Higgins Beach
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Higgins Beach is a beach in Maine, at a modelled elevation of 0 m. Blackstrap Hill stands 151 m to the north, 14 miles off. The nearest named place is Spurwink Hill, a peak 0.7 miles away. PEQUAWKET TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY passes 20 miles off.
The story
Higgins Beach is a small beach located in the state of Maine, United States. It is located in the town of Scarborough in Cumberland County. The beach is north of Prouts Neck and Old Orchard Beach and south of Crescent Beach State Park. This northeast-southwest trending beach measures approximately 0.6 miles (1.0 km) and is approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Portland and 110 miles (177 km) north of Boston. It lies between bedrocks at the southwest, sometimes known as Thunder Cove, and the Spurwink River on the northeastern end. This small seaside community has approximately 300 cottages. In addition, the community has two inns (The Breakers and the Higgins Beach Inn) which are open during the summer season. Higgins Beach is most known for its family-oriented oceanside neighborhood, striped bass fishing, the beach's quaintness, the shipwreck embedded in the beach's sands, and surfing. The beach has had public access for as long as the town has record, but with very little public parking. In 2010, the town of Scarborough purchased a small parking lot accommodating approximately 75 vehicles. Higgins Beach has managed to retain at least some of its small-town characteristics, something that larger beaches in the area such as Old Orchard have lost in return for commercialization and tourism. However, residential gentrification has taken place in the neighborhood steadily since the early 2010s, with numerous new and affluent homes recently appearing in the community. However, the vast majority of the neighborhood still survives on the small number of families who have owned property in the area or otherwise returned year after year for decades. Some of its current residents began coming to Higgins Beach in this way.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q5754266, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 19.7 mi off the PEQUAWKET TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY
Named places within 25 miles
- Spurwink Hill: 0.7 mi
- Cross Hill: 2.3 mi
- Shore Acres Hill: 3.3 mi
- Barren Hill: 3.8 mi
- Hunnewell Hill: 4.2 mi
- Libby River Farm Preserve: 1.5 mi
- Pleasant Hill Preserve: 1.7 mi
- Pin Tail Point: 1.7 mi
- Runaway Farm: 2.0 mi
- Scarborough Beach State Park: 2.0 mi
- Willey Recreation Area: 2.2 mi
- Cape Elizabeth Common: 3.4 mi
- Lions Field: 3.4 mi
- Two Lights State Park: 3.5 mi
- Wainwright Recreation Complex: 3.5 mi
- The Garden at Gull Crest: 2.4 mi
- The Cape Community Garden at Maxwell's Farm: 4.0 mi
- The Parks Department Community Garden: 4.8 mi
- Community Garden: 6.5 mi
- Shaw Sculpture Park: 6.5 mi
- Back Shore: 2.6 mi
- Ferry Beach: 2.7 mi
- Western Beach: 2.8 mi
- Pine Point Beach: 3.4 mi
- Grand Beach: 4.0 mi
- Cape Elizabeth War Memorial: 3.4 mi
- Battery Garesche: 5.3 mi
- Battery Blair: 5.4 mi
- Sinking of the USS Eagle: 5.4 mi
- South Portland Civil War Memorial: 5.4 mi
- Scarborough Museum: 5.8 mi
- Old Orchard Beach Historical Society Museum: 5.9 mi
- Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine: 6.3 mi
- Victoria Mansion: 6.3 mi
- International Cryptozoology Museum: 6.4 mi
- Thomas Reed Memorial: 6.2 mi
- Split Bench: 6.3 mi
- Tidal Moon: 6.3 mi
- Seven: 6.5 mi
- Slugger the Sea Dog: 6.6 mi
- Portland Discovery Land and Sea Tours: 6.7 mi
- Elks Club: 6.8 mi
- Tug Stamford Propeller: 7.0 mi
- Portland Observatory: 7.4 mi
- Ampitheater: 8.2 mi
- Spurwink Rock Ledge: 1.7 mi
- Cunner Ledges: 6.4 mi
- Cod Ledges: 6.6 mi
- The Cliffs: 7.2 mi
- White Head Cliff: 7.3 mi
- Cascade Falls Waterfall: 6.7 mi
- Presumpscot Falls: 11.1 mi
- First Falls: 17.2 mi
- Bug Light: 6.9 mi
- Limington Rapids Rest Area: 22.4 mi
- Cold Bowling Spring: 24.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 17.5 miles of Higgins Beach. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstrap Hill | N 351° | 151 m | 13.9 mi |
| Leighton Hill | NNW 348° | 145 m | 13.3 mi |
| Libby Hill | NNW 345° | 144 m | 17.2 mi |
| Poplar Ridge | N 350° | 133 m | 16.5 mi |
| Blackstrap Hill | N 350° | 129 m | 13.0 mi |
| Milliken Hill | NNW 340° | 119 m | 13.7 mi |
| Jones Hill | NNW 341° | 118 m | 15.1 mi |
| Nash Hill | NNW 340° | 117 m | 17.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:45 | 18:16 | 18:53 |
| June solstice | 05:01 | 19:43 | 20:27 |
| September equinox | 06:29 | 18:03 | 18:40 |
| December solstice | 07:12 | 15:21 | 16:08 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 24 | 26 | 34 | 45 | 55 | 64 | 70 | 69 | 62 | 50 | 40 | 30 |
| Precip in | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Portland Jetport, 6 mi away.
Mean tidal range 8.77 ft at the nearest NOAA station.
NOAA CO-OPS station Pine Point, Scarborough River, ME, 3 miaway — today’s predictions live there.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/450303607
Day trips start here
- Old Orchard Beach · 6 mi
- Saco · 9 mi
- Biddeford · 10 mi
- Gorham · 12 mi
- Buxton · 13 mi
- Kennebunkport · 17 mi
Take the scenic way to Higgins Beach.
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