About Crane Beach on the Crane Estate |
1,234 acres |
Enjoy the Northeast’s most spectacular beach and follow trails and boardwalks through a landscape of sand dunes and salt marsh.
What makes Crane Beach a special place?
At Crane Beach, you’ll enjoy one of the finest beaches and outdoor recreation destinations on the East Coast. With its clean, inviting water, miles of shoreline, and mesmerizing views, Crane Beach has been a favorite with the ocean-loving public for generations. Whether you intend to take a refreshing plunge, play in the sand, or just soak up the sun, this unparalleled seaside experience is sure to provide lots of fun – and great memories, too.
There’s more to see here than sun and sand. Crane Beach is managed for both recreation and conservation – people and ecology – through careful planning. More than five miles of trails wind through coastal dunes here, which shield inland areas from storm waves and flooding. And, Castle Neck is the site of the North Shore’s largest pitch pine forest.
Crane Beach is also among the world’s most important nesting sites for piping plovers, a threatened bird that was nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century for its eggs and feathers. Crane Beach has been nationally recognized for its successful shorebird protection program. To protect these threatened shorebirds, we ask that you avoid the fenced nesting areas and the wrack, the line of washed-up organic debris where the birds feed and hide.
Trails
5.5 miles of trails traverse dunes and track the beachfront on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex River Estuary sides of the Castle Neck peninsula. Moderate hiking. These trails are part of the Bay Circuit Trail.
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to sunset. Allow a minimum of 2 hours, 6 hours if also visiting Castle Hill (including Great House or landscape tour) and the Crane Wildlife Refuge.
Facilities
In-season: Lifeguards and rangers, bike rack, bathhouses (with toilets and changing area), outside showers, picnic tables, Crane Beach Store (refreshments and merchandise), drinking water fountains (located outside the bathhouses), information kiosk, transportation for mobility-impaired and challenged visitors. Off-season: portable toilets (located outside bathhouses).
Regulations & Advisories
Crane Beach Green Dogs Program
You can walk your dog at Crane Beach during the off-season through our Green Dogs program. Learn more >>
Greenhead Flies Advisories
Greenheads are biting horseflies. Greenhead fly season at Crane Beach generally begins by July 11 and the flies are completely gone by the end of the first week in August. Fly intensity varies daily and they are frequently not present on the beachfront between July 11th and August 7th. Lifeguards, Beach Rangers, and other staff have long used an Avon product called “Skin So Soft” to keep the greenheads from biting. The “Skin So Soft” lotion is sold at the Crane Beach Snack Bar.
Please note that if you come to the beach during greenhead season and cannot tolerate the flies, we are not able to offer you a refund. (We also cannot offer refunds for weather, water temperature, or any other natural conditions of the property that are beyond our control.)
Lyme Disease Advisory
Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans by the bite of an infested tick. Not all ticks carry Lyme Disease, so a tick bite does not necessarily expose one to the disease. Ticks are found primarily in wooded or brushy areas, not in dunes or on the beach. If you stay on elevated board walks and designated trails, the chance of encountering ticks is greatly reduced. Remember to check your skin carefully after you have been in areas where ticks are found. Lyme Disease can be treated effectively with antibiotic drugs. Symptoms of Lyme Disease include expanding, ring-like rash, fever, and flu-like illness. Advanced symptoms may include swelling and pain in joints. Early diagnosis and treatment is important. If you have been bitten by a tick and develop symptoms of Lyme Disease, contact your physician promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use a boogie board at Crane Beach?
Floatation devices of any kind are not allowed in the water off Crane Beach.
Q: Can I use a mask and snorkel at Crane Beach?
No, visitors using snorkels and masks are unable to hear the commands of lifeguards, thus posing a risk to themselves and others.
Q: Can I use a skim board at Crane Beach?
At the discretion of the lifeguard and in an area away from other people, skim boards are sometimes permitted.
Q: Can I launch a water craft from Crane Beach or the Crane Wildlife Refuge?
Water craft may not be launched from Crane Beach or Crane Wildlife Refuge. This includes canoes, kayaks, and sailboards.
Q: Can I fish at Crane Beach?
Fishing is permitted outside the designated swim areas and away from any and all swimmers.
Directions
The Crane Estate
Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA
Telephone: 978.356.4354
E-mail: Castlehill@ttor.org
Get directions on Google Maps.
From Rt. 128 North Exit 20A, take Rt. 1A north for 8 mi. to Ipswich. Turn right onto Rt. 133 East and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn left onto Northgate Rd. and follow for 0.5 mi. Turn right onto Argilla Rd. and follow for 2.5 mi. to entrance and parking (1,300 cars) at end of road.
Admission
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to sunset. Allow a minimum of 2 hours, 6 hours if also visiting Castle Hill (including Great House or landscape tour) and the Crane Wildlife Refuge.
Click here for 2009 Admission Fees.
Admission Frequently Asked Questions
Admission fees allow The Trustees of Reservations to provide excellent management of the beach, including the services of highly trained lifeguards, emergency medical response units, rangers, and police as well as facilities such as bath-houses and concessions. Admission fees also support natural resource protection programs at the beach and historic preservation efforts at Castle Hill.
Q: Is there a discount on the admission fee to Crane Beach if I come late in the day?
Yes. The admission fee is reduced by 50% every day after 3:00pm.
Q: Does my admission fee to Crane Beach include admission to Castle Hill?
Yes. There is no additional fee to visit the grounds of Castle Hill if you have paid to get into Crane Beach. There is an additional charge to take a tour of Castle Hill. Please note that the Great House at Castle Hill is frequently rented on weekends for private weddings, and visitors are not permitted in the grounds immediately surrounding the Great House during these times.
