great salt pond

October may not be the month to visit Great Salt Pond. It's terrific for photos, but that's about it.

This is an important feature of the island ecologically, but after you walk out on the boardwalk, you've kind of seen it all. It was a brief stop on a bike tour.

We rented kayaks to go out on the pond. There are several arms off the pond which are a little quieter. We came on quite a windy day and did A LOT of paddling :)Flora and fauna are very interesting and our kayak guide knew all about it. Depending on the tide, the pond is really shallow and you can see the bottom. Very cool.

We kayaked and did some sunset paddle-boarding all in one day. Very close to town. Everyone was so nice. The water was so clear you could see a lot of wildlife. Very clean and made for fun day in Block Island

Great Salt Pond Is one of the more well known and popular harbors in the Northeast for boaters. Large area, many transient moorings available from the town, but very difficult to find an open one from Memorial Day through Labor Day. No reservations, first come first serve. There is a large anchorage area and many boats take advantage of it, but it can be a very long dingy ride to the town dock. There is launch service for $4 per person one way. Call channel 68 VHF.The bathroom and shower facilities are the worst I have ever encountered. Dirty, no privacy, not nearly enough for the demand on busy days. The heads are shared with the popular / rowdy bar "The Oar House". So you have to deal with drunk partiers stumbling into shower / head areas. The town should be ashamed of this facility. For the cash cow that the Great Salt Pond is the town should have a premier shower / head facility. Just for boaters, not inebriated customers of the Oar.

Great Salt Pond is always busy with boats. Lots to see. Easy bike ride from the ferry. Several marinas, restaurants and shops to visit.

The Great Salt Pond was a very picturesque stop on my group’s tour of Block Island. It is located in between the north and south sections of the island. The round pond was originally closed. The opening was dug out in 1895 to make a harbor. The sheltered waters in the Great Salt Pond are a popular mooring / docking harbor for boaters. The pond is about a mile long and 1/2 mile wide. It is fairly shallow. Depths range from 11 feet to 20 feet in the main channel. There are seven marinas. The pond has a capacity for over 1500 boats. On the day of our visit, there were only about 500 boats there. It was a great day for both sailing and motor boating so folks were likely enjoying a day out on Long Island Sound.Non-boaters can walk around the pond. Wear sturdy walking shoes that you can get wet. Other activities include kayaking, paddle-boarding, and a $10.00 harbor cruise with the Block Island Maritime Institute on Mondays and a $10.00 sunset photography cruise also with the Maritime Institute on Wednesdays for which I’d like to return to Block Island sometime in the future.There are several restaurants and snack bars nearby. If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.

Visiting Great Salt Pond (aka New Harbor) is a rite of passage for any yachtsman who is cruising the North Atlantic Coast. While there are only 90 Town moorings for rent - and getting one (no reservations) takes some special timing - or waiting until 3 pm when the GSP Harbor Master may be able to find you a private mooring at the same price. There are some simple but pricey marinas. The last resort is anchoring, which in a blow - no uncommon on Block Island - can be hair-raising with other boats dragging down on you.Getting to shore is one of two methods: using the launch ($8 round trip plus tip) or using your dinghy to go into the Block Island Boat Basin's dinghy dock, which at peak can handle maybe 80 dinghies - for a harbor that may have 1000 boats!But it's 15 miles at sea, and Block Island is beautiful, so we all continue to do it!

There is something for everyone on the Great Salt Pond. Visit the area, rent bikes or partake in one of the water rental options. This is an active area so come prepared to exercise in the great outdoors!

We walked about 30 to 40 minutes from Old Harbor to New Harbor and Great Salt Pond. We wanted to do something different and decided to try some sea kayaking. We rented kayaks from Pond and Beyond Kayak Tours which is right behind Killer Donuts right before you get to Dead Eye Dicks on the right. Corine did a great job of suggesting some small inlets to visit as there were high winds.My favorite meal on the island was at Dead Eye Dicks. I had their lobster BLT which was one of the best sandwiches I ever had. My friends had the swordfish sandwich reuben which I heard was even better. Another great restaurant we went to was the Oar Restaurant just down the road a little further. Excellent place for lunch with great view of the Great Salt Pond.

Channel area is very nice....buildings that housed, and house Coast Guard are interesting. Nice walking area around entire pond. Great area for small day sailboats, wind surfing, kayacking and paddle boarding

The Great Salt Pond is a natural beauty. There are three marinas, several restaurants with great views, great sunsets. You can go clamming (make sure you get a license from the Harbormasters Office if you don't want a ticket from the "clam warden") and eat your catch fresh out of the pond; great family fun, and delicious!Kayak and Paddle-board Rentals are available and recommended. You can rent them by the hour or hire a tour guide to lead you.Marsh mucking is a popular pastime here and kids, and adults, can spend hours at it. Fiddler crabs, horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, blue crabs, hermit crabs....they are all here; pick up a scavenger hunt form at the Chamber of Commerce (located in Old Harbor) before you head over to the Salt Pond...it's a great way to spend a morning or afternoon.The Nature Conservancy has scheduled nature walks at Andy's Way (on the East side of the pond) many mornings; check the newspaper for schedules.The BI Maritime Institute has a great touch tank for those who want to see the aquatic wildlife without getting their feet wet!

We had a wonderful sunset photographic tour of this harbor, given by a real character named "Bill". 1400 boats were moored, including huge corporate yachts, a Korean War tugboat with people living on it, and lots of beautiful sailboats. It was the high point of our vacation.

This is a great anchorage while visiting Block Island. The dinghy dock is very boater friendly and a short walk to anywhere in town.

What a perfect setting! The boats at mooring looked so peaceful and serene, and yet they say that over 2000 boats can crowd in during the full summer season. Why travel to other countries when there is so much beauty in our own backyard.