Rocks don’t get a lot of love. Well, unless it’s Bob Seger performing; or how alive one feels after catching his now iconic Ford commercial [Ohhhh, like a rock!] Even playing rocks, paper, scissors; more often rock seems to get covered by paper even though rock should crush paper or scissors in a face-to-face battle. And Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; he seems to be doing way too much to maintain his Rock-like image. How about Rocky Balboa? I mean…
…okay, okay, I could go on, and on, but I’ll pause here and pivot to rocks of the geological kind. Because Cape Cod is home to some really big – and really old rocks.
Let’s start with the oldest, Hokum Rock, located off Hokum Rock Road in Dennis. It is estimated to be 300 million years old! It was moved by glacial activity from north of Boston about 50,000 years ago.
Measuring 14.5 feet high and 98 feet in circumference, Hokum Rock is also the second largest erratic boulder on Cape Cod. (The largest erratic boulder on Cape can be found on the Outer Cape and will be covered another time.)
Wondering about the name? Well, legend has it that an aged Nobscusset Indian descendant once lived there and would ask “Who Come?” when someone was near. Another legend is that an Indian named Hokum lived nearby.
The trail map of Nickerson State Park in Brewster. Photo credit: NEMBA Cape Cod.
by Jeff Shaw
Yours truly is at a bit of a crossroads [intersection pun intended] with the subject of this post. I only own mountain bikes, and of the old, heavy, clunky variety. When biking on Cape Cod, I tend to stick to the paved Cape Cod Rail Trail and spur trails, mostly to avoid traffic and take advantage of a direct way to travel through multiple towns. But also because the surface is silky smooth for these middle aged body.
While I have messed around on plenty of multi-use trails that dot Cape Cod, I wouldn’t say any of them are necessarily mountain bike [designated multi-use] trails. The nuance may not matter, but when talking to mountain bikers, most usually have a level of expectation if a trail is recommended. Is it single track, hilly, congested, etc.?
Despite plenty of mountain biking trails options at my fingertips, I tend to stick to nearby haunts like the single tracks of Town Well Field Conservation Area in Brewster, wider paths of the woods between Red River and Mill Pond in Harwich and of course, the flagship Nickerson State Park in Brewster, with plenty of trail options scattered among 1,900 acres.
I’ve also heard good things about the many fire roads of the Outer Cape, though have only popped into a few areas during hikes or runs. Point being, there is tons to explore.
Below are NEMBA’s recommended trails with a brief description of the trail (you’ll have to go there to learn about the scenery!):
Barnstable
Old Jail Lane/Hathaway’s
“Primarily double-track over rolling hills. There are a few fast downhills and a few challenging climbs. They seem remote as you wind your way through deep woods.”
West Barnstable Conservation Area
“One of Cape Cod’s prime riding areas. About 21 miles of singletrack that wind throughout the trail. The majority of singletrack is short and steep with some very twisted sections. Though the trails are not very technical, they’re full of short steep climbs, which make for a great aerobic roller coaster ride.”
The entrance gate to Nickerson State Park. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Willow Street
“One of the best riding locations on the Cape and also one of the least known comprises two separate riding areas. On the first, explore over 20 miles of enjoyable sometimes hilly singletracks located in the Hyannis Ponds Wildlife Management Area (Camp Greenbough). For your second adventure, you’ll be in Yarmouth (Higgins Crowell) where you can discover over fifteen miles of trails.
Bourne
Four Ponds
“One of the most enjoyable trails is Four Pond’s Pine Trail, a smooth never straight singletrack snaking through the woods. A relaxed ride where you’ll get a chance to explore some wonderful trails immersed in nature.”
Brewster
Nickerson State Park
“The singletracks are the trail’s big draw. It’s the almost total lack of stones and rocks. The trails here define the word “buffed.”
An access trail to Town Well Field Conservation Area. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Falmouth
Beebe Woods
“The trails are fun, mostly non-technical and circle around quite a bit. It will take you at least a couple of hours to explore them all. Just a short ride from downtown as well as being only a few hundred yards from the Shining Sea Bikeway.”
Crane/Otis
“The riding at “Otis” mostly consists of fast singletrack that runs up, down and around a long series of drumlins that head north paralleling route 28 heading north. There are some very technical trails and some very long hills. Expect to spend a lot of time exploring.”
Mashpee
Mashpee River Woodlands
Most of the trails are singletracks. The most scenic wind through the woods on ground that’s high above the Mashpee River. The views are spectacular. The trails twist through the trees climbing and descending short hills. These scenic trails look entirely different in the opposite direction.”
Sandwich
Maple Swamp
“Reaching from 40 feet above sea level to 250 feet above sea level, Maple Swamp has spectacular views.”
Yarmouth
The Badlands
“The riding at the Badlands ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. Many of the singletracks are smooth and flowy, completely lacking in rocks or roots as they glide up, down and around some very gentile hills. On the other extreme is the Badland Trail itself is a deviously constructed singletrack that winds itself over and around every defilement, rock, crevice and drop that could be found at a long-abandoned sandpit. You’ll know when you’re on it because it will be unlike anything else you’ve ever ridden.”
Camp Greenough
“The trails in the Scout camp are really fun, fast-flowing singletracks, moderately hilly with a few technical climbs and descents. To the north of the railroad tracks there’s a route to Grays Beach. This is a fun ride, which goes right through the parking lot for the Yarmouthport Village Store, where you can stop for refreshments.”
