Hike

While just about everybody on the North Shore has probably been to Crane Beach, the dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

Celebrate the shortest day of the year and welcome the lengthening days ahead with a candlelit evening walk on the trails of the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. The evening will begin by making your own lantern in our cozy, heated barn while sanctuary naturalists share the science of solstice. With lanterns in hand, we'll light up the night with a stroll through the forest and perhaps catch sights or sounds of animals active during the winter season.

Take in beautiful views of the Crane Wildlife Refuge while learning about estuary flora and fauna and environmental conditions at the Crane Boat Dock. Families will conduct measurements of water quality and weather, census native vs. Non-native crabs, collect and observe plankton using field microscopes, and observe the ever-shifting tides. Join this program to discover a lesser-known area of the Crane Estate, on the backside of Crane Beach along the picturesque Castle Neck River.

On Cape Ann, the name “Dogtown” conjures up many things — vast woodlands and trails; stone walls and cellar holes; tales of witches and widows; an ill-fated bullfighter; pastures, picnics and blueberries; a sea of rocks. Dogtown is all of these things and more. But first, it is a place where proud people once lived and worked, at the center of Gloucester, for nearly 150 years – until it became “Dogtown” and died out.