The past few days I have only hiked one new trail. The weather is getting better on Cape Cod so a I walked two Dennis Beaches of off 6A, Chapins, one day and Corporation, another. At low tide Chapins is .75 miles to the water. Going to the east will bring you just across from Gray’s Beach and the boardwalk that is located in Yarmouth Port and is the home of The Callery-Darling Conservation Trail. Heading west takes you to Mayflower beach and when the tide is low you can walk through to Corporation. It can be an 8 to 9 mile round trip.
Another day I was headed over to the beach the back way and changed my mind, deciding to do Bud Carter Conservation Area instead. This is another trail that if you aren’t looking for it you wouldn’t know it was there. From exit 8 on Rte 6 head south to the 1st set of lights. Take a right on White’s Path, at end of street take left on North Dennis Rd. When you see Reservoir Pond on the left you will also see a small area that can park two cars. There is a sign at the beginning of the trail. Just down the street is Crab Creek, a great place for crabbing, canoeing and kayaking, which leads out to Bass River.
Bud Carter according to my ratings is not that good. No scenery, hard to find, no parking, not well marked. The main reason I started walking was to lose weight. I started hiking to be outside and so I wouldn’t get bored by doing different trails. Bud Carter trail is Just What the Doctor Ordered. The length is good and the hills are frequent and strenuous. The main trail from North Dennis Rd. leads to a sand pit on Great Western Rd. There are a lot of side trails, some that loop around to the main trail and others that don’t. I have done this trail 3 times and have been confused at least once each time. The side trails are narrow and have very steep hills. There is a lot of huffing and puffing as the area boasts the highest point in the town of Yarmouth. This is not a trail I would do in inclement weather. Even though I usually look for the answer to most questions, I have no desire to find out which would be worse, trying to get up the hill or get down it. I highly recommend bringing the map with you to hike this trail. If you really want to test yourself go to the bottom of the sand pit and walk up the sand hill. My guess is it’s 3 stories high. I didn’t look back down until I was 3 steps in from the top. I’m glad this wasn’t my first trail when I began but I’m also glad I found it.
Ratings 1- the cellar 2- shoddy 3- tolerable 4- worthy 5- wicked good
Accessibility - 2- You have to know exactly where it is
Parking - 2 - Only room for two or three cars
Length- 5 - The main trail roundtrip is 2 miles and the side trails can add another 3 to 5.
Degree of Difficulty- 2 Fantastic if you want a good workout
Extras- 2- Crab Creek down the street
Trail Markings- 2 - A few but could be much better
Trail Maintenance- 5 - well kept
Variation - 5 - The sub trails not only add a good workout they add variety
Scenic - 3 - One overlook to a bog and one at the summit where on a nice day you can see all the way to Manomet Point in Plymouth
Worth Returning - 5 - Yes for the workout
Beach - no
Facilities - no
What I like - Huffing and puffing
What I don’t like- Pretty confusing
Overall Rating- 33 out of 50
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