Best Places to Walk by the Ocean

AMC Outdoors, June 2006

Love the beach but hate crowds, traffic, and the oiled masses? In the Northeast, summer mania regularly inundates coastal destinations with sand-loving hordes, making it difficult to quietly commune with the sea. Consider opting instead for these peaceful strands, which offer long stretches of lesser-traveled oceanfront for hiking, exploring, and simply soaking it all in.

Isle Au Haut: Acadia National Park, ME

A bastion of rockbound serenity, Isle au Haut receives only 10,000 visitors a year. (More than three million descend on Mount Desert Island and the Bar Harbor area.) Located 10 miles from the mainland and accessible only by a small ferry, Isle Au Haut features 2,700 acres of national park land. Eighteen miles of hiking trails explore wave-battered cliffs and boulder-strewn beaches. The National Park Service operates tiny Duck Harbor Campground on the island, offering five lean-tos for a multi-day stay.

Info: Discover Acadia National Park (AMC Books), www.nps.gov/acad, 207-288-3338.

Odiorne Point State Park: Rye, NH

At Odiorne Point, the waters of the Piscataqua River meet the sea. Here, along the largest span of undeveloped shore on the state’s 18 miles of coast, joins a nexus of tides, history, and biological diversity. An easy one-mile loop trail visits seven different coastal ecosystems, including marshes, dunes, and tidepools ideal for children. Oceanfront views encompass the broad arms of Portsmouth Harbor and the Isles of Shoals offshore. The park’s Seacoast Science Center explores the site’s flora, fauna, and extensive human history.

Info: Nature Walks along the Seacoast (AMC Books), www.nhstateparks.org, 603-436-7406

Great Island: Cape Cod National Seashore, MA

The east-facing beaches of the Outer Cape attract droves of people, cars, and parking hassles. But in Wellfleet on the western side of the peninsula lies Great Island, a sandy escape explored via a 6.8-mile loop trail. The calm waters of Cape Cod Bay are usually 5-10 degrees warmer than the open Atlantic Ocean, the hike tours gentle beaches and dunes, and the long sandy spit of Jeremy Point appears at low tides for further exploration. But the best feature is perhaps the view of the sun sinking into the waters to the west.

Info: www.nps.gov/caco, 508-255-3421

Ninigret Conservation Area: Charlestown, RI

Ninigret Conservation Area fronts Block Island Sound, protecting three miles of dunes and wave-washed sand along East Beach. Its 174 acres are part of a greater swath of conservation land that surrounds 1,700-acre Ninigret Pond, a saltwater estuary - the state’s largest - popular with paddlers, anglers, and a wide diversity of seabirds. Access to the beach is only possible from its western end; the farther east you amble, the fewer people you’ll find. The small parking area fills up early though-arrive by 9 a.m. at the latest. First-come, first-served camping is possible here in self-contained vehicles (no tents).

Info: Discover Rhode Island (AMC Books), www.riparks.com/eastbeach.htm, 401-322-0450

Sandy Hook: Gateway National Recreation Area, NJ

Sandy Hook lies within the greater Gateway NRA, designated by Congress in 1972 as one of the country’s first urban national recreation areas. Protruding 6.5 miles off the northern New Jersey shore, this long sandy peninsula offers miles of waterfront wanderings within sight of the New York City skyline. A short one-mile loop to the beach begins from the visitor center, or you can spend the entire day hiking 10 miles round-trip along a lightly-trod beach. Your destination: the Fort Hancock Coastal Defense Batteries at the end of the peninsula. Sandy Hook is accessible by public transportation from New York City.

Info: Nature Walks in New Jersey (AMC Books), www.nps.gov/gate, 732-872-5970

Assateague Island National Seashore: Ocean City, MD

Herds of wild ponies roam the dunes. Ten miles of wild beach are limited exclusively to hiking. Five backcountry campsites can only be reached by foot or canoe. Nearly 20 miles long, Assateague Island separates broad Chincoteague Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, and offers opportunities for endless miles of wave-lapping beach seclusion. For solitude, walk north on the beach from the Toms Cove Visitor Center by Chincoteague, Va.-the farther you go, the more remote it gets. For a better chance of seeing horses, head south from the northern park entrance.

Info: www.nps.gov/asis, 410-641-1441, Camping Reservations: 410-641-3030

Calvert Cliffs State Park: Marbury, MD

In the heart of Chesapeake Bay rise 100-foot cliffs laced with 15-million-year-old fossils. A sandy beach tucks between the cliffs and placid bay waters, creating a sense of remoteness enhanced by the park’s off-the-beaten-track locationÑand the fact that you have to hike nearly two miles to reach the water. More than 600 species of fossils have been identified here, including prehistoric shells and sharks’ teeth. You can keep any you find on the beach, though collecting from the cliffs is prohibited. A total of 13 miles of trails wind through the 1,079-acre park.

Info: www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/calvertcliffs.html, 301-743-7613

-Compiled by Matt Heid, Senior Editor of AMC Outdoors.