If you love peace and quiet at a coastal destination, Parker Wildlife Refuge at Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass., comes across loud and clear as a premier spot.

Five dollars a car and $2 for walkers or bike gets you access to a true nature’s paradise.  Ideal for wildlife observation and photography, fishing and shellfishing, canoeing or kayaking, Parker Wildlife Refuge’s setting is spectacular with 4,662 acres of beach, dunes, a cranberry bog, fresh water marsh, and maritime forest.  Bird watching is particularly popular at Parker Wildlife Refuge, whether at the observation towers or by walking the boardwalks or trails. More than 350 species of bird have been reported here!

We recommend starting your visit at the Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center, located at 6 Plum Island Turnpike. The Visitors Center features information about “piping plover recovery, invasive species, migratory birds (including an indoor bird observation area), salt marshes and much more.”  For more information on the Parker Wildlife Refuge, we recommend logging onto http://www.fws.gov/northeast/parkerriver/visit.html. Here, you can also learn more about permits, passes and policies.

Parker Wildlife Refuge is located only 35 miles north of Boston, but you’ll feel like you’re thousands of miles away!

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