About Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

1,117 acres

Discover this ruggedly beautiful coastal environment where deer, raptors, and shorebirds play. Explore sand dunes and small coastal forests, salt marsh and tidal ponds, on 16 miles of trails and sand roads.

What makes Coskata-Coatue a special place?
Comprising a pair of long, fingery peninsulas, Coskata Coatue (“co-skate-uh coat-oo”) Wildlife Refuge is both a popular summer vacation playground and a wild and semi-remote coastscape. Most easily accessible by boat or oversand vehicle, the refuge also draws trampers and naturalists eager to observe shorebirds, raptors, and Great Point Light.

A Haven for Wildlife on Nantucket
The greater coastscape, which includes the federally owned Great Point Lighthouse and Nantucket Conservation Foundation land, remains a popular destination for saltwater anglers in search of striped bass and bluefish. Yet this double-fingered peninsula jutting northward between the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sounds is so much more: a blend of sandy beach, rolling dunes, and forest uplands both rugged and serene.

The refuge provides multiple habitats for an array of coastal plant and animal species, including heather and beach plum, a maritime oak forest and savannah of red cedar – the largest of its kind in New England – which offer shelter to deer. At the beachfront, watch for horseshoe crabs advancing in extremely slow motion, seals basking in the sun, and shorebirds skittering above the surf line.

And a trip to Great Point at the extreme northwest tip of the refuge is recommended, as is a visit to the lighthouse (open seasonally), which has been aiding mariners across three centuries.

Trails
16 miles of oversand vehicle routes and walking trails – including the popular Beach Trail, Inside Trail, and Coskata Woods Trail – plus miles of beach front. Strenuous hiking (walking across soft sand for long periods can be arduous). Free to pedestrians.

When to Visit
Open year-round, daily, 24 hours (10PM – 5AM, fishing access only). Property is patrolled from April through October. Sections of the refuge may be closed seasonally to protect endangered nesting shorebirds. Allow a minimum of three hours.

Facilities
Seasonal portable toilets at Wauwinet Gatehouse and Great Point Lighthouse.

Regulations & Advisories

• Refuge is located more than a mile by foot from gatehouse.
  
  
• Oversand permits required for vehicles.
  
  
• Dogs are not allowed between April 1 and September 15.
  
  
• Sections of the refuge may be closed seasonally to protect endangered nesting shorebirds.

Directions

Wauwinet Road, Nantucket
Telephone: 508.228.5646
Gatehouse: 508.228.0006
Tours: 508.228.6799
Email: Islands@ttor.org

Get directions on Google Maps.

From Nantucket town rotary, take Polpis Rd. east for 6 mi. Turn left onto Wauwinet Rd. and continue to end where gatehouse is located.

Admission

When to Visit
Open year-round, daily (10PM – 5AM, fishing access only). Allow a minimum of three hours.

Fees
Free to all pedestrians and boaters.

Oversand vehicle permits: Permit may be purchased for $140 from gatehouse attendant daily (9AM – 6PM). Permit is valid April 1 to March 31. A complimentary family membership to The Trustees of Reservations is issued with each permit purchase. There are no membership discounts for OSV permits. Membership in The Trustees of Reservations is not transferable; member cards may not be used by nonmembers to qualify for member discounts on oversand vehicle permits.

Property History

As was the case on Martha's Vineyard, 17th-century European settlers arrived to find the Wampanoag people had been living on this island for thousands of years. The Indians called their home Nantucket, "the land far away at sea" and their chief was Wauwinet, whose name now graces the gateway to the refuge. Coskata and Coatue also derive from Wampanoag place names, meaning "at the broad woods" and "at the pine woods," respectively. Colonists were content to establish themselves closer to the inner harbor, clearing and burning land for homesteads and grazing – but for the most part leaving this part of the island to its lovely isolation.

Property Acquisition History
Original acreage a gift of Mrs. J. Allen Backus and Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Sziklas in 1974. Additional land given by Christopher K. Lohmann and Pamela Fezandie Lohmann in 1983 and 1989 and by Backus Trust in 1986. Partial interest in 125 acres given by the Lohmanns in 1989 and 1993, completed in 1998.

Programs

All proceeds support ongoing conservation work at Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, including conducting wildlife research, protecting endangered species and their habitats, and maintaining the structure of the lighthouse.

Fishing Discovery Tour
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, late May through mid-October | Call for departure times.
Discover Coskata-Coatue's intriguing coastal environment as you learn the fine points of saltwater fishing on this unique adventure! Adult $75; Child (12 and under) $30.