Q: Does my admission fee at Castle Hill include admission to Crane Beach?
No, but the Castle Hill admission fee paid may be applied to the admission fee to Crane Beach, with the visitor paying the difference.
Q: Can I leave Crane Beach and come back again on the same day?
Yes. As long as you can produce a ticket that was purchased the same day. If there is a line of traffic when you return, you must wait in it.
Q: Can I park at Castle Hill and walk to Crane Beach?
No. Parking at Castle Hill is very limited and thus reserved for visitors interested in visiting Castle Hill.
Q: How are Crane Beach admission fees used?
Admission fees help to pay the annual costs to maintain the beach and facilities, protect public safety, carry out dune and wildlife protection programs, and maintain historic buildings and structures. When you go to Crane Beach, you are directly helping The Trustees of Reservations protect and care for this important landscape and landmark.
Property History
In 1910, Richard T. Crane, Jr., purchased 800 acres on and around Castle Hill – the first of many family land acquisitions that eventually formed the 2,100-acre Crane Estate. The showpiece is the 59-room Stuart-style mansion called the Great House on Castle Hill.
Following Mr. Crane’s death in 1945, the family gave 1,000 acres, comprising most of Crane Beach and the dunes of Castle Neck, to The Trustees of Reservations. When Richard’s wife Florence died in 1949, her bequest added another 350 acres, the Great House, and most of Castle Hill. A quarter-century later, her daughter-in-law, Miné S. Crane, added the 680-acre Crane Wildlife Refuge.
The Great House and Castle Hill grounds are open for tours seasonally. To learn more, ask at the information kiosk or at the entrance gate house.
Property Acquisition History
Original acreage a gift of Mrs. Richard T. Crane, Jr. and members of the Crane family in 1945.
Programs
Consult the events calendar for details on upcoming events at Crane Beach or call 978.356.4351.
Crane Beach Sandblast
Click here to see the 2009 winners.
Poetry in Action
On a sunny morning in May, a flock of volunteers came out to Crane Beach and began stenciling words and phrases on stairs, shingles, and posts around the beach and picnic area.
The lines and phrases are part of a collaborative art project between The Trustees of Reservations and Montserrat College of Art in Beverly.
The words, from a poem titled “Align,” are a call to action, urging each of us to think about the global crisis of climate change and recognize that the choices we make every day make a difference – for ourselves, for our children, for the planet.
We hope you’ll visit Crane Beach this summer and find inspiration from this thoughtful graphic and poetic installation by Monsterrat faculty members Colleen Michaels, poet, and Shana Dumont, graphic designer.
To read the entire poem, click here. To download an audio file (wav file) of poet Colleen Michaels reading her poem, click here.
Volunteer Opportunities
| Position | Location |
|---|---|
| Migratory Shorebird Monitors | |
| Public Program Assistants | Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, |
| Volunteer Team Member | Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Greenwood Farm, Old Town Hill |
Work Parties
| Date | Event | Town |
|---|---|---|
| 09/12/2009 | Coastsweep Annual Beach Clean-up | Ipswich, MA |
Conservation and Stewardship
Crane Beach is managed for both conservation and recreation – wildlife and people. Of foremost importance is the protection of this natural resource. Crane Beach provides important habitat for numerous rare plants, invertebrates, mammals, birds, shellfish, and finfish.
- Dune Management Program. Sand dunes are very fragile and do not tolerate high levels of disturbance. Healthy dunes protect wildlife and diverse ecosystems and also provide storm damage protection to inland development. Restoration and protection of dunes at Crane Beach is accomplished through the use of elevated boardwalks, fencing, designated trails, and beach grass planting programs; all help to reduce erosion from wind and ocean waves. Visitors are encouraged to stay on designated trails.
- Wildlife Management Program. For many years, least terns and piping plovers have nested on Crane Beach. The piping plover is listed on the federal government's endangered list as a "threatened" species. Crane Beach is one of the most important nesting areas for this species in the world. Since the 1970s, The Trustees have managed an intensive shorebird protection program at Crane Beach to ensure that the feeding and nesting habits of terns, piping plovers, and other threatened shorebirds are not disturbed. You will see fenced nesting areas and are asked not to encroach upon them. You will also notice that organic debris (called wrack) washes up onto Crane Beach and is not removed because shorebirds feed on and seek cover in this debris; removal of debris could be considered a violation of state and federal coastal and endangered species regulations. The Trustees’ Piping Plover Protection Program has been very successful and has received state and national acclaim.
- Public Health & Safety. Public health and safety is maintained at Crane Beach through regular beach patrols and emergency response and first aid staff on-site. With 7 miles of waterfront and more than 1,000 acres of dunes and upland, staff visibility on the property can be difficult. ATV’s provide an efficient way to enforce regulations, locate lost children, provide public information, and assist with first aid.
Maps and Resources
Every car receives a free introductory pamphlet to Crane Beach. Literature about events at the Crane Estate, other Trustees properties to visit in the region, and membership in The Trustees of Reservations is available from the bulletin board and the beach office. We recommend that you download a trail map before you visit.
Private Functions
Steep Hill Beach (located at the western end of Crane Beach and at the base of Castle Hill) may be rented for corporate outings or weddings.Planning Your Visit
Community Links
Essex National Heritage AreaIpswich Online
North Shore Chamber of Commerce
Town of Ipswich
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.
- Respect the privacy of neighboring land.
- Enjoy and share the landscape with others.
Click on links below for further visitor information:
Tell Us What You Think
Announcements & Alerts
Upcoming Things To Do
Other Trustees Properties You Might Like:
Appleton Farms
Ipswich, MA
Greenwood Farm
Ipswich, MA
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
Ipswich, MA
