Pilgrim Springs - Small's Swamp Trails, Truro MA

     I was already in Truro so after finishing The Pamet Area I thought I might as well check out The trails at Pilgrim Heights, which is also part of The National Seashore. There are two short trails that were easy to find off Rte 6 going towards P-Town  thanks to the big sign on the highway. The road brings you right to the huge parking lot. Pilgrim Spring Trail and Small’s Swamp are right next to each other. They are to the right of an interpretive shelter that provides historical information of the area.

     Pilgrim Springs Trail is to the right and I went there first. The trail  heads into the woods on a wide dirt path. The trail gets narrow as it leads you up a hill with bushes on both sides. The top of the hill provides a picturesque view of East Harbor Creek, Pilgrim Lake, sand dunes, marsh and The Atlantic Ocean. The trail then gets smaller as it brings you down steps to a clearing with a stone marker that identifies the spot where it is believed The Pilgrims first found fresh water. To the left of the marker is a bike path, to the right the trail heads back into the woods and ends up at the restrooms on the other side of the parking lot where I parked.

    
 Small’s Swamp Trail brings you up and down hills, some with steps, around the remains of Thomas Smalls farm and the kettle swamp. After walking down a hill the trail splits, I went left and down a steep hill with built in steps The trail at times is bordered by wood and leads to a boardwalk before heading back uphill and some fabulous views. Different looks at The Ocean, swamp, sand dunes and lake can also be seen at numerous spots along the trail. Looping back into the woods the trail  brings you back to  where the trail had split and back up to the parking area;
     On the signs Pilgrims was listed as 0.3 miles and Small’s 0.7 but my pedometer had both at 1 mile. So my short easy walk, because my back was hurting and I was starting to come down with what ended up becoming bronchitis, turned into 7+ miles up and down steep hills. In other words a GREAT DAY !!!


Ratings 1- the cellar  2- shoddy  3- tolerable  4- worthy  5- wicked good

Accessibility - 5 - Off Rte 6 - Pilgrim Heights sign
Parking -  5 - Huge parking area
Length-  4 -  Even both together are short but hills make up for length
Degree of Difficulty- 4 - hills but many parts have steps
Extras-  4 - Historical - not far from P-Town
Trail Markings-  3 - None but really not needed
Trail Maintenance- 5 - excellent
Variation - 3 - 2 loops - not much
Scenic  - 5 - Spectacular
Worth Returning - 4 - Yes to check out the different seasons
Surface -  pine needles, dirt, board walk, steps, sand
Map -   no
Beach -   no
Facilities - yes
What I liked -  The history and the views
What I didn’t - length

Rating 42 out of 50

Pamet Area Trail System, Truro MA

      Just after saying how hiking in the hot summer was much better than the cold winter we got hit with a wicked hot spell. So what do I do I end up doing. Hike farther each of those days that were over 90 degrees and humid, Just after pushing my friends grandson in a stroller and getting lost in a maze of streets all named Captain Something and turning what should have been a 2 mile walk into 6 miles. I decide to drive to Truro to get another Cape Cod town under my belt. My back hurting from bending over pushing the stroller and starting to come down with what would turn out to be “ flu-like symptoms “,  I was looking for a nice easy trail. Of course I picked one with steep hills and soft beach sand. Even with that  The Pamet Area Trail System turned out to be the right choice. WOW !!!

      Easy to find off Rte 6, take the Truro Center Pamet Rd exit and then follow North Pamet Rd to the end. There is parking on the right side next to The Environmental  Education Center that serves as a Youth Hostel in the summer.
The Pamet Area Trail Systems is part Of The National Seashore and has three trails, Bearberry Hill, Bog House and The Overlooks that connect to each other.  The trail starts across the street from the parking area and heads into the woods. Trail markers are numbered and are keyed to the trail guide. The trail winds around and heads up a hill eventually coming out of the woods and leading to Bearberry Hill. Walking up the hill and looking to your right you can see a fantastic view of  the beach and The Atlantic Ocean. A sign points the way to each trail. Bearberry has two summits so I headed up the east summit first. The hill is steep and the view is SPECTACULAR !!! There were some narrow trails on the other side of the summit - I went down one on the way back but it looked like it led to private property so I went back up to the main trail and the west summit. Overlooking the old cranberry bog, the woods and hills of Truro this view is also awesome!!  Both summits have a wooden platform and an information stand. Before getting to the west summit you pass the trail that leads to The Bog & Overlooks. There is also a very narrow trail that leads back to the start of the hike. Once I found that out I walked back to check out the other trails.
      The trail leads down a path with steps and has bushes on both sides before heading up into the woods. Coming out of the woods the trail marker points left and you head down a wide sandy path that used to be Old Kings Highway. This was the road stagecoaches would use to get from Boston to Provincetown. As you head down the path you can see the ocean up ahead. To get there you walk past the trail that leads to The Bog House and go up and down a steep dune. The beach is endless in both directions bordered by cliffs and the ocean. I walked down to put my feet in the freezing water and as I got there I saw a seal bobbing up and down in the water about 30 yards away, checking me out. Pretty Awesome !! After my new buddy left I headed back to the dunes and the Bog House Trail. This trail was narrow through the oak and pine woods with some steep hills. Once again there were steps to make it easier. The Bog House is still standing and has a big yard. You really can’t tell there was ever a cranberry bog there. The houses front door is on the second floor with no stairs. You can look through the windows and see that they are doing some sort of construction. To get back you can walk away from the house up a wide path that brings you to North Pamet Road where you can go left and back to the parking area. I went back the way I came to make the hike about 5 miles and what a great hike it was.

         
     More pics on Favebook

Ratings 1- the cellar  2- shoddy  3- tolerable  4- worthy  5- wicked good

Accessibility - 5 - Off Rte 6 at the end of North Pamet Rd
Parking -  5 - Next to Old Coast Guard Station for more than 10 cars
Length-  5 - Five miles and can add even more with beach
Degree of Difficulty- 4 - Some hills but most the tougher areas have steps
Extras-  4 - Beach, Not far from Truro Vineyards, and Ptown
Trail Markings- 5 - Excellent
Trail Maintenance- 5 - Excellent
Variation - 5 -  3 trails to choose from and endless beach
Scenic  - 5 - WOW
Worth Returning -5  YES
Surface - Grass, Pine Needles, Sand
Map -  yes
Beach -   yes
Facilities - no
What I liked - It was so different than any other trail on The Cape
What I didn’t - It is a long ride from my house so I can’t hike it as often as I would like.

Rating 48 out of 50