Notes From the Road

On a beautiful Monday in May, my photographer friend and I decided to visit Plum Island on the North Shore in Massachusetts. The weather was beautiful ,but since it was still the off-season in the area it was not very crowded. We visited a couple of the beaches in the town part of Plum Island, one strip of land with several blocks of houses and a lighthouse, and noticed a few restaurants and a newer spot called the Sunset Club that we wanted to come back to visit during the on-season.

After some beachcombing we headed to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which is a national wildlife area occupying a large portion of land off of Plum Island. This park which includes beaches, nature walks, and many opportunities to see wildlife, only costs $5 per car for a day pas, $2 for bikes, or if you have a National Parks Pass it is free with your annual pass.

There were many bird watchers out for the season when we visited, and even as novices we saw many different species of birds in just a short time. There was a short trail that led to an observation tower which overlooked the expansive marshes and towns in the distance. Attached to this area was a boardwalk loop trail, which is just a couple short miles and allows you to engage with nature without disturbing the wildlife in the area.

When you first enter the park there is a beach access area, which is a great place to go with the family when the weather is nice. There are a few beach access areas going down the peninsula, however they are closed for several weeks due to the Plover nesting season, as protecting the wildlife in the area is a primary focus of this wildlife refuge.

Signs are marked very clearly as to where you can and cannot go to protect the nesting birds. If you drive to the very end of the park you will actually enter into a state park called Sandy Point State Reservation, which has more beaches to visit and where we found the famous purple sand. We later found out that the purple sand comes from fine pieces of garnet and manganese from glacial retreat, but it is debated as to if the name Plum Island comes from the color of the sand or from the beach plums in the area. I’ll leave that for you to decide! To visit Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yourself you can find out more here: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/parker-river