Beautiful and tranquil scenery rewards those who venture to explore Goose Cove Reservation. Short trails through wooded upland, rocky shorelines, and tidal mudflats provide an opportunity to study varied plant and animal life.

For a thousand years and more Indigenous People on Cape Ann enjoyed the ample and diverse resources to be found in the Goose Cove biome, from shellfish in the tidal flats and brackish backwaters to the deer that came to graze on saltmarsh hay. Algonquians known as the Pawtucket speared fish in this cove, which was open to the sea, gathered goldenrod flowers to flavor and color their porridges, used Spartina grasses in their basketry, and quarried the glacial moraine for stones to knap into weapons and tools.

A narrow causeway on MA-127 divides Goose Cove on the east from the Atlantic Ocean, the Annisquam River, and Lobster Cove. Follow the trail to where the upland meets saltwater, creating a rich, natural habitat. The property’s geologic features include Cape Ann granite, glacial erratics, glacial outwash, and moraine.

Parking is limited to 5 cars. Park in the gravel parking lot.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Goose Cove Reservation.