Just beyond the wildlife refuge, the southern tip of both the island and the national seashore ends in a narrow spit of shifting land and sand that encloses Toms Cove and offers its few human visitors some fine opportunities for birding, fishing, horseback riding, and off-roading. There's a superb 13-mile shoreline circuit route that’s open to people, horses, and off-road vehicles, but only from September to mid-March. At other times, most of the so-called Toms Cove Hook is closed to visitors to allow the threatened piping plovers to safely raise their young. Even so, the lower part of the spit remains open year-round for sightseeing detours to a former Coast Guard station and the ruins of a long-ago fish factory.

Visitor Information

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