Halibut Point State Park and Halibut Point Reservation in the North Shore town of Rockport, Mass., offer some of the finest ocean views in all of Massachusetts. This is simply the type of place you’d be dreaming of seeing when envisioning a New England coastal vacation.

Made of 440 million year old granite sheets, these parallel parcels of conserved land feature a former quarry and dramatic descents from the rocky headline to the tidal pools below. Granite quarried here at the turn of the 20th century “paved thousands of city streets and built bridges, tunnels, monuments, warehouses, and buildings, such as Boston’s Custom House Tower,” states the Trustees of Reservation on its web site.

The Atlantic Ocean views are simply spectacular, especially on a clear day with views spanning from Crane Beach in Ipswich, Mass., to Mt. Agamenticus in York, Maine, and New Hampshire’s coastal Isle of Shoals. The crashing waves against the rocks add another layer of coastal New England authenticity.

Open year-round and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and the Trustees of Reservations, Halibut Point Reservation is exceptionally well-maintained along the 2.5 miles of trails. The basic 1.4 mile loop is good for all skill levels, so you put in very little effort to see some truly amazing scenery.

It’s a great cheap travel destination for communing with nature, not to mention having a picnic with a view!

Halibut Point is open daily from sunrise to sunset. A nominal parking fee is charged. We recommend checking out the Visitor’s Center on the premises to find out more about Halibut State Park and opportunities to take a staff and/or volunteer-conducted tour. There’s also a museum here “devoted to Halibut Point’s natural history and Cape Ann’s historic granite quarrying industry,” according to the Trustees

Halibut State Park, is located on Gott Ave. (three miles north of Rockport Center on Route 127). Tel. 978 546-2997. For more information, log onto the Trustees of Reservation web site.

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