Rufus Choate, the burial place of Cornelius Crane, and the setting for much of Nicholas Hytner’s film The Crucible. This stretch of beach on a secluded cove receives more visitors by boat than by foot. Occasionally, harbor seals swim ashore here to enjoy some sun or respite from life at sea.
Leave the yellow trail, and make your own track southeast along the neck’s thin fringe of beach. As you round the peninsula’s tip, the wind will catch you at a different angle. Heading west, you’ll see the beach broaden again. Across from Gloucester’s Halibut Point, mixed flocks of gulls congregate where a foamy seam marks a crosscurrent. As your course bends northwest, Plum Island comes into view, followed by the cottages and the water tower on Great Neck, and finally Crane’s Castle nestled regally on its hill. When fading light or foul weather sends you back to your car, cut back into the loose sand of the seaweed-strewn upland to find the first of the two boardwalks.
In 1908, amid a rumor that the brother of President Taft had bought “Castle Hill Farm,” Crane Plumbing heir Richard T. Crane purchased the 250 acres made up of bald drumlins and picturesque meadows flush to salt marsh for $125,000. Years later in 1945, 14 years after her husband’s death on his 58th birthday, Florence Crane gave 1,000 acres, including most of Crane Beach and Castle Neck, to The Trustees of Reservations. When she died only four years later, she bequeathed also the Great House and an additional 300 surrounding acres.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Any trip to Crane Beach should include a stop at Russell Orchards (143 Argilla Road, 978-356-5366, russellorchards.com). From April 28 through November 25, this family-run business sells fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods (including scrumptious cider donuts and delectable pies), hot and cold beverages, and fine fruit wines made on-site. Those looking for a hearty meal of local seafood might like to try one of the many restaurants located on MA 133 between Ipswich and Essex. To reach MA 133 from Crane Beach, drive approximately 0.5 mile on Argilla Road, bear left onto Northgate Road, and continue to the end. At the intersection of Northgate Road and MA 133, turn left and continue 3 miles to Main Street in Essex.
GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N42° 41.050' W70° 45.950'
DIRECTIONS From MA 128 N (also called Yankee Division Highway), toward Gloucester, take Exit 20A and follow US 1A N 8 miles to Ipswich. Turn right onto MA 133 east and follow it 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Northgate Road and follow it 0.5 mile. Turn right onto Argilla Road and travel 2.5 miles to the Crane Beach gatehouse at the end of the paved road.
Deep in the dune sea at Crane Beach
5 HALIBUT POINT STATE PARK
DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 2-mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Easy
SCENERY: Views of granite quarries and rocky coastline of Cape Ann
EXPOSURE: Mostly sunny with some shade
TRAFFIC: Moderate
TRAIL SURFACE: Packed dirt and gravel leading to coast, large granite slabs and boulders along tidal zone
HIKING TIME: 1.5 hours; may vary depending on weather conditions
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM BOSTON COMMON: 42 miles
ELEVATION: 24’ at trailhead, no significant gain
SEASON: Year-round
ACCESS: Summer, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; off-season, sunrise–sunset. Parking $5 MA resident, $10 nonresident
MAPS: Available at kiosk in parking lot
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, on paths to visitor center and around main quarry.
FACILITIES: Restrooms and picnic tables
CONTACT: Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Resources, mass.gov/locations/halibut-point-state-park, 617-626-1250
LOCATION: Gott Avenue, Rockport, MA
COMMENTS: Halibut Point is an excellent spot for bird-watching and exploring the rocks down by the shoreline.
The Atlantic comes crashing in against the rocks at Halibut Point State Park.
SHAPED BY GEOLOGICAL FORCES, glacial ice sheets, the labor of quarrymen, and crashing waves off the Atlantic, Halibut Point presents a variety of scenery. On warm summer days, this knuckle of granite facing the sea offers a pleasant place to sunbathe and picnic. When the weather turns, the point is a terrific place to observe the raw power of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the rocks.
DESCRIPTION
For nearly a century, men equipped with hand tools, steam-powered tools, and dynamite cut stone from Babson Farm Quarry at Halibut Point. The crash of 1929 and the emergence of concrete finally closed the industry down. The chiseled borders of the quarry remain as a dramatic reminder of the area’s history.
Cross Gott Avenue at the northwest corner of the parking lot to pick up the wooded path to the visitor center. Halfway along, you will pass two small quarries, with narrow trails leading to them to the right. These days they are filled with rainwater and camouflaged by vines and scrub, smaller companions to the massive quarry you’re approaching.
Arriving at a broad T intersection—you will feel the onshore breeze and catch a view of the sea. Shifting your focus from the distant waves to the foreground, you’ll see the enormous water-filled quarry before you. Herring gulls and ducks now bob on thin ripples raised by wind gusting across this old work site where men cut great slabs of rock, producing this enormous void.
Take the trail to the left to find the visitor center, or continue walking along the edge of the quarry on the gravel path past sparse woods of cherry, sumac, and blackberries. Markers along the quarry coordinate with a self-guided tour. It’s always advisable to grab a map when one is available, but the trails here are quite obvious, well defined, and well marked.
Heading northeast, pass the quarry to your left as you turn toward the ocean. After walking a short distance downhill, you will find a narrow, packed-earth path leading to the right. Leave the gravel trail and pick up this new path, traveling northeast. At the next fork, take the right-hand path to continue east. The trail winds gently along the quarry border. There’s not much elevation gain or loss, as the plateau surrounding the quarry is fairly flat.
Closer to the shore now, you will see wild beach roses that, when blooming in the heat of summer, give off a heady scent. Keep right at each of the next splits to reach the easternmost end of the reservation. At the border, the trail turns toward the sea.
Down on the rocky shoreline, you’ll see sheets of granite mixed with irregular boulders tossed into heaps by quarrymen and the thunderous surf. The coast here is a dramatic setting for picnicking, sunbathing, surf-casting, tidal-pool gazing, and rock-hopping. If your inclination is to
