Today is Columbus Day, the last day of the staffed season at Fort McClary State Historic Site. The site's season runs from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, so its off-season rules begin after today. Fort Foster changed over about two weeks ago, when its paid season closed after September 27. There's no attendant at the gate now, the gate stays open, and you don't need a vehicle pass to drive in.
From now until spring, the clock sets the terms more than the calendar does. Leash hours, daylight hours and two parking lots decide how the Point's open land gets used between now and Memorial Day.
What the Fort Foster Pass Was Buying
The town's fee schedule, updated in August 2026, puts the season pass at $20 for residents, $100 for nonresidents and $5 for resident seniors. A single-day pass costs $25. You need a pass only while the park is staffed. That's why the fee goes away once the attendants do.
Part of what the summer price paid for was full service. On staffed weekends in 2026, every parking area and every restroom was open. The off-season version is smaller. The town's September 10 notice says parking inside the park is limited to the main lot and the pier lot, and the restrooms are closed. Portable toilets stay only through October 29. That leaves about two and a half weeks of even basic facilities. After that, plan a Fort Foster walk the way you'd plan a hike.
The town's park rules describe Fort Foster as a historic park with trails, beaches, play areas, outdoor function space, and habitat for native and endangered species. Its park map, revised in 2025, shows the paths, beaches, lots and restrooms. The Kittery Historical and Naval Society gives the background. The federal government acquired the land in 1872 to defend the outer harbor, and batteries went up in 1873. U.S. troops were stationed there from 1905 through World War II. The fort closed in 1948, and Kittery then took it over for parks and recreation.
Winter Access Comes With One Condition
Kittery's park rules let the parking lots open from October through April, except when snow or ice makes the roads or lots unsafe. The rules don't include a plowing schedule. After a storm, whether you can get in depends on conditions, not a date. The rules document was last amended in March 2022. Check posted signs at the gate before assuming nothing has changed.
Dog Rules Shift to Hours of the Day
For dog owners, the biggest change after Labor Day is that the rules switch from months to hours of the day. At Fort Foster, from the day after Labor Day to the day before Memorial Day, dogs must be leashed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The leash can be no longer than 10 feet. In summer the rules are tighter. Dogs aren't allowed on the signed Pier South Beach on weekends in May and September, or on any day from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Kittery's animal control ordinance sets a similar schedule for Seapoint and Crescent beaches.
- Memorial Day through Labor Day: dogs are prohibited from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Day after Labor Day through the day before Memorial Day: dogs must be leashed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The beach provisions were added to the code in May 2021. In the short days of December, the 10-to-3 leash window covers most of the daylight. Outside of summer, these rules are mostly about when you go.
Fort McClary Goes From Gate to Walk-In
Fort McClary changes in a different way. Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands says the site is open daily from 10 a.m. to sunset between Memorial Day and Columbus Day. In the off-season, visitors can park outside the gate and walk in during the same hours, while facilities are closed. The state's day-use fee table lists admission at $3 for Maine-resident adults and $4 for nonresident adults. Maine residents 65 and older get in free under the general fee rules. The state's pages aren't dated, so check the rates at the site.
At Fort Foster you can still drive in. At Fort McClary you park outside and walk. Both are open, but at McClary the walk starts at the gate.
| Site | Staffed season | Off-season |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Foster | Pass required during staffed hours; all lots and restrooms open on weekends | Gate open, no pass required; main and pier lots only; restrooms closed; portable toilets through Oct. 29 |
| Fort McClary | 10 a.m. to sunset, Memorial Day to Columbus Day | Park outside the gate and walk in, 10 a.m. to sunset; facilities closed |
| Brave Boat Headwaters | Dawn to dusk | Dawn to dusk |
| Cutts Island Trail | Foot traffic only, no pets | Foot traffic only, no pets |
Where the Rules Stay the Same All Year
The bottom two rows of that table explain the rest of the Point's open land. Some places run on the same rules all year, and their limits are physical.
Kittery Land Trust's Brave Boat Headwaters Preserve has about 100 publicly accessible acres out of 150. Parking is off the street at 185 Brave Boat Harbor Road, the preserve is open dawn to dusk, and it has 1.5 miles of trail. The land trust's trail maps page shows a Brave Boat Headwaters map dated February 2026. KLT's general rules apply on every preserve. Trails are open dawn to dusk, you pick up after your dog, and there's no overnight camping and no motorized vehicles.
Parking matters more than the season at KLT's smaller preserves. The entrance to the Norton Preserve is on a dead-end road in a residential neighborhood. The land trust asks visitors not to park at the end of Norton Road or along the roadside, not to turn around in driveways, and to keep noise down in the small lot, which fits two cars. Dogs must be leashed at all times, and the preserve is off limits after dark. The Remick Preserve has blue and yellow marked trails reached from Fernald Road, where street parking is limited. The land trust's 2025 year in review reports two repairs: potholes graded and filled at the Brave Boat Harbor Preserve lot, and a 24-foot stream walkway replaced at Remick. Neither is a new trail, but both make winter walks easier.
The strictest year-round rules are at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists access to the Cutts Island Trail from Route 103 and Brave Boat Harbor Road via Cutts Island Road. Parking is very limited, just over the Chauncey Creek Bridge. The trail is open to foot traffic only, with no pets and no bikes. That rule doesn't loosen in October. If you're walking with a dog, Fort Foster or Brave Boat Headwaters is the better choice for that day.
The Pier Question Still Has No Public Answer
One part of Fort Foster is uncertain this fall. In May 2025, the Portsmouth Herald reported that the park's roughly 500-foot pier had been damaged in the winter 2024 coastal storms. Repairs were expected that summer, and public access might be restricted for a time. The project engineer's page lists an April 2, 2025 bid opening and describes the work as in-kind storm repairs. It now marks the project "Inactive." The town's 2026 notices mention the pier parking lot but say nothing about the repairs. We couldn't find a public record of whether the work was finished. Treat any sign posted at the pier as the most current information.
October Dates Before the Light Gets Short
Kittery Land Trust has three programs on its October calendar. They're Kittery-wide events, not walks on the Point.
- Wednesday, October 14: a modern dried-flower wreath workshop from 4 to 6 p.m., using flowers grown at Nooney Farm. The suggested donation is $75 and attendance is capped at 12.
- Sunday, October 18: birding at Nooney Farm.
- Wednesday, October 21: an eco-printing workshop on silk scarves.
If your Fort Foster walk usually ends with lunch on Chauncey Creek, call ahead. Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier's hours page says its post-Labor Day schedule runs "thru Columbus Day." A separate storm update on its homepage lists Wednesday-through-Sunday service, weather permitting. The restaurant can confirm this season's last day.
Between now and spring, a walk at Fort Foster, Fort McClary or Brave Boat Headwaters costs nothing but time. If you're wondering how living near these places affects what your Kittery Point home is worth, Great Seacoast Homes can walk you through it. Request a Personalized Home Valuation, and we'll look at your property the way a year-round buyer would.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
