Private islands don’t come cheap, even in Maine, but right now you can snag one — or three! — for less than you might pay for a condo on Portland’s peninsula. A few spots that bring the away-from-it-all fantasy (a bit) closer to reality.
Setting: 2-acre leafy outcrop, 100 feet offshore in Sebec Lake, with an 800-square-foot, pine-paneled cottage built in 1930. A 22-acre mainland parcel featuring walking trails, ponds, and a new (but unfinished) cabin is also part of the package.
Access: A causeway connects the island to the shore, or you can head over on your new pontoon boat, included in the sale.
Setting: 5-acre, spruce-spiked crescent a fifth of a mile off Vinalhaven’s eastern shore. A rustic, 180-square-foot cabin perches on the shore, and footings are in place for an additional 600-square-foot building.
Access: Arrive by boat — zoning allows for a seasonal float dock and ramp — or trek across a sandbar from Vinalhaven at low tide.
Setting: 18-acre, three-island archipelago, the name of which doesn’t do justice to its sculptural granite cliffs and dramatic windswept fields. A mile-and-a-half off Point of Main, the trio, linked at low tide, comes with a building permit for 8,000 square feet of structures.
Access: You’ll need a boat, which may be moored in one of four deepwater spots.