “Dogs are not permitted on the Marginal Way from April 1st to September 30th.” Dogs must be on a leash. The beach rule is different, dogs are off Ogunquit Beach from April 1st to September 8th, and are never permitted in the Ogunquit River Estuary. The Town fines a first offence of not removing animal waste at $150, and $250 for each offence after that.

Bikes: prohibited. The Preservation Fund’s answer is blunt: “No; because of the heavy foot traffic along this popular site, bike riding is prohibited.”

Stay on the path: don’t climb down to the rocks except at the marked access points.

Share the path: at roughly five feet wide, it is narrow. Step aside for others, especially those with mobility challenges.

Quiet enjoyment: this is a place for peaceful appreciation. Keep voices and music down.

Weddings: permitted, and common. The Fund asks that you not hold a large celebration on a busy summer weekend, and that you follow the same ordinances that govern the beach, including no liquor and no smoking. The Town Clerk handles the paperwork.

What to Bring

Layers (ocean breeze can be cool)
Camera or phone (you’ll want pictures)
Sunscreen and sunglasses
Water, since there are no facilities on the path itself
Comfortable walking shoes (sneakers fine; no heels)

Combining Marginal Way with Other Activities

A Perfect Ogunquit Morning

Park early at Obeds or Main Beach, before the lots fill
Walk the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove
Explore the cove and watch the footbridge
Lobster roll lunch at the harbor
Trolley back, $5 per adult
Afternoon on Ogunquit Beach

A Romantic Evening

Late afternoon Marginal Way walk as crowds thin
Sunset views from the benches
Dinner reservation in Perkins Cove
Trolley back before the 9pm finish, or walk

With Kids

Time your visit for low tide
Walk to the Briar Bank access and down the stairs to Little Beach
Tide pool exploration
Picnic on the rocks
Ice cream reward in Perkins Cove

The Marginal Way distills the Maine coast experience into a single, accessible walk. No mountain to climb, no trail to navigate, just a path along the edge of the continent where the ocean meets the land. The benches invite you to stop. The views demand attention. And at the end, a fishing harbor with lobster rolls waits.

It has been a gift to the public for a century now, kept open by donations and repaired after every storm. Take your time. Accept the gift.