Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge
Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge
4.5
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
5:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
Discover this ruggedly beautiful coastal environment where deer, raptors, and shorebirds play. Explore sand dunes and small coastal forests, salt marsh and tidal ponds, on 16 miles of trails and sand roads. We also offer guided over-sand vehicle tours of the refuge.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
63 reviews
Excellent
48
Very good
9
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Alice in Naples
Naples, FL214 contributions
Aug 2022
Our group of 4 (the maximum number is 4 for a Jeep tour) enjoyed a sunset Jeep tour driven by our guide who identified lots of birds and explained about the land, history, and native flora and fauna, and also about current research and bird banding projects. We saw many kinds of birds and even a seal, and a beautiful sunset. We stopped several times for photos and took a walk to the lighthouse (sorry, I don't remember the name of the lighthouse!). It was very enjoyable. You can go onto the refuge if you get a permit at the gate, and we saw a few people fishing and picnicking, but I don't think I'd have seen this area of Nantucket if we had not booked the Jeep tour.
Written August 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LAKNOL
42 contributions
Excellent! What an adventure driving on the beach, watching seals, fishing and picnicing. We went for a nice swim on the harbor side. In the summer bustle it was a great place to get away from it all. Highly recommended and tread carefully. Rare species abound.
Written January 10, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fred C
Hiram, ME34 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
Four inch thick vines and some of the worst salt marsh mosquitoes out side of Maine. What I am describing is the road through Coskata forest which leads to the pond. Roll up your windows. The rest of Coatue is unique and beautiful no mosquitoes. Where else in New England can you still find a mile of sand beach to yourself.
Written October 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer C
Jamaica Plain, MA93 contributions
Sep 2014 • Couples
This place came highly recommended so we made sure to block off some time for it during our short trip to Nantucket -- what was not made all that clear was how difficult it is to get to without an oversand vehicle, and by difficult, I mean, almost not worth it at all. We were briefly told at the Ranger's station that we had to keep our scooter at the entrance, and that it was "a mile walk past private homes" to get to the entrance of the Refuge. It may be a mile walk once you have PASSED all of the private homes (probably another mile in and of itself) and while the distance may not be too much overall, it is along deep, loose beach sand, and a very narrow road which you share with the 4WD vehicles -- when a vehicle is passing, you often have to find a nook/driveway/grass to stand in since there is not room for pedestrians and a single car to pass. It's worth noting that on our 45+ min walk there (one way) and then back, not one of the 50+ vehicles that passed offered us a ride either way. Not the Refuge's fault, naturally, but I thought it was interesting and worth noting. Once you reach the entrance to the refuge it is still more of a walk to reach the beach, and when you get there, it's beautiful...but it's just the ocean -- if you want to see animals or the lighthouse, I don't know how far you have to walk along the beach because we didn't have the energy or time to continue walking!
Written September 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Auroraam
Lincoln, MA426 contributions
Jul 2016 • Friends
Eight of us went out with The Trustees of Reservations tour in their enclosed airconditioned van with Barry as our excellent guide. We learned a great deal about this beautiful, mostly wild part of Nantucket. We started in Wauwinet and then went out through the stunted cedars to the beach and saw osprey next with fledglings and parents. Because this is piping plover nesting season, the beach to the lighthouse was closed and we couldn't go to climb it. (they warned us before we puchased our tickets.) On Coatue, we saw seals, oystercatchers and egrets. The scenery was spectacular. Barry's family has been on Nantucket since the beginning 1600s, and he has great perspectives on the island. We all enjoyed it. A different Nantucket from the busy downtown/boat harbor or Sconset, Madaket or Surfside.
Written July 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MILKONY
New York City, NY146 contributions
May 2014 • Family
The northernmost tip of this refuge is the Great Point Lighthouse. To get there, we had rented a Hertz Ford Explorer with the proper Nantucket Beach permit so that we could drive along the very long stretch of beautiful beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. You must deflate your tires to 14 lb.--- not too far from the gatehouse (which is actually 200 ft. from the high-end Wauwinet resort is a small air pump for you to reflate your tires later. My wife and daughter went with me for the first time (my second time) and it was a most memorable experience. The weather was perfect: 55 deg Fahrenheit, sunny, blue sky. Having my wife and daughter accompany me this time made it even more enjoyable than when I went alone the first time. Bring along a picnic basket but PLEASE do NOT leave any garbage. See pictures below.
