Marginal Way

Ogunquit takes its name from the Abenaki language, commonly rendered as beautiful place by the sea, and the Wabanaki peoples have long known this stretch of shore. The village grew in the late nineteenth century into a summer resort and an artists' colony drawn by exactly the scenery the path shows off.

The Marginal Way itself was pieced together in the early twentieth century, and a key parcel was donated to the town in the 1920s by a landowner named Josiah Chase, helping secure public access to the cliffs. Over the years the town extended and improved the walkway into the continuous path of today.

Because it was set aside for the public and protected as open shore, the Marginal Way has stayed a walking route rather than being lost to private development, a piece of foresight that keeps this coastline open to everyone who comes to Ogunquit.

The path runs between Ogunquit Beach and Perkins Cove, and most people walk it in one direction and return along the same route or through the village. It is paved and largely gentle, with a few gradual rises, so it suits a wide range of walkers.

Dozens of benches line the way, many given in memory of loved ones, and they invite the unhurried pace the walk deserves, stopping to watch the surf, scan for seabirds, or follow a lobster boat hauling traps offshore.

At the southern end lies Perkins Cove, a small working harbor crossed by a hand-operated pedestrian drawbridge and ringed by galleries, shops, and seafood spots, a natural place to reward the walk with a meal by the water.

The rocks along the way are classic Maine coast, weathered ledge splashed by the tide, and the pools and crevices shelter periwinkles, barnacles, and seaweed between the waves.

Watch offshore for eiders, cormorants, and gulls, and in the right seasons for harbor seals hauled out on rocks or the spouts of whales feeding farther out. Storms send spectacular surf against the cliffs, best admired from a safe distance behind the railings.

The exposure that makes the walk so dramatic also makes it powerful in rough weather. High surf can overtop parts of the path, and the town closes sections when the sea runs dangerously, so it pays to respect posted warnings.

Summer is the classic time to walk the way, with warm air, blue water, and lobster boats working offshore, though it also brings the biggest crowds, which is why locals favor an early-morning stroll before the day fills.

The shoulder seasons and winter reveal a different Marginal Way. Autumn brings crisp light and thinner crowds, and a clear winter day, with the sea steely and the surf loud, can be the most beautiful and solitary time of all to have the cliffs nearly to yourself.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.