Napatree Point

Today as I have done the last two Fridays, I went birding. I won't bore you with the details. I did some exploring and hiking today in my quest to find feathered friends. The last place I went was Napatree Point in Westerley, RI

Napatree is a mile and a half sand spit. It is the most southwestern point of Rhode Island. The sand spit sticks right out into the ocean with Connecticut on the other side of the opening. On the inside of this spit a protected harbor is formed called Little Narragansett Bay. The parking and beginning of this beautiful area can be accessed in Watch Hill.

The parking area to get to Napatree  Point is on a street called Fort Road. However, best as I could see, there are no signs for "Fort Road". The parking lot is right before the carousel. There is a side lot that looks like it goes behind apartment buildings about 100 feet before you reach the carousel. The "apartments" are actually cabanas to rent.

I parked my car in one of the non numbered spaces. There is a time limit to park here. I don't remember if it was two or three hours. I suspect that during the summer this lot fills fast. Since the time is limited, I would suggest a walk on the beach as opposed to a day at the beach. After I got out of my car I went up the trail over the top of the sand dune. Although the rise is only about twenty feet, there is a nice birds eye view of Watch Hill, the lighthouse, Napatree, and Little Narragansett Bay.

I decided to walk the ocean side at first, but thought I might see more birds if I cut across one of the side trails to the inside. It doesn't really matter which way you go if your whole goal is to see lands
end. I did see some sanderling and dunlin.

Sanderling

The entire shoreline is a beautiful sandy beach until you get to the point. There large fishy looking boulders protect the fragile shoreline from the sea. I saw some purple sandpipers there. I really enjoyed my short time here. It is a really neat and pretty place.

The Rocky shoreline of lands end

Dunlin. Tough to tell in this picture, but notice the longer
bills than in the sanderling

I am sure during the summer months parking and traffic would be a hassle at Watch Hill. However this place was so nice, I certainly plan on going back during either of the shoulder seasons of spring or fall. I can't think of a nicer place to go for a walk or picnic on a seventy degree day in late April. For anyone that enjoys walking on the beach or likes ocean scenery, I do not think Napatree Point would disappoint.

Across the opening to Little
Narragansett Bay is Connecticut which can
be seen in the background of the photo