Things to do nearMonomoy Island

Monomoy Island sits at the elbow of Cape Cod, a two-part barrier island shaped by Atlantic storms and shifting sands over centuries. North Monomoy and South Monomoy together span roughly 7,600 acres of beach, dune, shrub thicket, and tidal flat, all protected as part of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge since 1944.

The island's greatest draw is its wildlife. Gray and harbor seals gather in the hundreds along the southern shores, and the tidal flats attract more than 285 recorded bird species, making Monomoy Island a pilgrimage site for serious birders. Piping plovers and least terns nest here each spring, and the fall migration brings dunlins, semipalmated sandpipers, and red knots in remarkable concentrations.

Access is by boat only, and most visitors join guided tours that depart from Chatham. Naturalist-led trips provide essential context for reading the landscape and locating wildlife without disturbing nesting areas. Some operators also offer seal-watching excursions that circle the outer beaches by vessel.

Few places on the New England coast retain this degree of wildness so close to a working harbor town. Monomoy Island offers a rare encounter with a coastline that time and careful stewardship have kept largely intact.