July has been nice on Cape Cod, mostly hot and sunny. Friends have asked if it is hard to walk/hike everyday when it is so hot and humid. Let me tell you it is so much easier now than it was in the winter. Going on 9 months and I have lost close to 90 lbs and 8 inches.
There are many trails in each of the Cape towns. I decided to go to a trail in a new town. I decided on Mashpee and Lowell Holly Reservation. The Cape is packed in the summer, even more so on the weekends. Sundays Rte 6, the Mid-Cape Highway, can be backed up many exits with so many tourists heading home. I didn’t want to take a chance on sitting in bumper to bumper traffic so I took 6A. Starting in Yarmouth I drove through Barnstable and into Sandwich and took Quaker Meetinghouse Rd. to Cotuit Rd where I took a left and looked for south Sandwich Rd. On the way I passed some Sandwich trails I hadn’t hiked yet. Murkwood Conservation Area on 6A. On Cotuit Rd I passed Boyden Farm Conservation Land and Ryder Conservation Land. The main entrance to Ryder is actually just before Lowell Holly on South Sandwich.
Lowell Holly has two parking areas - one that is year round (6 cars) and another that is seasonal (20 cars). Parking at the seasonal cuts off about half the trail, so I parked at the year round lot. The heavily rooted trail leads up hills into thick woods and starts out wide enough for two people. The trail connects to carriage roads and leads to a sandy beach on Wakeby Pond and the seasonal parking area. The trail brought me to a couple of small beach areas before becoming very narrow as I headed back into the woods. There was a walking bridge made of wood planks on logs to help walk through a swamp area. There were a few steep hills as the trail brought me around the peninsula to Conumet Point which juts out into Wakeby Pond. Walking back brought me to the other side of the peninsula and Mashpee Pond. I could see the pond off and on through the thick woods. The trail which was not always tree covered looped back to the main trail which turned into a carriage road and brought me back to the beach side and the trail that would bring me back to my car. On the way back I noticed a couple of side trails but I just stayed on the main trail which was marked by red or white squares on some of the trees.
A nice hike on a hot summer day. I thought of jumping in the inviting lake but I didn’t want to stop and I didn’t want to walk back through the woods all wet. Next time I will enjoy a nice swim. Lowell Holly is a place you can tell your friends to - Take A Hike - and - Go Jump In A Lake.
Ratings 1- the cellar 2- shoddy 3- tolerable 4- worthy 5- wicked good
Accessibility - 5 - Exit 3 south on Quaker Meetinghouse - left on Cotuit - right on S Sandwich
Parking - 5 - year round 6 - Seasonal 20
Length- 5 - As long as you park at year round area
Degree of Difficulty- 4 - Some tough hills
Extras- 4 - Other Conservation Areas - Beach - Boating - Fishing
Trail Markings- 4 - Not bad but could be better
Trail Maintenance- 4 - boardwalks could be better
Variation - 3 - Pretty much up and back
Scenic - 5 - The ponds are beautiful
Worth Returning - 5 - No doubt
Surface - Roots, Pine needles, Sand, walking bridge, muck
Map - yes
Beach - yes
Facilities - port o potties at seasonal parking
What I liked - I like the woods being surrounded by the ponds and the great views
What I didn’t - Needs a little work on the boardwalks on the Wakeby side of the peninsular where it’s swampy
Rating 44 out of 50
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