Located just thirty miles north of Boston, Thacher Island NWR is home to
herring and great black-backed gulls. The refuge serves as a stopover site for
songbirds and other migrants to rest and feed during their seasonal migration.
Off-shore habitats are used by seals, waterfowl, loons, grebes, cormorants and
alcids.

The refuge was established in 1972 to provide feeding, resting and nesting
habitat for migratory birds, located approximately one mile off the coast of
Rockport, Massachusetts.

Thacher Island also has a rich cultural history, perhaps best symbolized by
the twin lighthouses that continue to grace its rocky landscape.

Located just thirty miles north of Boston, Thacher Island NWR is home to herring and great black-backed gulls. The refuge serves as a stopover site for songbirds and other migrants to rest and feed during their seasonal migration. Off-shore habitats are used by seals, waterfowl, loons, grebes, cormorants and alcids.

The refuge was established in 1972 to provide feeding, resting and nesting habitat for migratory birds, located approximately one mile off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts. 

Thacher Island also has a rich cultural history, perhaps best symbolized by the twin lighthouses that continue to grace its rocky landscape.

Bird's eye view of the park

Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge was established in 1941, and today consists of more than 4,700
acres of diverse upland and wetland habitats including sandy beach and dune,
maritime shrubs and forests, cranberry bogs, man-made impoundments, salt marsh
and associated creek, river, and mud flat. These refuge habitats support
varied and abundant populations of resident and migratory wildlife including
more than 300 species of birds and additional species of mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, insects, and plants. The refuge also provides critical habitat for
the federally threatened piping plover.

The refuge was established in 1941, and today consists of more than 4,700 acres of diverse upland and wetland habitats including sandy beach and dune, maritime shrubs and forests, cranberry bogs, man-made impoundments, salt marsh and associated creek, river, and mud flat. These refuge habitats support varied and abundant populations of resident and migratory wildlife including more than 300 species of birds and additional species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and plants. The refuge also provides critical habitat for the federally threatened piping plover.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Established on March 17, 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the
United States, Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of nine acres of
land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront, as well as a
downtown visitor center. Located in the urban setting of Salem, the park
preserves and interprets over 600 years of New England's maritime history and
global connections.

Established on March 17, 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the United States, Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront, as well as a downtown visitor center. Located in the urban setting of Salem, the park preserves and interprets over 600 years of New England's maritime history and global connections.

Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge

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Nearby Parks

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Salem Maritime National Historic Site