Written May 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ying Zhi G
New York City, NY4 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
We went to the tour with The Trustees of Reservations and our tour guide is Barry, too! He is absolutely what the other comments described: knowledgeable, humorous, sensitive, patient, and professional.
For those who does not have a car, this is a trip to take us to see the miles and miles of the beach, occasionally see people fishing on the beach and swimming in the sea; to see the birds with binocular and learn about their history, their migration regular, their personalities, etc.; to climb the light house and learn the history of it; to see the pond and swamp... and many other interest things in the reserve.
This trip is not only good for teenagers and families, but also good for seniors. The tour picked us up in downtown near the bus terminal (33 Washington) and dropped us back there. Do call the tour reservation to make the reservation in advance (we called in the morning and get the tour at 1pm).
For those who does not have a car, this is a trip to take us to see the miles and miles of the beach, occasionally see people fishing on the beach and swimming in the sea; to see the birds with binocular and learn about their history, their migration regular, their personalities, etc.; to climb the light house and learn the history of it; to see the pond and swamp... and many other interest things in the reserve.
This trip is not only good for teenagers and families, but also good for seniors. The tour picked us up in downtown near the bus terminal (33 Washington) and dropped us back there. Do call the tour reservation to make the reservation in advance (we called in the morning and get the tour at 1pm).
Written August 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tofufingers
Buckeye, AZ39 contributions
Jun 2013 • Family
We were debating on whether or not to do this tour because we had kids with us. Well the tour was magnificent, but the kids could have cared less. Very little information or details online about this tour, so we really had no idea what to expect. We adults enjoyed it, but the kids got easily bored after the first hour. The guided tour runs about 3 hours. It's a long, slow ride over sand, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained. It helps that he's a native Nantucketer. We saw a lot of ospreys on their nests, oyster catchers, fiddler crabs, baby seagulls and seals. A beautiful journey through the outer reaches of Nantucket that are otherwise inaccessible. We had been thinking about renting a jeep ourselves to do this drive, but after doing the tour, i'm so thankful we did not. I'm sure we would have gotten stuck in that sand in no time. Play it safe, and take this tour. You won't be disappointed. Just leave the kids at home.
Written June 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne-Christine R
Boston, MA105 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
The Trustees offer a guided tour in a Jeep and it is well worth it. Our guide was super knowledgeable and told us all kinds of stories about Nantucket. The refuge was pristine and the view from the top of the lighthouse was fabulous!
Written June 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much! We enjoyed having you with us!
Diane Lang
Manager
Written July 11, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ryecapital
Rye, NY89 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Famous for decades . Totally cool beach to north of town ( gotta buy a permit ) where you can drive for milesand miles on the beach ( don't try it if inexperienced , its really soft sand ) .
Bring a pole , always something in water biting . Pick up take out from Sayles like we did and take it out there for sunset .
Its one of my top 10 favorite places on planet and one of the very few in northeast with this much beach you can still drive on
Bring a pole , always something in water biting . Pick up take out from Sayles like we did and take it out there for sunset .
Its one of my top 10 favorite places on planet and one of the very few in northeast with this much beach you can still drive on
Written August 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I looked at Trustees website but did not see anything about the guided 4x4 tour. How do you get tickets?
Written August 6, 2016
fpollnac
Nantucket, Massachusetts
On the Coskata Coatue Web page, there is an 'upcoming things to do' section on the right side. If you click on "Natural History Tours' there, it will take you to a page that has information about the tours and how to book and a phone number you can call to do so. Have a great day!
Written August 7, 2016
how did you arrange your 4x4 tour of Coskata-Coatue? thank you
Written February 6, 2016
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