Higgins Crowell
“Lots of flat singletracks flowing through the woods interspersed with an occasional jeep road. Some of the trails circumnavigate cranberry bogs while others delve so deeply into the woods that all traffic noise disappears and all you’ll hear are birdcalls or the occasional passing airplane. There are few sandy areas, few technical obstacles and almost no hills. This makes Higgins Crowell the perfect place for a relaxing ride, a ride with newer riders or a ride with kids on small wheel bikes.”
You just never know where a trail will end. Photo credit: Ellen Shaw.
What trails would you recommend mountain bikers check out on their next ride?
A captivating mural garners attention in this little known pocket park in downtown Dennis Port. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
by Jeff Shaw
Almost everything you may want or need is located in downtown Dennis Port. The only problem; downtown Dennis Port is another case of hidden in plain sight.
Many well-known downtowns on Cape Cod are long, bustling and often traffic snarled (Chatham Harwich Port, Hyannis, Falmouth, Ptown). Dennis Port’s downtown, on the other hand, is short [like one block, short] with both people and traffic flowing like a gentle off shore breeze. [Okay, okay, they’re probably moving briskly, especially in season.]
The Dennis Public Library cannot be seen from Route 28, but it is tucked away in downtown Dennis Port. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw
It begins on the Harwich-Dennis town line at the aptly named, Division Street. Bare left at the fork into a cozy little downtown [don’t blink, or you may miss it] and grab a parking space on the street. None available; no problem, turn left onto Hall Street, where plenty of plaza and on street parking exist.
One of the newer, perhaps safer [rubber flooring], playgrounds on Cape Cod. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
From either parking area and in just a one block radius, you will find (in no particular order): a coffee shop, pet store, restaurant, home goods store, pizzeria, barber shop, ice cream shop, an arts and crafts store, as well as pocket park featuring local artwork and plantings (to enjoy that coffee or ice cream outside).
Look a little closer, you will find a village green, new-ish playground, town library, seafood market and another beautiful painted maritime mural on a brick building wall.
A hidden maritime mural off Hall Street in downtown Dennis Port. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
And if you are up for wandering up to two blocks, you’ll also find Cape Cod Theater Company/Harwich Junior Theater.
Now I wouldn’t suggest spending all day in downtown Dennis, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to hear if you did.
“Good drink, good food, good conversation,” pretty much sums up the year-round Orleans establishment named The Yardarm Restaurant. Half pub, half restaurant, “we pride ourselves as being the go-to meeting spot for locals in Orleans.” But outsiders – even those with young kids – are welcome, too.
Since 1972, the Yardarm Restaurant has been serving a mix of entrees, blue plate specials, sandwiches, gumbo, fried seafood baskets and of course, the prime rib special on select days (Thursdays and Sundays).
A Sunday visit did not disappoint. Prime rib, steak tips and the biggest hot dog we’d ever seen.
The restaurant is divided into sections, aptly named, the Channel, the Bullpen, the Pool Room. The décor of license plates and patches of first responders provides a festive and welcoming vibe.
So next time you’re cruising Route 28 through Orleans, or better yet, eyeing a Firebirds game [Eldredge Park is 0.5 miles from the restaurant], go Yard[arm]!
The lobster trap Christmas Tree in Provincetown. Photo credit: Ptown Tourism.
by Jeff Shaw
The holiday season is upon us! And Cape Cod is a wonderful place to experience authentic Christmas cheer, “where modern amenities and Victorian charm casually coexist.” (Boston Magazine)
So in an effort to spread some Christmas cheer, check out these holiday events on Cape Cod. You may just catch the holiday spirit!
Christmas by the Sea, Chatham
Christmas by the Sea weekend, December 13th – 15th, is full of events that have leapt right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The celebration kicks off on Friday night with a children’s light parade that escorts Santa down Main Street on a fire truck to the tree lighting ceremony at Sears Park (intersection of Seaview and Main Streets).
Activities continue in shops up and down Main Street as well as free horse & carriage rides and visits with Santa in the Chamber Information booth (next to Yankee Ingenuity gift shop). Saturday brings plenty more events in the businesses around town, including a special movie screening for the little ones at the Chatham Orpheum Theater and Breakfast with Santa.
Christmas Parades, Falmouth, Hyannis & Mashpee
Christmas Carolers in Falmouth. Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
Gardens Aglow, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich
Gardens aglow! Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
Gardens Aglow at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich celebrates the season with over nine miles of holiday lights. Stroll through the illuminated grounds, while also taking time to pose with Santa in a 1914 Ford Model T, take a ride on a vintage carousel, roast marshmallows, and participate in a reindeer scavenger hunt.
Drive through Sandwich and try to spot all of The Giants, over two dozen illuminated sculptures along 6A.
Polar Express, Cape Cod Central Railroad, Bourne & Hyannis
One of Santa’s little helpers. Photo credit: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
All aboard! Magic is in the air on the Cape Cod Central Railroad’s Polar Express, where passengers will sing carol over cookies and hot cocoa. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, passengers will relive the magic of the classic story as they are whisked away for a festive trip to meet Santa.
Trains depart out of the Buzzards Bay depot from late November through December.
Lobster Pot [Christmas] Tree, Provincetown
There is quite possibly nothing more quintessential New England than a Christmas Tree made entirely out of lobster traps. Provincetown’s Lobster Pot Tree is made using over 100 of them – all borrowed from local lobstermen – and is accentuated by 3,000+ LED lights and colorful buoys. Visit Provincetown’s Lopes Square anytime during the holiday season.
