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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 marsh. Three thousand years ago, the sea level stabilized and, for the most part, the island and its beach looked much like it does today—despite occasional rearranging by ferocious coastal storms.

From the Sandy Point State Reservation parking area behind Bar Head, set out hiking east on the wide path that leads through the dunes to the beach. With the ocean in full view, bear right and, choosing a course through the many boulders, tree trunks, and other often curious tidal detritus, hike south toward the drumlin of Castle Hill, across the bay. You will basically follow the shoreline around here. This is not as much a defined trail as following the land along the shoreline.

The boulders protruding from the sand and sea on the beach east of Bar Head are called Emerson’s Rocks. Encrusted with barnacles and slick with seaweed, the exposed rocks are menacing enough. When hidden by surf at high tide, they have been positively murderous to ships. Between 1772 and 1936, no fewer than 55 ships wrecked off Plum Island. Of these, 10 were dashed to pieces at Emerson Rocks. At least 27 more vessels—schooners, trawlers, and steamers—went down near the mouth of the Merrimack River. The treacherous waters, rocks, and shoals of Ipswich Bay channel claimed at least eight ships as they tried to enter Plum Island Sound from Ipswich Bay over the years.

When bearing west around the end of Sandy Point, take care not to get trapped on the wrong side of a channel as the tide pours in—otherwise, be resigned to getting wet feet and possibly a drenching. You’ll be heading toward the spit of land known as Ipswich Bluffs. Documented finds along this stretch where the wind howls over the finger of upland called Ipswich Bluffs add credence to legends that pirates buried treasure in these parts.

When you reach the tree-covered stretch where the bluffs begin, you should see a sign directing you north, away from the beach, to Stage Island. Take this turn to the right and follow the lightly worn footpath into the shelter of brush. The trail is vague in places but generally cuts a line between the Stage Island estuary and dunes drifted against the western side of the Bar Head drumlin. Even after all manner of human intervention over the years, this area remains wilderness.

Where the Sandy Point Trail reaches the iron gate by a parking area beside upland and beach, cross the pavement, bearing left to follow the drive back to the entrance of the Sandy Point State Reservation.

This area was first populated in the mid-1600s, following the arrival of Reverend Thomas Parker (namesake of the Parker River) and company. Besides good grazing, thatch for roofs, and teeming waterfowl, it contained enormous quantities of beach plums. Soon after, this sliver of land became known as Plum Island. Thankfully, instead of being developed as a resort or residential community, the bulk of the island was conserved as a wildlife refuge and park. In 1943, the Massachusetts Audubon Society sold the 1,600-acre Annie H. Brown Wildlife Sanctuary to the federal government, allowing it to merge with the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Newburyport is steeped in history and remains a vibrant commercial and cultural center with many excellent restaurants and 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 historicnewengland.org.

GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N42° 44.483' W70° 47.733'

DIRECTIONS From Boston, take Storrow Drive east, 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 the end of that road. Turn right onto Plum Island Turnpike and travel 2 miles, crossing the Sargent Donald Wilkinson Bridge to Plum Island. Take the first right onto Sunset Drive and travel 0.5 mile to the refuge entrance.