coskata-coatue wildlife refuge

My husband and I went on the CC Wildlife Refuge tour going out to the end of the point and the lighthouse. Saw herons, egrets, swans, seals, and other flora and fauna along the way. View from lighthouse amazing! Great tour guide. Well worth going!

This place came highly recommended so we made sure to block off some time for it during our short trip to Nantucket -- what was not made all that clear was how difficult it is to get to without an oversand vehicle, and by difficult, I mean, almost not worth it at all. We were briefly told at the Ranger's station that we had to keep our scooter at the entrance, and that it was "a mile walk past private homes" to get to the entrance of the Refuge. It may be a mile walk once you have PASSED all of the private homes (probably another mile in and of itself) and while the distance may not be too much overall, it is along deep, loose beach sand, and a very narrow road which you share with the 4WD vehicles -- when a vehicle is passing, you often have to find a nook/driveway/grass to stand in since there is not room for pedestrians and a single car to pass. It's worth noting that on our 45+ min walk there (one way) and then back, not one of the 50+ vehicles that passed offered us a ride either way. Not the Refuge's fault, naturally, but I thought it was interesting and worth noting. Once you reach the entrance to the refuge it is still more of a walk to reach the beach, and when you get there, it's beautiful...but it's just the ocean -- if you want to see animals or the lighthouse, I don't know how far you have to walk along the beach because we didn't have the energy or time to continue walking!

When entering the Rangers will brief you on tire pressure, give you maps and assist if needed. It was an outstanding day as we had the beach pretty much to ourselves. Saw lots of seals, and shorebirds as well as the lovely lighthouse. Great photo opportunities. Beautiful beach to swim, in some areas better than others for small children. No lifeguards although the rangers drive through often.

Tough to get to unless you are on a boat or have a beach permit, but worth it for the beautiful sunsets, quiet location and views.

The northernmost tip of this refuge is the Great Point Lighthouse. To get there, we had rented a Hertz Ford Explorer with the proper Nantucket Beach permit so that we could drive along the very long stretch of beautiful beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. You must deflate your tires to 14 lb.--- not too far from the gatehouse (which is actually 200 ft. from the high-end Wauwinet resort is a small air pump for you to reflate your tires later. My wife and daughter went with me for the first time (my second time) and it was a most memorable experience. The weather was perfect: 55 deg Fahrenheit, sunny, blue sky. Having my wife and daughter accompany me this time made it even more enjoyable than when I went alone the first time. Bring along a picnic basket but PLEASE do NOT leave any garbage. See pictures below.

This is a truly special place, Miles of shore line with only an occasional fisherman. Lots of birds, seals etc. This is hard to get to--requires 4 wheel drive-- and some areas are blocked because of nesting plovers-- but that's why it's usually all yours!

Very intestesting little tour with rental car. And of course it is always cool to say that you have driven on the beach...

Four inch thick vines and some of the worst salt marsh mosquitoes out side of Maine. What I am describing is the road through Coskata forest which leads to the pond. Roll up your windows. The rest of Coatue is unique and beautiful no mosquitoes. Where else in New England can you still find a mile of sand beach to yourself.

Beautiful vistas all around. I recommend a guided tour by www.the trustees.org. Their knowledge of the area adds great value to the trip. Don't leave your camera home. The Great Point Lighthouse, sand dunes, beautiful sea shore and a variety of wildlife to be found depending on what time of year you go.

We went to the tour with The Trustees of Reservations and our tour guide is Barry, too! He is absolutely what the other comments described: knowledgeable, humorous, sensitive, patient, and professional. For those who does not have a car, this is a trip to take us to see the miles and miles of the beach, occasionally see people fishing on the beach and swimming in the sea; to see the birds with binocular and learn about their history, their migration regular, their personalities, etc.; to climb the light house and learn the history of it; to see the pond and swamp... and many other interest things in the reserve. This trip is not only good for teenagers and families, but also good for seniors. The tour picked us up in downtown near the bus terminal (33 Washington) and dropped us back there. Do call the tour reservation to make the reservation in advance (we called in the morning and get the tour at 1pm).

We took the tour through the Trustees of Reservations and so happy we did! Barry, our wonderful guide was very knowledgable about the area and wildlife. He grew up on the island, so can answer just about every question you have. He had quite the sense of humor too, so kept us entertained the whole time.The scenery is absolutely beautiful. We saw mostly birds and bunnies, but you never know what kind of wildlife you'll see. We felt lucky to get through all the way to the lighthouse. It had been closed because of nesting birds until a week before. We also got to go up into the lighthouse (gorgeous view), which is closed to the public unless you're on a tour.I think teens would appreciate this tour more than little kids. We were with a family with three teen boys and they really seemed to enjoy it. They limit the groups to 8 people, so lots of interaction and you don't just get lost in a mass of people, plus you have great views from any seat in the van.You can see this area on your own, but if you've never driven on sand before, you take the chance of getting stuck and you also have to get an over sand vehicle sticker. Plus, you won't get all the history and information.

I was fortunate - when i showed up for my tour, i was the only one! I had the guide to myself and really enjoyed the scenary and the birds. Unfortunately my guide seemed to blame the seals for all the over fishing but kept my opinion to myself. The bad part was that right after my tour, they opened the end of the island where Great Point is. My advice - unless you are used to driving on soft sand, get a tour through the trustee office.

Coskata-Coatue was a beautiful place! We rented a jeep from Affordable Rentals and had a beautiful May day to see the seals on the beach (from a distance!) and in the water, nesting birds, and Great Point Lighthouse. As long as we had the jeep rented for 24 hours, we also went to all of the beaches, and caught Quidnet Beach and Pocomo at sunrise-- both of which I would recommend!

Gorgeous. Couldn't get up to the lighthouse due to closure for nesting birds, but loved it all the same. Saw a few seals, a oyster catcher and it's newly hatched chick, fiddler crabs and the like. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.

We were debating on whether or not to do this tour because we had kids with us. Well the tour was magnificent, but the kids could have cared less. Very little information or details online about this tour, so we really had no idea what to expect. We adults enjoyed it, but the kids got easily bored after the first hour. The guided tour runs about 3 hours. It's a long, slow ride over sand, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained. It helps that he's a native Nantucketer. We saw a lot of ospreys on their nests, oyster catchers, fiddler crabs, baby seagulls and seals. A beautiful journey through the outer reaches of Nantucket that are otherwise inaccessible. We had been thinking about renting a jeep ourselves to do this drive, but after doing the tour, i'm so thankful we did not. I'm sure we would have gotten stuck in that sand in no time. Play it safe, and take this tour. You won't be disappointed. Just leave the kids at home.