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5 HALIBUT POINT STATE PARK

DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 2-mile loop

DIFFICULTY: Easy

SCENERY: Views of granite quarries and rocky coastline of Cape Ann

EXPOSURE: Mostly sunny with some shade

TRAFFIC: Moderate

TRAIL SURFACE: Packed dirt and gravel leading to coast, large granite slabs and boulders along tidal zone

HIKING TIME: 1.5 hours; may vary depending on weather conditions

DRIVING DISTANCE FROM BOSTON COMMON: 42 miles

ELEVATION: 24’ at trailhead, no significant gain

SEASON: Year-round

ACCESS: Summer, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; off-season, sunrise–sunset. Parking $5 MA resident, $10 nonresident

MAPS: Available at kiosk in parking lot

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, on paths to visitor center and around main quarry.

FACILITIES: Restrooms and picnic tables

CONTACT: Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Resources, mass.gov/locations/halibut-point-state-park, 617-626-1250

LOCATION: Gott Avenue, Rockport, MA

COMMENTS: Halibut Point is an excellent spot for bird-watching and exploring the rocks down by the shoreline.

The Atlantic comes crashing in against the rocks at Halibut Point State Park.

SHAPED BY GEOLOGICAL FORCES, glacial ice sheets, the labor of quarrymen, and crashing waves off the Atlantic, Halibut Point presents a variety of scenery. On warm summer days, this knuckle of granite facing the sea offers a pleasant place to sunbathe and picnic. When the weather turns, the point is a terrific place to observe the raw power of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the rocks.

DESCRIPTION

For nearly a century, men equipped with hand tools, steam-powered tools, and dynamite cut stone from Babson Farm Quarry at Halibut Point. The crash of 1929 and the emergence of concrete finally closed the industry down. The chiseled borders of the quarry remain as a dramatic reminder of the area’s history.

Cross Gott Avenue at the northwest corner of the parking lot to pick up the wooded path to the visitor center. Halfway along, you will pass two small quarries, with narrow trails leading to them to the right. These days they are filled with rainwater and camouflaged by vines and scrub, smaller companions to the massive quarry you’re approaching.

Arriving at a broad T intersection—you will feel the onshore breeze and catch a view of the sea. Shifting your focus from the distant waves to the foreground, you’ll see the enormous water-filled quarry before you. Herring gulls and ducks now bob on thin ripples raised by wind gusting across this old work site where men cut great slabs of rock, producing this enormous void.

Take the trail to the left to find the visitor center, or continue walking along the edge of the quarry on the gravel path past sparse woods of cherry, sumac, and blackberries. Markers along the quarry coordinate with a self-guided tour. It’s always advisable to grab a map when one is available, but the trails here are quite obvious, well defined, and well marked.

Heading northeast, pass the quarry to your left as you turn toward the ocean. After walking a short distance downhill, you will find a narrow, packed-earth path leading to the right. Leave the gravel trail and pick up this new path, traveling northeast. At the next fork, take the right-hand path to continue east. The trail winds gently along the quarry border. There’s not much elevation gain or loss, as the plateau surrounding the quarry is fairly flat.

Closer to the shore now, you will see wild beach roses that, when blooming in the heat of summer, give off a heady scent. Keep right at each of the next splits to reach the easternmost end of the reservation. At the border, the trail turns toward the sea.

Down on the rocky shoreline, you’ll see sheets of granite mixed with irregular boulders tossed into heaps by quarrymen and the thunderous surf. The coast here is a dramatic setting for picnicking, sunbathing, surf-casting, tidal-pool gazing, and rock-hopping. If your inclination is to do nothing at all, there is always plenty to watch, from day sailors cruising around the point to migrating birds. And watching the ocean meet the barrier of the rocky coast is spectacular in all weather and in all seasons.

After spending some time pondering the coast, make your way northwest, keeping the breaking waves to your right. No walk along here is ever the same, as the tide level determines your route and your ability or inclination to leap across chasms. Beware of low tide, when kelp and sea moss clinging to rocks can make for treacherous footing.

Looking ahead, you will see a mountain of granite blocks tapering steeply to the sea. Walk along the base of this granite behemoth for a good look to appreciate the hours of sweat and strain represented by this pile of castoffs. Though forces of nature have reshaped the pile, it was quarrymen who heaved the stone here.

The land at Halibut Point State Park was once home to an active granite quarry.

Once you have taken in this impressive sight, backtrack to a broad, sandy trail leading right. The trailhead is not formally marked, but a sign warning of the dangers of swimming off the point alerts you to the turn, as does the miniature Stonehenge just inside the bend. Impromptu artists have arranged palm-sized quarry remnants into intriguing sculptures in a sandy enclosure just off the path.

Follow the gravel trail back uphill; once at the top, bear right to continue to the lookout on the peak of the mountain of quarry debris. The trail here remains firmly packed dirt and gravel, and the ascent is quite gentle. From this point, on a clear day, you can see as far north as Maine’s Mount Agamenticus and the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire, and Plum Island and Newburyport in the nearer distance. If you really want a sweeping view of the surrounding ocean and up into the mountains of southern Maine, visit the observation tower, which was used as a lookout post during World War II.

Leaving the peak, walk back toward the visitor center and the observation tower. To tour the grounds, turn right and follow the wide path west past birch, sumac, and cedar trees. A short way farther, turn onto the Bayview Trail to head back toward the sea. This trail descends steeply and then rises again as it curves west. Looking up, you’re likely to see a flock of cormorants fly by, traveling from rookery to fishing grounds.

Curving back uphill, the Bayview Trail loops southwest past a grassy overlook. A small trail to the right leads to another lookout. Returning to the Bayview Trail, follow it to its end, then continue straight ahead on a wide gravel path.

Look for a sign for the Back 40 Loop, and take this grassy route west, walking downhill before swinging left to head south once more on this peaceful lane.

Closing the loop, you find yourself back at the clearing where you began. From this junction, continue straight to join the trail that leads to the rear of the visitor center. Keep left to pass in front of the visitor center and rejoin the path that leads back to the parking lot.

Legend has it that the first house built on Rockport’s hardscrabble turf was erected around the bend from Halibut Point in 1692. The “Old House,” as it is known locally, was built by two young men from Salem for their mother, who had been condemned at the Salem Witch Trials. Spared death because she was pregnant, the woman was expelled from the community and exiled to the wilderness of Cape Ann. Bears, wolves, and Agawam Indians lived there as well, and a handful of hunting shanties built by settlers of Ipswich accented the landscape.

Soon after building himself a cabin at the spot, resident John Babson discovered a bear living nearby. Not interested in having such a neighbor, he hunted it down, skinned it, and strung its hide over a rock by the sea to dry. Passing fishermen saw the bear’s shaggy remains and dubbed the rough spit of land Bearskin Neck.

GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N42° 41.200' W70° 37.883'

DIRECTIONS From Boston, take US 1 to MA 128 N (toward Gloucester). At the first traffic circle in Gloucester, go three quarters of the way around and take MA 127 toward Pigeon Cove. Continue approximately 5 miles, passing through Annesquam and Lanesville into Rockport. Turn left onto Gott Avenue; the parking lot is on the right.