Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

Located at the northern point of Nantucket, the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge provides protected habitat for hundreds of osprey and other rare sea birds. Other popular activities include surf-fishing, hiking and checking out the Great Point Light, but according to recent visitors, off-roading along the shoreline is probably the most popular activity on the refuge.

You can drive your own four-wheel drive automobile or rent one to test the sand, but one TripAdvisor user offers a warning. "Make sure you know how to drive on very soft sand. During the summer months many a tourist can be seen a few hundred feet onto the beach with their Jeep buried up to the frame." Luckily guided tours are offered by Trustees of Reservations starting at about $40 per adult, $15 for kids.

The Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge is open to the public year-round from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. There are no admission fees for pedestrians and boaters, but oversand vehicles do require a seasonal permit ($140). For more information check out the refuge's website.