Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge · Newburyport, Massachusetts
Roughly four thousand seven hundred acres covering most of Plum Island, a barrier island off Newburyport, protected in 1942 and now one of the premier birding sites on the Atlantic flyway — well over three hundred species recorded, with snowy owls in winter and a spring and autumn passage that brings people from several states. It is also a long empty beach, and from the first of April until the plover chicks fledge in high summer, most of that beach is closed to protect them.
6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 01950, United States
Open daily from dawn to dusk with a daily or annual per-vehicle entrance fee; federal passes accepted. PARKING IS LIMITED AND THE GATE CLOSES WHEN FULL, often early on fine summer weekends, with no overflow. MOST OF THE BEACH IS CLOSED FROM 1 APRIL until piping plover chicks fledge in high summer — check current status before travelling. NO DOGS at any time. The visitor centre is in Newburyport, off the island.
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