March 16, 2024 – Milford, Connecticut

Difficulty: Easy – moderate

Length: Approximately 3 miles

Max elevation: 27 ft. – total elevation gain approximately 20 ft.

Map: Silver Sands State Park Trail Map – Map & Brochure

Parking: 1 Silver Sands Pkwy, Milford, CT 06460

Paved parking lot – Restrooms on site

Hours: Open Daily, 8:00am – Sunset

Entrance Fees:
No charge for Connecticut registered vehicles
From April 1 through October 31:
$22 – Out-of-State Vehicles (Weekends/Holidays)
$15 – Out-of-State Vehicles (Weekdays)

Please Note: The sandbar that connects to Charles Island overwashes twice a day when the tides come in, creating dangerous currents and undertow. Walking on any portion when it is covered with water should be avoided.

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Park Overview:

Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut is a 297-acre natural haven that features a combination of beach, salt marshland, fishing area, and wildlife refuge. The park boasts breathtaking views of the Long Island Sound, Charles Island, and the surrounding wildlife.

Beaches, boardwalks, birds, and a sandbar connecting the park to Charles Island are the big attractions at Silver Sands State Park. Rated the best state park in Connecticut by Travel & Leisure, the park sits along over 1/2-mile of shoreline and features a three-quarter-mile, all-weather boardwalk, sand dunes, marshland, wildlife, and a dazzling array of seashells.

Over 200 species of birds are seen at Silver Sands. They use this important area for nesting, wintering, and foraging areas during spring and fall migration.

Many butterflies, several rare plants, and other wildlife can also be seen during walks in this area.

Charles Island is a 14-acre island located roughly a 1/2 mile off the coast of Milford, Connecticut, in Long Island Sound. Though an island during high tide, during low tide it is accessible by foot using a rocky tombolo (locally referred to as a sandbar) that stretches from the beach to the island. Visitors are cautioned about the strong undertow and twice-daily flooding of the sandbar as a result of the tides.

Silver Sands State Park and Charles Island are owned and managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

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History:

Charles Island was originally known as Poquehaug and “was a favorite summer resort” with chief sachem Ansantawae of the Paugussett Tribe having a “big wigwam” upon it. After the area was settled by the English in 1639, the island was referred to as Milford Island. It was renamed Charles Island after Charles Deal bought the 14-acre island in 1657. Deal made a failed attempt to raise tobacco on the island, one of the first such efforts in Connecticut.

In 1835 Major John Harris purchased the island for $800 and built a beautiful summer residence there. The big home, built on the highest ground, had verandas encircling it on the first and second stories. Harris elegantly furnished the house and spent $14,000 grading and landscaping the island making it resemble “a large green inverted saucer.” After his death the island had several different owners.

In 1852 it was purchased by Elizur Pritchard of Waterbury, Connecticut, a wealthy button manufacturer who had recently retired. Pritchard turned the large house into a summer resort known originally as Island House, then later Charles Island House and then Ansantawae House. On Thanksgiving Day 1860, Pritchard died while walking back to shore on the tombolo. His daughter Sarah continued to run the resort and expanded it with new features. The hotel grew to a total of seventy-five rooms and other improvements included a swimming bath with plank bottom, and an aquarium claimed to be the largest in the country.

The resort closed by 1868, when the island was leased to the George W. Miles Company to build a plant to produce fertilizer and fish oil. The fish oil plant functioned there until 1884 when it closed amidst lawsuits brought by the town because of the odors that emanated from the operation. The once grand hotel burned down that summer and the island went into foreclosure in 1888.

The next important phase of Charles Island’s history started in 1927 when the Dominican Fathers from St. Mary’s parish on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven announced they would build a layman’s retreat center on Charles Island. During the next two summers workers cleared the land and built a small complex of wood frame structures. A chapel, dining and
recreation hall, about fourteen cabins (each baptized with a different saint’s name), a grotto, walking paths, and Stations of the Cross were built and eventually accommodated up to fifty retreatants. It was a tranquil and simple sanctuary with few amenities. The facility held its first retreat on the weekend of July 4th, 1929. Two years after opening, several additions were made to the retreat. The wooden chapel that was originally on the grounds was replaced with a stone chapel constructed near the same spot and a statue of St. Christopher was erected on a rock pedestal in memory of six workers who had drowned returning to the mainland in a small boat in 1929. The Dominican fathers also added a dormitory building, a bell tower built of stone gathered from the shore, and a statue of Our Lady mounted on a rock pedestal fronted by a stone altar. For unknown reasons the Aquinas Retreat closed and the little island again went up for sale in 1938.

There are a few structural remnants visible on the island including a portion of the bell tower and part of the stone chapel’s foundation, though it is eroding into Long Island Sound. Storms have taken their toll over the years and the evidence of human activity on the island is gradually blending into the sand.

Today, Charles Island is owned by The State of Connecticut and is part of Silver Sands State Park. It was designated a Natural Area Preserve in 1999 and is the site of a large Heron and Egret rookery. 

According to legend, infamous pirate Captain Kidd buried his treasure on the island in the late 17th century. While there is no evidence that this is true, it has certainly added to the island’s allure over the years. Some say the island is cursed.

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Trails Overview:

Over 3 miles of walking trails, boardwalk, and bridges await to bring you through the park’s range of terrain, from wetlands, beach, coastal forest, to the tombolo linking the park to Charles Island.

