Great Brewster Island (click to enlarge)
Great Brewster is the largest island in outer Boston Harbor with 19 acres above the high-tide mark and 48 acres exposed at low tide. It also has the tallest natural hill in the harbor at 105 feet above sea level. The North Drumlin on Spectacle Island reaches 155 feet, but 60 feet of that were created in the late 1990s by adding dirt from the Big Dig to the hill.
Great Brewster can only be reached by private boat, and of all the islands within Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area without ferry service, it is one of the few worth visiting. It has a wide variety of visitor attractions including a trail that leads to the top of the hill on the north end of the island, ruins of military bunkers, an artillery battery, two piers, a retaining wall, and the foundations of private cottages.
When approaching the island, shoot for the southwest shore, as that is the best place to land. The north end has the tall cliffs, and the retaining wall runs along the east and south ends of the island.
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Last updated on January 12, 2024
