Clams and crabs, sea urchins and starfish. … Look there’s a tiny shrimp scurrying in the puddle and a snail crawling on the slippery rocks! When the pull of the moon draws the tides further out to sea, the leftover pockets of water brim with sea creatures and critters.
“The rocky coast has so much diversity, varied terrain, color, and textures,” says Emma Carey, program coordinator and educator for the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, N.H. “It’s a great place for wonder and investigation.”
The best time to go tide pooling is two to three hours before and after low tide. Visit www.usharbors.com for local tides, and practice safe guidelines: Handle animals gently and quickly return them, and anything else you move, to the same location.
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Here are some prime spots, no more than a couple hours from Boston by car, making them doable day trips. Be sure to check websites for current safety guidelines and travel restrictions.
Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester
Dubbed Winga by locals, this popular beach is located at the western edge of the city along the Annisquam River and Ipswich Bay. At low tide, the water retreats nearly a mile, exposing a long sandbar and jumbles of rocks that trap salty sea puddles. Go rock hopping along the shore, and peer into tide pools filled with sea creatures like hermit crabs, tiny shrimp, and snails. There are also great views out to sea and of the 1801 Annisquam Lighthouse. There are a limited number of nonresident parking spaces, $30 weekdays, $35 weekends and holidays, cash only. Tip: Visit on a day when low tide occurs in the late afternoon, when many beachgoers head home, and parking is discounted. www.gloucester-ma.gov/299/Beach-Information
Halibut Point State Park, Rockport
The power of the sea is in full view at this park, hugging the jagged, rocky Atlantic coastline. On clear days, you’ll have sweeping, long-distance views, often of the Isle of Shoals, 20 miles or so away. But kids will be more interested in the tide pools, where a variety of sea creatures lurk. At low tide, seaweed drapes over exposed, wet rocks, and crabs, shrimp, barnacles, mollusks and other tidal critters shelter in pools. Save time to walk the trails surrounding the historic Babson Farm Quarry, and out to shoreline lookouts. There are also trails through the adjacent Halibut Point Reservation (www.thetrustees.org/place/halibut-point-reservation), with more tide pools to explore. Parking is $5 for Massachusetts residents, $20 for nonresidents. www.mass.gov/locations/halibut-point-state-park
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Winter Island Park, Salem
This beloved city park, a stop along the Salem Trolley Tour, has a lot going on (and going for it). There’s a campground (one of the closest to Boston) and a boat launch, remnants of historic Fort Pickering (surrounded by a moat!), and three beaches. Pebble Beach is the best for tide pooling, a small rocky shoreline with easy to explore pools. Look for seaweed, barnacles, crabs, and mollusks. From here you’ll also have views of the Fort Pickering Lighthouse. Parking is $15 for nonresidents. www.salem.com/winter-island-park
Odiorne State Park, Rye, N.H.
One of the premier spots in the country for tide pooling, this 135-acre state park gem is the largest undeveloped stretch of shore along New Hampshire’s abbreviated coastline. Look for tiny sea creatures, including periwinkles, barnacles, minuscule lobsters, teeny shrimp, and a variety of crabs in the tide pools. You’ll also see remnants of an ancient “drowned forest,” roots and stubs from trees some 3,500 years old or more sticking out of the water. Several trails crisscross the park leading into fields and forests, and around freshwater ponds and salt marshes. Consider a visit the Seacoast Science Center, located at the park (open weekends, reserve tickets online at www.seacoastsciencecenter.org), with touch tanks, aquariums, and interactive exhibits about New Hampshire’s coastline. Reservations to enter the park are required, adults $4, ages 6-11 $2. www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/odiorne-point-state-park
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Crowninshield Island, Marblehead
Getting here is half the fun! Plan your visit at low tide when you can walk a sandbar to this tiny 5-acre island. This rocky outcropping has fine views across Marblehead Harbor, and several tide pools to explore. Peek into the shallow pockets of sea water to spot sea stars, anemones, urchins, and more. There’s also a short loop trail around the island, and a south-facing lawn, which makes a great spot for a picnic. Just be sure to get back across the sandbar before the tide rolls in; after that, you’ll have to swim back to the mainland, or call for a boat rescue. (Arrive one hour before dead low tide and leave by one hour after.) Roadside parking is limited. www.thetrustees.org/place/crowninshield-island
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com