Black Island and Little Black Island

Between 2009 and 2010, with the help of many generous donors, MCHT acquired multiple parcels that now comprise the 337-acre Black Island and Little Black Island Preserve. Of this, 124 acres are owned by MCHT and an additional 213 acres are adjacent land protected with a conservation easement.

The preserve encompasses all of 2.9-acre Little Black Island and nearly three-quarters of its larger, 463-acre neighbor to the north. The remaining 129 acres of Black Island are privately owned and not open to the public.

European settlers first arrived on the island by 1820, beginning a long history of human habitation. By the turn of the twentieth century, there were roughly 50 year-round residents practicing subsistence farming, logging, and fishing. Black Island residents also developed two granite quarries, a cabled cart railway, a school, and a boardinghouse. Most residents had moved off the island by 1930, though a handful remained a few more years. Today, there is a small private cabin on the north end of the island and two salmon aquaculture pen sites off the western shore.

To help resident nesting Bald Eagles thrive, the entire trail is closed from late winter to mid-summer.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while you explore:

• The two active nests are located directly over the trail on the north and south ends.
• If you hear an eagle chirping, squawking, or see one circling, it means you are too close and should give them their space.
• Even our stewards wait to use chainsaws to clear winter blowdowns until the eagles are no longer defending their nests.