Napatree Point

If you really want to get away from it all, take the coastal walk to Napatree Point, where shorebirds, even the threatened piping plover, can outnumber beachcombers.

Back of the carousel is the seaside path along Napatree Point, with more than a mile of lapping waves and nesting terns.

Near the end, the dunes conceal a ruined fort where anxious eyes once scanned the sea for U-Boats.

The ruins are the old Spanish-American War fort of Fort Mansfield or Napatree Point.

Fort Mansfield was built to guard the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound and was active from 1898-1917.

The United States had purchsed 60 acres on Napatree Point to build the fortification.

On the center emplacement were two 8-inch Crozier guns, which protected the waters far beyond the eastern end of Fishers Island Sound.

The Hurricane of 1938 forever changed Napatree.

It destroyed all 36 houses and Fort Road that connected Fort Mansfield to the rest of Watch Hill.

Today Napatree Point is a barrier beach over 2 miles long without any roads or houses which offers great bird watching, peace and quiet, and superb surf casting.

The remains of the fort are still there and offer adventurers tunnels, underground rooms, and gun batteries to explore.

Some of the fort lies under the sea and other parts under the ever shifting sands.

As the sea and sand shift, old weapons and sometimes artifacts from the hurricane are uplifted.

Napatree Point, extends over two miles and showcases magnificent scenery such as Fisher's Island and the whitewashed brick structure with granite tower known as the 1808 Historic Watch Hill Lighthouse.

Many boaters anchor to enjoy Napatree Point for quiet ocean-side walks and some of the best bird-watching in New England.

During the summer, this beach is often packed with boaters, anglers, water skiers, and knee boarders.