Sunset Tours
Tuesdays, July and August
Enjoy a 2-hour guided trip to Great Point to bask in the setting sun and climb Great Point Lighthouse. Reservations required. Call 508.228.6799. Members: Adult $30. Nonmembers: Adult $40. Member/Nonmember child (12 and under) $15.

Natural History Tours
Daily, mid-May – mid-October | 9:30AM & 1:30PM
Join our experienced guide on this 2.5-hour oversand vehicle tour and learn about the fascinating flora and fauna that call Coskata-Coatue home. Members: Adult $30. Nonmembers: Adult $40. Member/Nonmember child (12 and under) $15.

Science Discovery Thursdays
Marine Ecology Walk Thursdays, June 11 – September 3 | 9:30AM | Adults $35, Child $25.
Back by popular demand, join an Aquarium intern from Maria Mitchell Association to seine net and discover what lives in our local waters. To register call Maria Mitchell Aquarium at 508.228.5387. Meet at the Wauwinet Gatehouse.

Fishing for Kids (Ages 10 – 17)
Thursdays, June 5 – August 13 | 1:30 PM | Child $45. This fishing adventure is dedicated to teaching children how to fish. An experienced Maria Mitchell Teaching Intern will spend the afternoon with the group on the beach. To register call Maria Mitchell Association at 508.228.9198 or online at www.mmo.org. Meet at the Wauwinet Gatehouse.

NEW! Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum and Great Point Tour
Sundays, May 26 – October 15 | 9AM SHARP! – 12:30PM
Featuring a guided tour through the Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum followed by a tour of the Coskata Coatue Wildlife Refuge. Members $35, Nonmembers Adults $50. Member/Nonmember child (Ages 8-12) $15. For reservations call Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum at 508.228.1885. Meet at the Museum, parking available at the UMass Field Station.

Charter Tours
Pre-booked charter tours are available May – October. Call 508.228.6799.

Note: For all tours, please arrive on time! Tour vehicles depart promptly on-schedule. Smoking and alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the tour vehicle. Tours are weather dependent. Appropriate clothing recommended. Bring binoculars, camera, film, refreshments, sun block, sun glasses, and insect repellent. You are traveling to a remote location, so remember that medical or emergency facilities are not available. However, all tour vehicles carry two-way radios.

Volunteer Opportunities

Work Parties

Conservation and Stewardship

While The Trustees own the largest part of the reservation, Coskata-Coatue is in fact a joint effort, along with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, which owns the area of The Haulover, gateway of the peninsula; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which owns the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge at Great Point. In all, more than 21 miles of vital and vulnerable shoreline have been preserved by this private, local and federal partnership.

Following Mr. Hannah
On May 13, 2009, a satellite transmitter was fitted to a male Osprey named Mr. Hannah on Coskata-Coatue. For now you are able to follow Mr. Hannah's travels on the island as he searches for food to feed his family. When Mr. Hannah begins his migration, you will be able to follow its journey to who knows where (quite possibly South America!). We are able to track Mr. Hannah thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous friend of Coskata Coatue and The Trustees of Reservations. Click here to follow Hannah.

Maps and Resources

Free trail map distributed from gatehouse and by patrolling rangers (also included with OSV permit). Please understand that supplies periodically run out. We recommend that you download a trail map before your visit. Some publications are also available for purchase at the Islands Regional Office at 508.693.7662.

Additional resources:

• Oversand Vehicle Driving Guide (PDF)
• The Natural History of Coskata-Coatue (PDF)
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Meeting for Public Input, October 15, 2008, for Nantucket Widlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PDF)

Planning Your Visit

Community Links
Maria Mitchell Association
4 Vestal Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
508.228.9198
www.mmo.org

Nantucket Conservation Foundation
118 Cliff Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554
508.228.2884
www.nantucketconservation.com

Travel Links
www.nantucketchamber.org
www.nantucket-ma.gov
www.nantucketlifesavingmuseum.com

Before You Go
We encourage you to visit as many Trustees properties as you can.

Wherever your travels take you, please observe all posted regulations, follow special instructions from property staff, and keep in mind the Stewardship Code:

• Protect wildlife and plants.
• Guard against all risk of fire.
• Help keep air and water clean.
• Carry out what you carry in.
• Use marked footpaths and bridle paths.
• Leave livestock, crops, and machinery alone.

Click on the links below for additional information:

Before Setting Out

Enjoying Trustees Reservations

Safety

About Hunting on Trustees of Reservations Properties

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