Horseneck Beach State Reservation

Horseneck Beach State Reservation
Massachusetts State Park
Surf at Horseneck Beach
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Bristol
Location	John Reed Rd (Rt. 88), Westport, Massachusetts, USA
- coordinates	41°30′28″N 71°2′55″W
Area	600 acres (243 ha)
Managed by	Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Nearest city	Fall River, Massachusetts
Location of Horseneck Beach State Res. in Massachusetts
Website : Horseneck Beach State Res. (DCR)

The Horseneck Beach State Reservation is a large public state beach reservation on Westport River, Westport Harbor, Horseneck Channel, The Let, Rhode Island Sound, and Buzzards Bay, in the southern portion of the town of Westport, Massachusetts, USA.

Composition

The state reservation is an oddly-shaped peninsula sticking out from Westport's mainland and mostly into Rhode Island Sound (southwest) and Buzzards Bay (southeast). The reservation contains about 600 acres (2.4 km²) (or 2 miles) 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 beach is located along the southern portion of the peninsula, bordering Rhode Island Sound and Buzzards Bay.

Gooseberry Neck is an offshoot peninsula of the parent Horseneck peninsula. It divides part of Rhode Island Sound from Buzzards Bay in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Beach

Spread across nearly 600 acres (2.4 km²) of barrier beach and salt marsh, Horseneck Beach is one of the most popular facilities in the Massachusetts State Forests and Parks system. Located at the western end of Buzzards Bay, the sandy, southwest-facing, 2-mile (3.2 km) long beach is breezy all year round, providing excellent wind surfing and a dependable respite from sweltering inland temperatures every summer. The combination of ocean beach and estuary habitat makes Horseneck one of the premier birding locations in New England. Behind the dunes near Gooseberry Neck (a rocky headland at the eastern end of the Reservation).

The campground office hours are 8am–10pm; the regular camping season is from mid-May through mid-October. Swimming is only permitted at designated beaches in the reservation, and pets are not allowed at the main beach but they are allowed at the campground and Gooseberry Island. All the sand dunes are protected-entrance prohibited. From mid-may to August Horseneck is nesting ground for the threatened Piping Plover, you must be careful not to go near them or the symbolic fencing.

Accessibility

The state reservation is easily 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. 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 on the state reservation is accessible from the several large designated parking lots on the beaches via toll gates.

Establishments

There are several roads, mostly paved, located on the state reservation. Route 88 ends at its terminus 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 reservation has restroom facilities, a management office, a food bar, designated on-duty lifeguard towers, paved walkways, etc. alongside the beach.

Recreational opportunities

• Accessible Beaches
• Accessible Camping
• Accessible Picnicking
• Accessible Restrooms
• Boating (all types)
• Boat Ramp
• Fishing
• Historic Site
• Picnicking
• Showers
• Swimming
• Trailer / R.V. Dumping

External links

• Horseneck Beach State Reservation from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation website
• Horseneck Beach is rated among the Top 10 New England Beaches.
• Pictures of Horseneck Beach from the Westport Historical Society website
• Horseneck Beach State Reservation from L. L. Bean website