Cumberland Chebeague LAnd Trust

Indian Point



Public Access: Yes

Parking Location: Parking is limited to five vehicles in the designated area

Restrictions: No cutting or removal of vegetation, access to sandbar is limited to pedestrian traffic only, no access on the road to the boathouse beyond the section marked "private."

Description and History:

Indian Point, also known as "The Hook," is located on the west side of Chebeague Island adjacent to the tidal sandbar to Little Chebeague Island. In 1999 the owners and stockholders of the Indian Island Company, granted a conservation easement to CCLT on twenty-five acres of land, with 3,700 feet of shoreline, "to provide significant public benefit, in particular for the residents and property owners of Chebeague Island and the Town of Cumberland, by preserving forever in substantially its current form and usage:"
  • the wildlife habitat and open space;
  • the scenic views to and from Casco Bay and the adjacent Little Chebeague Island, a state park;
  • the continued availability of pedestrian and vehicular access across, and parking on, a portion of the property to accomodate pedestrian acess across the beach to the adjeacent tidal sand bar to Little Chebeague;
  • the availability of a portion of the property for low-impact outdoor recreational use and nature observation by residents and property owners of Chebeague and Cumberland and their guests.
Visitors to The Hook will immediately understand why the Indian Island company wanted to include the property in its holdings in the 1930s. There is a windswept wildness to this place that is uncommon in the center of Casco Bay. Sea birds gather to feed at low tide, the mussel beds shift with the seasons, and the open view is exhilarating. Indan Point is a sand bar, an ecosystem extremely vulnerable to erosion, therefore it is essential to respect the restrictions listed above and which are also included in the easement.

We are fortunate that the current owners - heirs and neighbors of the original TIC stockholders - wanted to share this exceptional place in perpituity.

Susan Burgess