Mass Audubon's Barnstable Great Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary — Attraction in Barnstable

Ok. So it is very hard for me to rate any time spent in nature as less than four stars. So please read on to get my honest take on this beautiful location. First off it is hard to find. The entrance looks more like someone's driveway and is not very well-marked. The parking area is miniscule. I wondered if some of this might be intentional because after all it is Wildlife Refuge. There is not a lot of literature or information about what you might see along your Trek. But there is enough to let you choose which fruits you want to take. The Refuge is a good mix of Woodland and marshy area with some interesting "overlooks". The trails are well-marked Loops that intersect at points allowing you to switch things up as you go. It is important to know that there are some steep grades at times. I was with my 89 year old mother and I was worried but she's a trooper and was able to make the whole hike thanks to several benches and resting places along the way. Some people might desire more benches and certainly people with foot or knee issues might have difficulty with the rising and falling terrain. We went around midday on a warm April day in midweek. We encountered no one and were able to enjoy all the peaceful noises of nature without disturbance. So for nature lovers I would say, yes, a four; but for families and those who are expecting more of an educational experience such as you would find in the National Park Service or some kind of wow factor it might only rate 3 stars Expect nothing accept everything and...

Small sanctuary with narrow, woody trails, lots of poison ivy, few pretty overlooks (really just one even though map says two), hardly any birds, let alone unusual ones. Been to dozens of Mass Audubons and can’t recommend this one.

Btw, look carefully for the entrance. It is hard to find compared to most Mass Audubon sanctuaries due to very, very small signage.

Finally, there is an extremely poorly paved, wavy, bumpy road for just 75 yards before the railroad tracks. Even though my foot was off the gas and I was going as slow as possible, the undercarriage hit. Not pleasant to our car nor our inner...

day10 (20JUL24) sanctuary20: narrow, windy trails along railway thru upland forest. the forest has a vibrant shrub layer, vines up into trees ( oriental bittersweet, grapes, smilax, even a wisteria!). holly seedlings too. sharp dividing line between forest and marsh. i walked short loop around otter pond, the viewing platform affords a nice view of bay and marshes behind sandy neck. otter pond was bright green, fear it is cyanobacteria so didn't get...