Posted By auntie on July 25, 2019

Branford, CT

This isn’t really an account of a hike, per se, but a visit to an absolutely beautiful little island off the coast of Branford, Connecticut, that I (naturally) first read about in a Peter Marteka column.

Shoreline View

First some geography: The Thimble Islands, named after the once-ubiquitous thimbleberry bush and a prime source of pink granite, are a small cluster of islands off the coast of Branford. Depending upon what is defined as an “island” vs. a “rock that sticks up,” there are between 100 and 365 of them, and probably a couple dozen are big enough to hold houses. Or house. And all of them are privately owned, except for Outer Island.

Plaque (Always Read the Plaque!)

Outer Island was once privately-held as well, but was donated to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995 upon the death of the last person who owned it, Elizabeth Hird. You can read all about this on the various websites which pop up when you google Thimble Islands, but suffice it to say that that’s all the background you need for a visit.

Stony Creek Dock

Because you can visit it! The Thimble Islands Ferry Service leaves every hour on the hour from the dock at Stony Creek during the summer months. It’s a kind of casual operation… You basically just call them when you’re done and they come and get you on their next trip out. The ferry also takes vacationers and residents and workers to and from the various private islands, one of which, we were told, is owned by the CEO of the world’s second-largest hedge fund. That would be the one where we noticed that every single part of the island had been raked and groomed to within an inch of its life.

View of Faulkner Island

Part of the huge and far-flung Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Outer Island is staffed during the summer months by interns from the Connecticut State University system. We were given a private tour by Brittany. It didn’t take long… it’s a small island, and probably more than half of it is closed to the public to protect nesting birds. That distant island in the above photo, Faulkner Island, is also part of the Refuge, and tours of it are offered occasionally as well.

Mallow

There wasn’t any thimbleberry that we could see on our little tour, but there were a whole lot of invasive plants. One of the tasks assigned to the interns is invasive plant eradication. There’s also a lot on the island that isn’t native, simply because this was once someone’s home and garden. The interns also try to keep the non-natives confined to the area around the old house. Oh, yes, there’s an old house here, too, and a pit toilet. The interns live in the house, but the toilet is (thankfully) open to the public.

Chimney

There is a short little walkway that leads from the picnic area at the education center and winds along the shoreline to the moon window.

Moon Window

Sad story about this little window, which is in a roofless enclosure. The owner before the last had son who drowned just off the island, and this window focuses on the area where the tragedy occurred.

Birds

There were tons of loud birds on this little cluster of rocks just offshore. From what we could see, it was cormorants and terns, but neither my friend nor I are real birders, so there may well have been many other kinds of birds as well. We also had fun exploring the education center, which is a small building that contains a classroom and some boxes of really cool stuff that has washed ashore over the years. There were skate’s egg cases, old buoy parts, and what were probably? pieces of whale skeleton. There is also a nice little covered picnic area with four tables attached to the education center where we ate our lunch and chatted with the interns while we were waiting for the ferry to return.

Map of the Islands

You can find out more about Outer Island from this “Friends of Outer Island” website. And here is the link to the Thimble Islands Ferry Service for a complete schedule. I highly recommend a visit to this tranquil little place. Bring a lunch and a camera.

Categories: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2 miles or less, Branford CT, CT