Winter Island Park, Salem MA

May 2023

Sometimes, a park soothes your soul simply because it’s not what you’re used to, but it’s exactly what it should be.

I arrived at Winter Island Park on the morning of the fourth day on a trip to Massachusetts. By the fourth day of a trip, my excitement at travel has died down and the novelty has often grown exhausting. By this point, I’d done a lot of driving, I’d seen a lot of things, and I was tired.

Winter Island Park is a small park squatting on a promontory just outside Salem, Massachusetts. Judging by the number of boats laying next to the entrance, it looks like the kind of place locals come for a couple hours of unwinding. Nothing fancy, nothing jaw-dropping, but…nice.

One advantage of visiting a small park like this one on a Wednesday morning is that you often have the place pretty much to yourself. This was very much the case on my visit; a few guys working casually on their boats and a couple of joggers were the only people there.

After parking, I walked along the small dirt path that wound through some trees to parallel the water, a few dozen feet below me down a steep slope. The trail continued past an abandoned, crumbling brick manor house (!) to a grassy field dotted with picnic benches with fine views of the nearby bay and the sea beyond, a handful of boats scattered around in the water like a child’s toys.

I sat and looked out at the bay and felt myself unwinding, relaxing, reconnecting with myself and the reasons I took this trip in the first place. I was here to explore and experience Massachusetts, and this was the perfect place to do exactly that, just at a slower pace.

The next time I’m in Salem, if I need a quiet spot, I’m heading to Winter Island.

Fees: None

Conditions: Rainy, 53° Fahrenheit