Head of the Plains

Ocean blue and endless in the distance. A heady, briny aroma. A roar of crashing waves. A vast, open coastal plain. You’ve found Nantucket’s magnificent Head of the Plains!

On the trail now, you glimpse some sort of hawk hovering low on little or no wind and intermittently gliding short distances randomly interrupted by sudden erratic turns, swoops and dives. These migratory ground-nesting raptors, Northern harriers, hunt for meadow voles, mice, and Eastern and New England cottontail rabbits taking cover among low shrubs and grasses. Soaring higher, red-tailed hawks arc around on ever-widening circles hunting the same furry meals along with ospreys scouting for fish in a nearby pond. Higher still are turkey vultures and the always vocal American crows and ravens, scavenging for leftover carrion.

As you explore further out on to the Plains, small groups of Whitetail deer sprint and leap from one shelter of pitch pines to another, flashing their tails as they bolt across this wide-open prairie-like habitat on Nantucket’s western half. 

On the northeast portion of a roughly 1,000-acre tract of globally rare coastal habitat known as sandplain grassland mixed with heathland habitat, Head of the Plains is jointly owned by the Nantucket Islands Land Bank and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. 

What the Northern Hemisphere’s last glacier, the Laurentide ice sheet, spat out for Nantucket’s version of wide-open spaces 21,000 years ago, Head of the Plains, rivaling only the island’s Middle Moors for shear mass of contiguous protected open space, is carpeted with plant species thriving in the fine sandy soils of this coastal plain. Frequently glazed in ocean fog, this low shrub and grass ecosystem boasts Little blue-stem grass scattered through clumps of bayberry and sweeping banks of Black huckleberry. Depending on the month, the mosaic is dotted with Sandplain blue-eyed grass, New England Blazing Star, various asters, Pearly everlasting, Trailing arbitus, Rabbit tobacco, Goat’s rue, bearberry, pasture roses, and more than a dozen goldenrod varieties.

Come walk with us out on one of Nantucket’s most extraordinary conservation properties to experience this unique island ecosystem.

We also offer Head of the Plains as a sunset hike. Hike pickup times vary dependent on time of sunset.

Logging your steps and counting the miles.
If you’re counting your steps with a fitness/activity tracker, this hike offers around 4,200 steps and is 2.3 miles in length.

Hiking fees.
This hike costs $65 for adults and $30 for children under 13. Nantucket Walkabout offers a 20-percent military discount to active and retired military personnel, and their spouses. When booking your hike, please enter the promo code, MILITARYDISCOUNT when prompted to do so. If you’re booking a hike with non-military hikers, please book for yourself or, yourself and your spouse in a separate booking from your friends and family. Also, please present your military ID card to our guide at the time of pick up. Check the Hike Calendar to see when we are hiking the Gardner Farm trail and to book it. To arrange for a private hike on this route, call or email us for our rates and to discuss your hiking needs.

Continuing your island discovery!
We encourage you to explore Nantucket on your own! There are more than 15,000 acres open for exploration on land owned by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, the Nantucket Islands Land Bank, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Trustees of Reservations and The ’Sconset Trust. After your hike with Nantucket Walkabout, ask your guide for a package of maps from most of these conservation organizations.

Book online now!