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| Walking on Plum
Island Beach |
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| Walking on a beach across
a National Wildlife Refuge, hearing the waves crashing on long,
sandy beaches, watching birds and deer nearby… What else
would you want on a day off? |
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Plum Island is a 6-mile long barrier beach that
extends south of Newburyport. Most of it makes up the Parker
River Wildlife Refuge, which is visited seasonally by nearly
300 bird species.
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This walk is a nice introduction to the extraordinary diversity
of the Plum Island scenery. You will walk both on the beach
and on the main Refuge road, which offers wonderful views
on the Plum Island River marshes and the Broad Sound.
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Leave your car on parking lot 1 on your left after the Refuge
entrance. Walk up the boardwalk at the far end of the lot
to access the beach. Start walking south (on your right) on
the beach. You will first see a beach access road and another
boardwalk a bit more than 0.5 mile after your departure point.
After about 1 mile on the beach, you will see another boardwalk
that connects back to the main road. Take it across the dunes
to arrive back at the main road. Turn right on the road to
retrace your steps and walk back to your car. Allow about
2 hours for the walk at a leisure pace.
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Once back at the parking lot, you can also take your car
to explore the Refuge further. One nice stop is parking lot
4. There, you’ll find an observation tower—climb
it up to get a feel for Plum Island’s lay of the land.
Then, walk back on the main road for about 100 yards to explore
Hellcat Swamp Trail, which extends on both sides of the road.
There is a photography blind at the end of the trail that
will have children and adults alike excited!
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You can also drive further south to the tip of the island.
From that point you will drive on a gravel road, so drive
safely and watch for pedestrians and bikers. Sandy Point State
Reservation is the end of the road, at the tip of the island.
There is another observation tower there which offers a nice
view on Broad Sound, protected from the ocean by Plum Island.
You can also access the beach, though you may find more people
there than elsewhere on the beach. Drive back the way you
came on the Refuge road. If you are back when the sun starts
to set, stop again at the observation at the parking lot 4
and enjoy the silence—most visitors will have probably left
by then. Watch for deer, which appear often along the road
between there and parking lot 2 in the evening.
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By then, you may want to explore the Refuge without your
car. For that, see also:
 Biking
across Plum Island
HIking
on Plum Island Beach
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| Please note that the beach
generally closes from April 1st to mid-August to provide nesting
for the piping plover, a threatened shorebird. The Refuge itself
stays open, and you can still walk up and down along the main
Refuge road, and explore Hellcat Swamp Trail. However, you may
feel frustrated if beach access is closed. During this period,
we suggest to call the Refuge to get an update of the beach
status. |
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