An incongruous stand of black pine (Pinus nigra) lies ahead to the northeast. These trees were planted as part of a dune-stabilization effort during the 1950s. Although the black pine took hold successfully, the project was of dubious merit. What scientists understand now but didn’t then is that barrier islands quell forces—such as hurricane winds—by deadening them with the drag of sand and waterlogged marsh peat.
Bear right at a memorial to conservationist Ludlow Griscom, and follow the boardwalk trail to the east. You’ll be able to see the Joppa Flats and Merrimack River to the left. The walls of sand block sight of all but a sliver of the Atlantic to the east. Sloping uphill toward the primary dunes, the boardwalk scales a set of stairs to a lookout constructed behind one last great dune. On a clear day, you can see Cape Ann on the eastern horizon. To the right, the pale band of Crane Beach stretches south toward Essex.
The boardwalks make otherwise challenging terrain accessible.
From the lookout, the trail descends steep stairs as it retreats back under tree cover on its return southwest. After once again crossing the access road, retrace your steps over the boardwalk to the trail’s initial fork, and this time bear right onto the Marsh Trail.
Where the trail splits a short way in, follow it left as it departs high ground dense with bayberry and beach plum for open marsh thick with cattails. Elevated above the marsh floodplain, the boardwalk bears west and bends north. If you’re out on this boardwalk as early as March, you’ll be treated to the sights and sounds of migratory birds arriving and filling the air with a symphony of honks, screeches, and chirps. Upwards of 350 species have been sighted on the island, and Hellcat Swamp is a favorite viewing location. Purple martins arrive in mid-April, as do hundreds of American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, and other raptor species. As spring eases into summer, you’ll see waves of warblers, thrushes, vireos, fly-catchers, and other songbirds arrive and settle to rejuvenate and nest.
After arching out to a lookout station that provides a view over the northern freshwater pool and the town of Newbury beyond, the trail aims east and returns to high ground. Upon reaching a junction, bear left to access a wildlife lookout.
Returning by the same path, bear left at the next fork in the boardwalk, and continue south through the shrub land that borders the marsh. Sharp white birches lean into the breeze above an otherwise tangled thicket. Continue straight at the next fork, then bear right at the last to arrive back at the trailhead. If you’d like, you can extend the hike by following the trail to the right of Hellcat Trail to a lookout tower positioned beside the dike and the freshwater pools.
The ocean tides, terrain, and weather have long conspired to make Hellcat Swamp inaccessible at best. Before 1942, when the Audubon Society turned over its Annie H. Brown Wildlife Sanctuary to the federal government, allowing it to become part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, there was no way to reach it other than by boat or by foot. After acquiring the land, the government constructed the access road that now runs the entire length of the island, increasing access to this dramatic landscape.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Newburyport boasts an assortment of attractions, including many historic homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A locale of unique appeal to boat lovers is Lowell’s Boat Shop (978-388-0162), located in nearby Amesbury. The boat shop opened for business in 1793 and has been producing dories ever since.
For information, schedules, and listings of special events, visit Historic New England’s website, historicnewengland.org. Though steeped in history, Newburyport is a vibrant commercial and cultural center with many excellent restaurants.
GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N42° 44.483' W70° 47.733'
DIRECTIONS From Boston, take Storrow Drive E, following signs for US 1 N. Merge onto US 1 N toward Tobin Bridge/Revere. At 15.1 miles, merge onto I-95 N. From I-95, take Exit 57 and travel east on MA 113 to MA 1A S. At the intersection with Rolfe’s Lane, turn left, and continue 0.5 mile to its end. Turn right onto Plum Island Turnpike and travel 2 miles, crossing Sergeant Donald Wilkinson Bridge to Plum Island. Take the first right onto Sunset Drive and travel 0.5 mile to the refuge entrance. Continue 3.5 miles to the Hellcat Wildlife Observation area, on the left.
8 SANDY POINT STATE RESERVATION
DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 2.5-mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Easy–moderate
SCENERY: Beach; views of the Atlantic Ocean, Ipswich Bay, and salt marshes adjoining Plum Island Sound and the Parker River
EXPOSURE: Full sun
TRAFFIC: Moderate
TRAIL SURFACE: Sand, packed dirt, and a short section of paved road
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM BOSTON COMMON: 48 miles
ELEVATION: 11' at trailhead, no significant gain
SEASON: Year-round
ACCESS: Open sunrise–sunset. Entrance fee is $5 per car and $2 for people on foot or bicycle.
MAPS: Available at the information center located at the gatehouse; more information and resources are also available at the refuge headquarters, located on Rolfe’s Lane just off Plum Island Turnpike, or at tinyurl.com/sandypointmap
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: A small section of trail off the southernmost parking area (7) is designed for wheelchair users. In addition, Pines Trail (at parking area 5) and many of the wildlife-observation areas are wheelchair accessible.
FACILITIES: Restrooms, information center, public boat launch, many wildlife-observation areas. There are no concession stands on the reservation. However, there are several restaurants and shops located where Plum Island Turnpike meets the northern end of the island.
CONTACT: Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Resources, tinyurl.com/sandypointres, 617-626-1250
LOCATION: Plum Island, Ipswich, MA
COMMENTS: Due to efforts to save the piping plover from extinction, nearly all of Plum Island’s beach is closed every year April 1–August 31, but Sandy Point State Reservation is open year-round. A hike on Sandy Point begins with the 8-mile drive from the entrance gate to the trailhead. Though slow and dusty during dry summer months, the drive can be something of a safari—you are likely to spot a good deal of wildlife, some of it quite rare, such as the snowy owls that sometimes stop by in the spring, fall, and winter.
The beach at Sandy Point State Reservation will keep you there long after your hike is over.
ON THIS EXPLORATION of the southernmost tip of Plum Island, you will forge your own trail around a drumlin known as Bar Head to reach Ipswich Bluffs (Stage Island). From there, the Sandy Point Trail leads into the shelter of dunes and salt marsh to complete the loop.
DESCRIPTION
Plum Island would not be the 8-mile barrier beach it is today without this drumlin poised at its southern tip. Planetary forces conspired to shape Plum Island 6,000–7,000 years ago. Along with earthquakes down the Parker River fault line and unrelenting wind and waves, subsiding earth and a rising sea level contributed to the island’s creation. Once the beach materialized, the growing gap between the belt of sand and shore gradually filled to form freshwater