The Charles Island Trail is roughly a 2-mile lollipop loop across the tombolo and around the island, not including the paths on the interior of the island. This lollipop trail follows the land bridge to Charles Island, loops around its perimeter, then doubles back to the mainland.

The interior of the island is an avian sanctuary and off limits to human visitors, but you might be able to catch a glimpse of the ruins from the former resort and religious retreat that were once located there. The area around the island is extremely rocky and a pair of good waterproof hiking boots is recommended.

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Hike Overview:

Timing is everything with this hike. Be sure to check the tides before heading out, they rise fast – as much as ten feet in less than two hours. And the way the waves crash and roll over the spit of sand creates a dangerous undertow, perilous for even the strongest swimmer. Several people have drowned walking on the sandbar to the island. They drowned after misjudging the tides.

I visited this park in March of 2020, but the low tide was much too early or later in the day, so I just admired Charles Island from shore. Since this park charges an admission fee beginning April 1st for out of state visitors, I checked the tide charts and got lucky. I checked several different websites for the tides, as the times vary slightly. Pick a day with the lowest amplitude number. A negative number is best, especially if you plan on walking around the island. Below are some helpful tips for staying safe if you choose to visit the island.

The tombolo (locally referred to as a sandbar), doesn’t always materialize, even at the lowest tide. On the day of our visit, the amplitude number was just above zero and the walkway didn’t emerge completely. It is not recommended to walk on the tombolo if it is submerged, due to strong currents and undertow. 

Since we had been to this park previously and walked the trails and boardwalks along the beach, this hike was just to Charles Island and back, with a little wandering thrown in. 

This is an easy hike, but the island itself is rocky along its perimeter and I would suggest good waterproof hiking boots and a hiking stick to prevent tripping and/or slipping. There is practically no elevation gain on this hike.

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The Hike:

From the parking lot, head out towards the boardwalk that spans the tidal marsh and leads to the beach. 

It is paramount that you check the online tide charts before you attempt to walk out to Charles Island. Several people have drowned walking on the sandbar to the island. They drowned after misjudging the tides. Don’t let this happen to you or someone you know.

Make sure that the tombolo (sandbar) is exposed. Since we arrived at Silver Sands State Park just before 9:30am on a Saturday morning, I was surprised to see a long section of the tombolo already exposed. Low Tide was scheduled for 11:12am, but it is recommended to begin walking the sandbar as it appears, giving you enough time to walk around the island and back before the tide rises and covers the tombolo.

We began walking out on the tombolo, but stopped where it was still underwater. We waited patiently as the tide receded and the path materialized. We walked a little farther and stopped each time where the water still covered the sandbar. Since I had waterproof boots, I walked through a couple inches of water to the next exposed section while others waited. 

A look back at people waiting for the tombolo to appear.

I continued ahead, carefully navigating across exposed sections of the tombolo.

As you get close to the island, there is a low point in the tombolo. This section on some days, never fully emerges. It didn’t on the day I was there, but the water was only a few inches deep so I decided to walk through it. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to do it. It is not safe. 

After trudging through the water for about 100 yards or so, the section of the tombolo which is closest to the island was visible and I made my way onto the island.

Before becoming a nesting area for Egrets and Herons, Charles Island was home to a resort in the 1850’s and 1860’s. It was in the 1930’s when the island was briefly used as a religious retreat.

I knew that I wouldn’t have too much time to circle the island so I hurriedly did a counterclockwise loop around its rocky shoreline.

I saw a path off to the left and wandered down it to explore. I saw what looked like the remains of a bell tower that was left over from The Aquinas Retreat in the 1930’s. The area was overgrown and hard to navigate through and this was as close as I decided to get. I was hoping to find another route that was easier, but I did not.

These stone ruins are right by the path that I took to get to the bell tower. 

There were a lot of geese on the island and they were making quite a racket as I walked by. 

The views from the island are quite nice, but I didn’t have much time to enjoy them. As I made my way around the front of the island (the beach-facing section), I checked the time and it was 11:12am. That meant that the tide would begin rising and I had to make my way back to the mainland.

Near the front, not far from where the tombolo is, there is a wide path that travels to the interior of the island. There I saw more stone ruins. Although I made my way to where the bell tower is, I couldn’t get a good vantage point due to the pricker bushes. I tried another route, but with time running out, I returned to the tombolo and began my return to the mainland.

Since the tombolo never fully appeared, the low point was more submerged than when I walked out. I had to walk through about 6 inches of water for about 100 yards. The water was higher than my boots and my feet got soaked. I could feel the current from both sides, making for rather unstable footing. I hurriedly splashed through until I made it to the still exposed section.  

A look back at Charles Island after walking through the submerged section.

I was glad to make it back to the wide exposed section of the tombolo and continued back to the sandy beach.

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Review: 

This was a wonderful adventure that provided a unique experience. After all, how many opportunities does one get to walk out to an island? Fully enjoyable yet a little stressfull not to get stuck on the island. Timing it just right is key. 

Pros:

Charles Island, Long Island Sound, sandy beach, shore birds, scenic area, the tombolo.

Cons:

The tombolo never fully materialized, not enough time to explore the island.

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Take a hike!

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Sources:

• Silver Sands State Park
• The Curse of Charles Island
• Charles Island — The ‘Cursed’ CT Landmark
• A Short History of Charles Island
• CT Audubon – Silver Sands State Park
• Silver Sands State Park Guide

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