Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Horseneck Beach State Reservation

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
- elevation
  
16 ft (5 m)

Phone
  
+1 508-636-8816

Area
  
3.298 km²

Horseneck Beach State Reservation

Address
  
5 John Reed Rd, Westport, MA 02790, USA

Hours
  
Closing soon · 8AM–7PMTuesday8AM–7PMWednesday8AM–7PMThursday8AM–7PMFriday8AM–7PMSaturday8AM–7PMSunday8AM–7PMMonday8AM–7PM

Management
  
Department of Conservation and Recreation

Similar
  
Demarest Lloyd State Park, Scusset Beach State Res, Salisbury Beach State Res, Freetown‑Fall River State Forest, Otter River State Forest

Westport horseneck beach memorial day 2011


Horseneck Beach State Reservation is a state-owned, public recreation area comprising more than 800 acres (320 ha) on the Atlantic Ocean in the southern portion of the town of Westport, Massachusetts, United States. It is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is one of the state’s "most popular facilities ... welcom[ing] hundreds of thousands of visitors per year."

Contents

Horseneck beach state reservation april 7 2012


Description

The reservation occupies a peninsula that juts out from Westport's mainland with Rhode Island Sound to the southwest and Buzzards Bay to the southeast. The reservation features 2 miles (3.2 km) of barrier beach, marshland, and a protected estuary habitat. Most of the marshland is concentrated at the northern portion of the peninsula bordering Horseneck Channel and The Let.

The barrier island known as Gooseberry Neck (or Gooseberry Island) is connected by a causeway to the main Horseneck Peninsula and is the southernmost extension of Horseneck Beach State Reservation. It partially divides Rhode Island Sound from Buzzards Bay. Horseneck Beach was acquired by the state in 1956, with Goose Neck being added to the state's recreational holdings in 1957.

The Westport Historical Society notes that the name for the beach is likely taken "from the Algonquin word hassanegk, meaning 'cellar dwelling' or 'a house made of stone.'"

Activities and amenities

The state reservation offers fishing, windsurfing, motorized and non-motorized boating with boat ramp, trails for biking and walking, showers, hunting, and bird watching.

  • Beach: The beach is located along the southern portion of the peninsula, bordering Rhode Island Sound and Buzzards Bay. Restroom facilities, management office, food bar, designated on-duty lifeguard towers, and paved walkways are found alongside the beach. Swimming is limited to designated beaches.
  • Camping: A 100-site campground is located behind the dunes at Gooseberry Neck, at the eastern end of the reservation. Camping season runs mid-May to mid-October. Campground office hours are 8am–10pm. Facilities include a dump station.
  • Accessibility

    The state reservation is accessible from the Bascule Bridge via Route 88, an offshoot of Interstate 195. Route 88 is the main (and direct) route of the two land routes to Horseneck. Route 88 ends on Horseneck, where John Reed Road, the main road serving the reservation, begins. John Reed Road ends at East Beach Road on the eastern portion of the peninsula. The other land route to Horseneck is East Beach Road via Horseneck Road, on the peninsula's connector, near the Westport/Dartmouth town boundary. The beach is accessible from the several large, designated parking lots via toll gates.

    References

    Horseneck Beach State Reservation Wikipedia