what's thereToday, 54-acre Grape Island is a wildlife haven. Wild berries can be found in abundance, providing food for a wide variety of birds. The island almost doubles in size to 101 acres at low tide. Grape Island also features camp sites, picnic areas, wooded trails and guided walks. Special events include "wild edibles" tours.
Operating Hours & Seasons
Grape Island is open from 9:00 am until sunset. Daily ferry service begins June 21, 2008. During the spring and fall, visitor services are offered during weekends. Special arrangements for school groups are possible for weekdays in spring, summer and fall.
short historyThe island may have been cultivated prior to European colonization. Euro-Americans farmed and grazed the island for three hundred years, up until the 1940s. Since the abandonment of agricultural use in the 1940s, the natural succession of vegetation has created a wooded and shrubby landscape.
Grape never hosted any military fortifications though in 1775 it was a site of a skirmish over hay during the War of Independence, known as the Grape Island Alarm.
managing agencyThis island of Boston Harbor Islands national park area is managed by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
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