More Info
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We are located at the very end of Cutter Street, where the road meets the ocean. Our office is seasonal and does not have a street number, but entering “1 Cutter Street” or “Portland Paddle” in most mapping programs will direct you to us. We’re a short walk or drive from downtown Portland, beside the East End Boat Launch.
DRIVING:Â If you are driving from anywhere in the city, head north on Congress Street until the road ends at a stone monument and you can see Casco Bay. Take a right onto the Eastern Promenade and drive about 1/4 mile with the hillside park on your left before taking a sharp left onto Cutter Street.
WALKING OR BIKING:Â You can either follow the driving directions above or walk/bike along the scenic Eastern Promenade Trail until you cross Cutter Street and see our sandwich board sign by the road. It’s roughly 1 mile from the Old Port waterfront to our site. We strongly suggest taking the stroll along Portland Harbor on the trail to our site if you are staying in the Old Port.
For more information on walking, biking, and public transit around the Portland area, check out our Getting Around page!
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All parking around our site is free and most (but not all!) spots have no time restrictions during the daytime.
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We generally require reservations for tours, lessons and rentals, although we can sometimes make exceptions for walk-ups if we have availability. Make a reservation on our website by clicking on the “book now” buttons on our pages for tours, lessons and rentals. Many of our offerings book up quickly, but when there is availability you can often make reservations for time slots as soon as 15 minutes away.
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The small city beach at the very eastern tip of the Portland peninsula offers an ideal launching spot for a paddle into the beautiful islands of Casco Bay or along the waterfront of Portland harbor. You can stay within the relatively sheltered waters along the shoreline or venture onto the Maine Island Trail for a day trip or multi-day expedition.
The East End Beach is also a popular spot for dog-walking, swimming, picnicking and sunbathing. There are public bathrooms, picnic tables and lots of free public parking. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, dogs are allowed off leash before 9 AM and after 5 PM. The beach is part of the historic Eastern Promenade park that features walking trails with wonderful views of Casco Bay, tennis courts, a playground, a community garden and several historic monuments. Visit the Friends of the Eastern Promenade website to learn more about the park.
The Portland peninsula. The East End Beach is to the far right.
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The City of Portland owns all of the dinghy & kayak racks at the East End Beach and rents out space to members of the public so they can store their boats. Portland Paddle is not involved with this and we do not have any rack space we are able to share. If you would like to apply to rent a spot on the city’s racks you should complete this form and return it to the city. The Portland Parks and Recreation website has additional information.
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Check out Portland Trails for more information on the walking and biking trails which connect to East End Beach!