Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory — Attraction in Prospect

This state park is amazing and one of the coolest I’ve been too! Not just cool in the sense that it’s interesting but also cool as in cold when your inside the fort which is great on a hot day! This place makes a great summer time activity! When your inside the stone area’s of the fort are like air conditioning with a cool breeze!

When visiting this park give yourself hours of time… there is a ton to see. Not to be missed are the open water batteries outside the fort. As you are walking to the fort there is one on the left and another just past the entrance. They have long descending stair cases that lead to multiple rooms that were used to heat cannonballs sufficiently enough to ignite wooden ships! So cool!

Inside the fort there is a grassy inside area open to the air/sky and then the perimeter or enclosed area of the fort is all walkable , even the roof which is grassy.

As you walk through there are these really cool hallway that ascend with steps . There are windows to your right and on your left there are different rooms you can walk into. Some were quarters for the workers to stay in or rooms that they would gather and eat.

There is a display in one room showcasing how they produced gunpowder in the fort and even a huge bakery! Like i said there is enough to see to spend hours there! Bring your camera/phone , there are really cool photo opportunities and the fort it’s self is amazing to photograph as well!

When your done at the fort head over to the Penobscot Narrows bridge and observatory! It’s the tallest bridge observatory open to the public in the world! A very cool experience! The bridge itself is a beautiful view but once you take the elevator up 420 feet you’ll have 360 degree views of the Penobscot bay area. Just don’t look down when you step of the elevator… yikes.. that’s a tough one for the stomach! It’s a long way down!

They have viewing from all four walls that are entirely windows and there are great displays showing you all you are looking at, like the mountains, towns, rivers and the bay. Very cool and educational!

I definitely recommend a visit and remember it’s a perfect thing to do on a...

We visited at the end of December 2024, knowing full-well that the fort itself & the museum & gift shop would be closed for the season & only the grounds would be open, but we were okay with that, as it looked plenty big to explore outside & had gorgeous views, to-boot. Well, imagine our delight when we happened to catch a few employees in the office for the day so we were able to explore the museum before walking the grounds. We were happily surprised again later when we realized that only the main part of the fort is closed for the season (it's basically an ice skating rink, super unsafe, we later found out). The batteries were wide open & we could explore them as much as we wanted! ✌️ It honestly felt like we were trespassing a little, as every single other fort we've been to has been gated & locked, but no, it was okay, it just felt like we were doing something borderline illegal. 😆 I wish we'd carved out more time to spend here, but we will most definitely be back!! Honestly, if you're even remotely interested in history, & you like to photograph old enormous buildings with interesting architecture, I'd set aside at least half a day, if not an entire day, to explore this fort.

Download their app to take a self-guided tour.

Also, TONS of picnic tables, so bring food to enjoy here! ✌️

PRO-TIP - bring a really powerful flashlight or headlamp for exploring the batteries. We had them in our vehicle but neither of us felt like going back to grab them, so we just went slowly when we couldn't see well (cell phone flashlights really don't do that much in most of the areas we explored).

Get ready to get your steps/stairs in!! 😆

Before leaving, we went back to the museum/gift shop & picked up a few things. Absolutely LOVE their selection of books! We will most definitely be doing some prepwork studying (we homeschool) before bringing our homeschooled children up here with us to explore, enjoy, & learn.

Also, I wish I caught her name, but the woman we interacted with in the museum/gift shop was so inviting, kind, & genuine. It was a lovely visit & we can not...

For out of staters it's $4.50 for the fort & $4.50 for the observatory (so $9 total, if you choose to do both). There is a lot of information to learn here, especially about the bridge and observatory. I read all the plaques and thoroughly enjoyed the education. Michael was the greeter at the observatory and he was so knowledgeable. He guided me through the lobby area and explained the history to me. He also showed me the steel cables and carbon fiber that were replaced from the bridge to show guests as an example. He was so kind and was eager to share what he knew! At first, I thought you had to climb steps to get to the top, but there is an elevator and then you take 3 flights up from there. Read the plaques to find out why the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top! 😉 It was a cloudy day when I went so I wasn't able to see far off into the distance, but it was still worth it for me. I have a fear of heights, but I keep challenging myself so that I'm able to experience new adventures like this. I'm happy to report that it wasn't scary at all. There were a few moments where I felt very aware of how high I was and got nervous, but that passed quickly. The woman at the top let me know that sometimes she sees dolphins and seals from up there. Once she saw a whale (can't remember the type). The fort was big & beautiful. Make sure to bring a flashlight, or at least use the one on your phone. There are some parts of the fort that are very dark. Also, be careful bc the floors can be slippery. Great views all around the fort. The Penobscot River and surrounding sites are beautiful. There is a gift shop with more history plaques. You can also get a passport stamp, but you have to ask for the code to the lock box that...