Wickets Island
Local boaters and paddlers know Wickets Island as one of the best places to stop off during on-the-water exploration around Onset Bay. Take a trip to this tree-covered island to enjoy a day of swimming, shellfishing, and beachcombing, ending with one of the best sunsets around. Owned by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, this island will serve as the centerpiece of the developing Onset Bay Center.
Features
Paddle out to the beach at Wickets Island to explore a rocky shoreline with stunning views of Onset Bay.
Smack-dab in the middle of Onset Bay, Wickets Island is a perennial favorite of Onset locals. Shallow-draft boats, paddle craft, and small sailboats can quickly reach Wickets Island from launching points at Onset Beach or Electric Avenue and pull directly onto the shoreline. A stone pier on Wicket’s west side will also provide dockage for larger boats to stop over on the island, once renovation work is complete at the end of Spring 2022.
The sandy beaches around the island’s southern end are a great place to relax and wade in the shallows, while its rocky east side is a great place to beachcomb for sea glass, worn tiles, and unusual shells. However, what makes Wickets Island especially unique is its unusually high top, set atop 40-foot cliffs. The Coalition is renovated a staircase in Summer 2021 up the steep side of the island from just behind the stone pier, which will make it safer for everyone to explore. When the staircase is complete, the restored field at the top of the island will open as a picnic area, where you can take in breathtaking views of Onset Bay and upper Buzzards Bay.
Habitats & Wildlife
The shores of Wickets Island are a great place to look for shellfish, from crabs and quahogs to tiny periwinkles. It’s also one of the best places around Buzzards Bay to look for moon snails. These carnivorous snails can grow shells as large as 7 inches, and their bodies can stretch up to four times larger— making them a real treat for kids to examine!
Offshore, Onset Bay’s waters are rich with wildlife. Stripers move into Onset Bay in the spring and late summer as they migrate along the coast, making Wicket’s Island a great place to go fishing. Bird populations on the Bay change seasonally as migrants stop over in the Bay’s calm waters. Even dolphins have been spotted taking shelter here!
The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a membership-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection, and sustainable use and enjoyment of our irreplaceable Bay and its watershed.