About Family Explorer: Winter Wildlife Walk at Crane Beach
A CraneExplorer Family Winter Wildlife Walk will take you on a stroll through the Crane Beach dunes while learning about some of the plants and animals that call this special place home. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. They offer one of the most accessible dune landscapes in New England and trails that provide a firsthand look into the delicate and ever-changing dune habitat. This includes numerous lookouts offering stunning views of Choate Island and the varied ecosystems of Castle Neck, including Pitch Pine forests and naturally occurring cranberry bogs.
The Family Explorer hiking series will get you and your young explorers outside and moving at Trustees properties across the Northeast Region. These family-friendly hikes cover less ground to accommodate smaller strides and have more frequent stops to look, listen, and learn from our Outdoor Guides. Some hikes will start with a story, hands-on demonstration, or explorers’ challenge to spark curiosity before hitting the trail.
Sign up for one, or get a discount if you sign up for three or more in the series. Contact Craneoutdoors@thetrustees.org for discount code.
February Vacation 2026 Schedule:
- Sunday 2/15 1-3pm – Winter Wildlife Walk at Crane Beach
- Monday 2/16, 10am-12pm – Sleepy Garden Hike at Long Hill
- Tuesday 2/17, 1-3pm – Winter Bog Walk at Ward
- Wednesday 2/18, 10am-12pm – Winter Birds and Wildlife at Appleton Farms
- Thursday 2/19 1-3pm – Winter on the Lake at Moraine Farm
- Friday 2/20, 10am-12pm – Tracking in the Dunes at Crane Beach
Accessibility: This hike has an easy level of difficulty, and requires hiking 1-2 miles on unpaved, sandy, and potentially muddy trails, with moderate elevation gain for approximately 2 hours.
Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is required.
All children must be accompanied by an adult. This is appropriate for adventurous kids as young as 5 years old.
Refunds/Exchanges: Refunds and/or Exchanges must be requested at least 7 days in advance. In the case of event cancellation, you will be notified via the email address used to register and fully refunded within 14 business days.
Membership: To locate information about your Membership, including Member ID, expiration date, and more, please visit https://tickets.thetrustees.org/membership.
Tickets: To look up your tickets or re-send an email confirmation, please visit: https://tickets.thetrustees.org/orders.
Photo Credit: Don Paquin
Program Refunds/Cancellations: In the event that a program is cancelled due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible by email and issue you a full refund within 14 days of the cancellation. If you cannot attend a program as planned, contact the Trustees property 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund or to be rebooked into a future available event. Refunds will not be granted for registration cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program for any reason. There are no refunds for missed events or late arrivals. The Trustees reserves the right to change program locations, schedules, or instructors when necessary. Note: Summer Camps and our inns and campgrounds each have separate cancellation policies.
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