Beaches, Rocks, Tide Pools, and Woods
Maine water is rumored to be very cold, but we prefer to
think of it as refreshing in small doses, especially after baking on the beach
for a bit before your dip. Some like to wade
in at glacial speed and numb the body slowly. Some just dive under a good wave,
leap up screaming, and rush back to their towel and the warm sand. And others seem to be able to play in the
waves for long stretches of time. As the tide comes in over warm sand, it is a
bit warmer. Caution: Most beaches here are safe, but any beach can
turn dangerous when the surf is high. There are known rip currents near the
mouth of Little River when the tide is going out. Always be careful on beaches or the rocks
when the surf is high. Rogue waves much
larger than average are rare, but do happen.
Only the beaches, the rocks, and the marked paths are IPA
property available to guests. Do not
walk across private property or skirt difficult sections of rocks by cutting up
above on the turf. Plan your rock
excursions according to the tide. Stay
off all dunes unless there is a path.
All public paths are marked by a yellow pipe or a yellow rectangle
painted on a rock.
Indian Point rocks are absolutely spectacular, beginning
with the amazing igneous intrusions right out in front of Bowsprit. Spend some time just walking along the rocks
enjoying the hues and textures. If any
of our visitors are amateur geologists, we would love to hear some descriptions
of what you find.
- Sea Beach – This is the primary
beach that you can see in the cove out the south windows. It is about a 5-minute walk down the
road or if the tide is out and you are nimble, you can get there via the
rocks. A wide beach with good
swimming, this is the most popular beach and best all around beach for
swimming. There will usually be a few people here, especially on
weekends. It is a great family
beach, and if you have kids they will probably find buddies here to build
things out of driftwood or create sand villages.
- Winslow
– This is our name for a tiny beach at low tide just down the road (S)
about 200 yards. A steep path,
marked by a yellow pipe, descends just this side of the Swatek’s garage.
Though not good for swimming except in very calm water, it is a nice
quiet place to sun in the morning and is never used. Near the top of the path is a bench with
wonderful views to the east at any time of day.
- Shell Beach
and The Promontory – The promontory that juts out beyond Sea Beach is a great place to explore
and to watch the ocean. Sometimes you may spot a seal in the water around it. It can only be reached from Sea Beach when the tide is out far
enough to get around the rock outcropping on the beach. Shell beach around
the corner from the promontory has pockets of tiny mussel, clam, snail,
and limpet shells that are fun to poke through. You can also get to Shell Beach
via the marked path (yellow pipe) leaving the small southern section of Sea Beach cutting through the beach
roses. There is some good tide
pooling out beyond Shell
Beach during low
tide.
- Lone Tree Island
and Beach – This pleasant sandy beach can be accessed by paths from
either end. See the map. At low tide one can walk out to explore
the island. When the waves are
getting big at Sea
Beach, it is usually
much quieter over here.
- Indian
Point and its Beaches – There are two small beaches on either side of
the narrow isthmus near the very tip of Indian Point. To access these beaches either follow the rocks around from Lone Tree
Island Beach
or follow the private road at the south end of Indian Point Road and watch for a
small parking lot on the right and the yellow path pipe. (See map) Follow the path along the stone wall out
to a viewing bench and down to a beach with skiffs on it and mooring
buoys. At the end of this beach
near a shed is a path to the beach on the other side of the dunes. This is
a small quiet sand beach with good sunning, sheltered but not a good
bottom for wading except in water shoes.
One can also follow the rocks at low tide around the point passing
the remains of a shipwreck at the point. The rocks here are spectacular in
texture and color. As always, stay on the rocks and away from houses. There are paths through the thickets out
to the very tip of Indian Point, a nice place to sit and read a book and
look across to the Pond Island Lighthouse and the islands, especially near
sunset.
- Little
River – At the north end of Loop
Rd near Little River Rd is a path down to the
rocks at Little River, a small tidal river that supplies the marshes above
Indian Point. At low tide there is
a clam flat where it is fun to watch the tide change as the water comes in
over the ripples in the sand.
(Unfortunately you are no longer allowed to clam without a
license.) A bit south along the
rocks there are some sandy areas at low tide. In some rare years there is
even a swimming hole left at low tide that warms up a bit. Some wade across Little River to Reid State Park beaches near low tide,
but this can be dangerous if Little River is flowing fast enough during
the tide change to sweep out to sea.
There is a rip current down here, so do not swim out into the deep
water where the river is flowing.
- Tide
Pools – There are many gems of tide pools all along the rocks. Head out just before low tide so you
will be there just at low tide. One
of our favorites is a small one just a couple hundred yards south of Bowsprit. It looks like a little tunnel covered by
a flattish rock. It is slippery and
steep, so be extremely careful. You
should be able to find anemones, sponges, starfish, crabs, and lots of
snails, limpets, and mussels. We
also enjoy the areas out between the promontory and Fox Island. Fox Island
is private. Please enjoy the sea
creatures where they live rather than taking them back to die on the
porch. Rocks can be slippery
everywhere. Stay away from the edges, because if you fall into the ocean
from the rocks it is going to be very difficult to get back out safely.
- The
Woods – There is nice trail system in the preserve across from
Bowsprit. Enter it by walking south along the road about 100 feet to a
trail sign. Take mosquito spray and
follow precautions for ticks.
(Note: As of 2007 the woods in the center of “The Loop” were
heavily logged because of the fire danger of blow-downs from storms. While the red and blue trails go through
this logged area and are in “rehab”, the other trails remain very pleasant
walks.)
Revised 3/25/05