Squam Swamp

I wish I had more time to explore this swamp. The book said that there was only .5 miles of trails, but I guess it has been expanded since then to a 3 mile trail. This stumpy, boggy, forrest has wonderful ferns, tree roots, and many different types of swamp ecosystems. Bring bug spray and make sure you have time to walk the whole trail- there's a great map at the entrance that guides you along.

Squam Farm

Although home to the spotted turtle, I didn't happen to see any the day I visited. I did however get the chance to see a sheep farm on the property. I couldn't get the ocean view as the book said, maybe in the last decade the trees grew too tall to catch a glimpse. Nevertheless, the trees and swamplands were pretty cool.

Windswept Cranberry Bog

Owned by the Conservation Foundation, Nantucket's Windswept Cranberry blog produces a harvest of organic cranberries every fall. I love the chocolate covered cranberries from the Nantucket Candy Company. I biked out to the bog and checked out stump swamp and the pond.

Masquetuck Reservation

Masquetuck is an "enchanted forest at the edge of the marsh surrounding the west lobe of the Polpis Harbor." I biked down Polpis road and spent some time exploring the trails. The trees, bogs, mossy patches, and views of the edge of the harbor were beautiful.

Coskata-Coatue

A few weeks back on one of my days off I went to the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge. The Northeast tip of Nantucket Island is a "pair of long, fingery peninsulas, Coskata Coatue (“co-skate-uh coat-oo”) Wildlife Refuge is both a popular summer vacation destination and a fragile, wild and semi-remote coastscape. Most easily accessible by boat or oversand vehicle, the refuge also draws trampers and naturalists eager to observe shorebirds, raptors, and Great Point Light." I first made the 10 mile bike trip to Waiwinet from town, then took an overland vehicle tour around the sand trails for 3 hours. Typically the tour goes to the Great Point Lighthouse and visitors get to climb to the top, but because of nesting Piping Plovers on the beach, the route was closed to vehicles. I was able to get a shot of the lighthouse in the distance on the tour. It was a great chance to take in the suggest preserved beauty of Nantucket's wildlife and areas such as the "haul-over" where fishermen used to haul their boats over land to avoid having to sail around the tip of the island. I even got to see a seal jump up out of the water in the ocean. The refuge is worth the trip- and perfect if you have a vehicle that you can drive on the sand!

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Brant Point Light

A storm was brewing off the cape so I decided to head over to the Brant Point Lighthouse. Although this isn't on the list in the book, it's so full of history I didn't think I could disregard it. The site of the second oldest light station in the country, Brant Point boasts a spectacular view of the Nantucket Harbor. The storm moved in just as I got the shots of the Lighthouse and I got soaked. Click here to read about the history of the Brant Point Lighthouse.

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