Very cool place to learn about American History and was very informative. They provided a map of the Fort with the layout. Plan to spend a couple of hours there because there is so much to see and stop at each if the areas to read about how the Fort was constructed and what it took to build it. You don't have to be into history, but to appreciate the craftsmanship of the granite blocks that built the Fort. We didn't do the Observatory but pulled up to a spot close to it to observe the view and read up on history of the old vs. new bridge.
Excellent place to spend 5-6 hours of quality time. A 19th Centruy Fort that also offers great view of the river. Has a very well maintained lawn to enjoy a quite breakfast or lunch. Walk to the gift shop at the base of the Fort to collect some memories. Oh yes, do not miss the Observatory next to the Fort. It offers stunning views of the River as it takes a bend.
A unique place to be going up to the tallest over bridge observatory. The setup is cool. Well protected with thick glasses all around on top and good ventilation system to reduce the heat build up. For 360 view you need to climb stairs likely equivalent to 2 floors but even these are well designed for all ages. I didn’t visit the fort so won’t say anything except that it looks good on the outside.
Fort Knox is a great place to spend the whole day at. It has an observatory with awesome views. It has a fort itself with multiple exhibitions inside. And it was so fun to find our way through the whole maze of defensive lines, using a flashlight occasionally to find the way in less lit dungeons.
Great stop along the trail. Very well constructed Fort built partially into the hillside. The observation tower at 447' was a bit nerve racking when you exit the elevator 3' in front of you is glass and a near endless view. WOW!
JJemlnlxago 2025 · Google
★★★★★Stumbled upon this gem during our drive back from Bar Harbor to New York City. Located about an hour west of Bar Harbor/Acadia along Route 1. Saw a beautiful bridge and signs for “Fort Knox” observatory and headed toward that direction.
Admission to the Fort alone is about $6.50 for out-of-state visitors and combined with the bridge observatory (recommended) is about $9.50.
After paying the fees at the gate, you can either head to explore the fort or down toward the bridge’s observatory deck. There is a separate parking area for the bridge observatory.
Once there, you head down along the path to the bridge’s tower entrance. You then take an elevator up to the top. From there, there are two short flights of stairs to get to the top/observatory section. The views there are spectacular…more than worth the nominal price of admission. The elevator operators/greeters were both super nice and very informative.
The fort itself is also great with lots of area to explore on multiple levels. The top and bottom levels offer some great view of the Penobscot River.
The gift shop there is also nice…lots of souvenir and snack options.
All staff we encountered were very nice and helpful.
Although the Obvervatory Deck is what landed the photo attention, the fort is just as if not even more amazing. Hard to imagine and amazing to behold what must have been. This was totally worth the time to explore, took about 2 to 3 hrs tops, at a very leisurely pace.
It is well preserved and beautiful. The fort is dog friendly. A great trip. If you are not a fan of enclosed spaces or heights skip the tower.