Maine / Casco Bay /

Thomas Knight Park

Thomas Knight Park is a free public kayak and canoe launch on Casco Bay near South Portland, Maine.

Aerial view of the concrete ramp beside a boatyard, a pier with boats and the parking lot, July 2021
Aerial view of the concrete ramp beside a boatyard, a pier with boats and the parking lot, July 2021 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Carry-in (canoe and kayak)
Fee
Free
Docks
1
Restrooms
No
Tidal
Yes
Wheelchair access
yes
Coordinates
43.64192, -70.25410

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (New England District; the one nearest this launch is of March 14, 2024). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Marine advisories

Advisories in effect load here; without them, see the NWS zone forecast below.

National Weather Service marine zone ANZ153, Casco Bay. Zone forecast: winds, seas, warnings.

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's PORTLAND station, 1.2 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 High 4:40 am 8.8 ft · Low 10:36 am 1.1 ft · High 4:56 pm 9.7 ft · Low 11:23 pm 0.2 ft
Tue Nov 3 High 5:46 am 9.0 ft · Low 11:47 am 1.0 ft · High 6:05 pm 9.5 ft
Wed Nov 4 Low 12:28 am 0.3 ft · High 6:49 am 9.2 ft · Low 12:57 pm 0.8 ft · High 7:12 pm 9.4 ft
Thu Nov 5 Low 1:27 am 0.3 ft · High 7:45 am 9.6 ft · Low 1:58 pm 0.4 ft · High 8:11 pm 9.4 ft
Fri Nov 6 Low 2:20 am 0.3 ft · High 8:35 am 9.9 ft · Low 2:52 pm 0.0 ft · High 9:04 pm 9.4 ft
Sat Nov 7 Low 3:07 am 0.4 ft · High 9:21 am 10.1 ft · Low 3:40 pm -0.2 ft · High 9:52 pm 9.4 ft
Sun Nov 8 Low 3:50 am 0.5 ft · High 10:02 am 10.2 ft · Low 4:24 pm -0.3 ft · High 10:37 pm 9.2 ft

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • Portland Harbor · 0.2 mi from this launch
    Hydrographic survey of March 14, 2024 by the New England District. Least depth in the channel (35-Foot Channel Reach 3): 30.8 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); project depth 35 ft. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Casco Bay

Casco Bay is an open bay of the Gulf of Maine on the southern Maine coast. NOAA's chart puts its seaward boundary on a line from Bald Head on Cape Small in Phippsburg to Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. The bay covers about 229 square miles, roughly 146,600 acres. One estimate puts its shoreline at 578 miles. The Harpswell Neck peninsula splits the inner bay into eastern and western sections. Its deepest point, southwest of Halfway Rock, is about 204 feet, and the tidal range averages about nine feet. Portland lies on the western edge. Brunswick, Falmouth, Freeport, Harpswell and the island towns of Chebeague Island and Long Island also front the bay. Its 985-square-mile watershed drains through the Presumpscot, Royal and Stroudwater rivers. The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership estimates 785 islands, islets and exposed ledges, known as the Calendar Islands. More about Casco Bay.

Boating rules on Casco Bay

  • No Discharge Area: releasing raw or treated sewage (blackwater) from any vessel is illegal; boats must hold it until pumped out source
  • Fee charged at Portland's Eastern Promenade/East End boat ramps (attendant on site) source
  • Ramp-use fee for non-residents at the Falmouth Town Landing source
  • Simpson's Point Landing (Brunswick) takes carry-in canoes and kayaks only source

Community

Where people who use Casco Bay talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Maine Coastal Public Access Sites (Maine Coastal Program). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.