Quonset Point’s beach at Calf Pasture Point was deserted on a recent weekday afternoon.

The Providence Journal / Tom Meade

NORTH KINGSTOWN –– The air show takes center stage at Quonset Point this weekend, but when the crowds clear out, families will flow in to enjoy the beaches, boating, bicycling and golf, all within the Quonset Business Park.

For years, Quonset Point’s beaches were ignored. A few fishermen and some catamaran racers knew of them, but the beaches were unmarked and messy. Parking was virtually nonexistent.

Since the Quonset Development Corporation has taken over, however, three beaches within the business park have been cleaned and well marked, and they now have paved parking areas. A fourth beach, owned by North Kingstown, is almost a mile of nature lover’s heaven at the end of a new bike path.

Compass Rose Beach, near the Electric Boat plant, attracts workers from nearby businesses at lunchtime on weekdays. Most of them stay in the beach’s spacious parking area, and a few linger on the grass above the beach. The business park’s industrial presence flanks the beach, but straight ahead is a stunning view of the Bay’s West Passage. Compass Rose Beach is near the eastern end of Roger Williams Way, across the road from the Quonset Air Museum.

Blue Beach, nearby, used to have a hidden, swampy path lined with poison ivy as its only access by land. Today, the parking area –– with a bike rack and 10 parking spaces –– is well marked, and the mucky path has been replaced by a hard-packed gravel trail, smooth enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Beach goers and lunchtime walkers have a lovely view of the West Passage and Wickford’s waterfront. Blue Beach is off Circuit Drive.

Spink’s Neck Beach is a long, narrow stretch of sand and shells in Davisville on the northern side of Quonset Business Park. Like all of the beaches here, there are no lifeguards on duty. The water at all the beaches is generally calm and too shallow for power boats. Spink’s Neck Beach is closest to parking, so it’s a good spot for launching a kayak. Because it is so close to the Allen Harbor channel, the beach sees a lot of bigger boats passing by. Spink’s Neck Beach is off Tidal Drive, which is at the end of Davisville Road. When you get to the guard shack at the end of Davisville Road turn left, then bear right to get to the beach.

Calf Pasture Point Beach, visible from Spink’s Neck across the Allen Harbor channel, is accessible to cyclists on the new Davisville Bike Path, to paddlers who put in across the channel and to pedestrians who walk through the Mount View neighborhood. The beach reaches for almost a mile along the 189-acre peninsula that North Kingstown received from the Navy. It’s a wild place containing forest, grasslands and waterfront. The area is home to a variety of wildlife and native plants. One of the Bay’s most pristine beaches, it is often deserted. There is a path to the northern end of Calf Pasture Point beach on Petee Avenue in the Mount View neighborhood, but a sign says parking is for residents of Mount View only. It is at the eastern end of the new bike path.

Allen Harbor Marina, across the channel from Calf Pasture Point, contains dockage for recreational boats and commercial fishing boats, including some of the state’s quahog fleet. There is also a double boat launching ramp, open to everyone for a modest fee. The parking lot has room for dozens of vehicles with boat trailers. A small shop at the top of the docks sells snacks, soft drinks, and ice.

The North Kingstown Municipal Golf Course is a scenic, 7,000-yard, 18-hole, par 70 course smack dab in the middle of the business park. Unlike the park’s often deserted beaches, the golf course always has people playing, even during the recent spate of wet weather. It is one of the most popular public courses in Rhode Island with views of the Bay and Quonset State Airport. The clubhouse is on Callahan Road, which is off Mainsail Drive.

The Davisville Bike Path at Quonset Point is due to open officially at the end of this month. It is a 2.5-mile dual-use paved path for cyclists and walkers. The winding path offers views of the Bay, woodlands, and salt marsh. The $1.34-million project was funded by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the Quonset Development Corporation. The bike path starts at the Gateway retail plaza at Quonset Business Park on Post Road (Route 1). Park near the store (currently unoccupied) on the far left of the shopping center. The bike path begins to the left of store. Last weekend, landscaping appeared to be complete and benches had been installed. Sunday, several cyclists and walkers were using the path during a break in the wet weather.

tmeade@projo.com