60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Boston. Lafe Low

      The Atlantic comes crashing in against the rocks at Halibut Point State Park.

      SHAPED BY GEOLOGICAL FORCES, glacial ice sheets, the labor of quarrymen, and crashing waves off the Atlantic, Halibut Point presents a variety of scenery. On warm summer days, this knuckle of granite facing the sea offers a pleasant place to sunbathe and picnic. When the weather turns, the point is a terrific place to observe the raw power of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the rocks.

      DESCRIPTION

      For nearly a century, men equipped with hand tools, steam-powered tools, and dynamite cut stone from Babson Farm Quarry at Halibut Point. The crash of 1929 and the emergence of concrete finally closed the industry down. The chiseled borders of the quarry remain as a dramatic reminder of the area’s history.

      Cross Gott Avenue at the northwest corner of the parking lot to pick up the wooded path to the visitor center. Halfway along, you will pass two small quarries, with narrow trails leading to them to the right. These days they are filled with rainwater and camouflaged by vines and scrub, smaller companions to the massive quarry you’re approaching.

      Arriving at a broad T intersection—you will feel the onshore breeze and catch a view of the sea. Shifting your focus from the distant waves to the foreground, you’ll see the enormous water-filled quarry before you. Herring gulls and ducks now bob on thin ripples raised by wind gusting across this old work site where men cut great slabs of rock, producing this enormous void.

      Take the trail to the left to find the visitor center, or continue walking along the edge of the quarry on the gravel path past sparse woods of cherry, sumac, and blackberries. Markers along the quarry coordinate with a self-guided tour. It’s always advisable to grab a map when one is available, but the trails here are quite obvious, well defined, and well marked.

      Heading northeast, pass the quarry to your left as you turn toward the ocean. After walking a short distance downhill, you will find a narrow, packed-earth path leading to the right. Leave the gravel trail and pick up this new path, traveling northeast. At the next fork, take the right-hand path to continue east. The trail winds gently along the quarry border. There’s not much elevation gain or loss, as the plateau surrounding the quarry is fairly flat.

      Closer to the shore now, you will see wild beach roses that, when blooming in the heat of summer, give off a heady scent. Keep right at each of the next splits to reach the easternmost end of the reservation. At the border, the trail turns toward the sea.

      Down on the rocky shoreline, you’ll see sheets of granite mixed with irregular boulders tossed into heaps by quarrymen and the thunderous surf. The coast here is a dramatic setting for picnicking, sunbathing, surf-casting, tidal-pool gazing, and rock-hopping. If your inclination is to do nothing at all, there is always plenty to watch, from day sailors cruising around the point to migrating birds. And watching the ocean meet the barrier of the rocky coast is spectacular in all weather and in all seasons.

      After spending some time pondering the coast, make your way northwest, keeping the breaking waves to your right. No walk along here is ever the same, as the tide level determines your route and your ability or inclination to leap across chasms. Beware of low tide, when kelp and sea moss clinging to rocks can make for treacherous footing.

      Looking ahead, you will see a mountain of granite blocks tapering steeply to the sea. Walk along the base of this granite behemoth for a good look to appreciate the hours of sweat and strain represented by this pile of castoffs. Though forces of nature have reshaped the pile, it was quarrymen who heaved the stone here.