Lowell Holly, Mashpee MA

       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

Barclay Ponds, Chatham Ma.

Barclay Pond Trails, The Triangle & No Name - Chatham MA.

     I hadn’t tried any Chatham trails, so I figured a busy summer weekend would be the perfect time to go. I noticed in my research that Barclay Ponds Trail was off of Queen Anne Road. I could go back roads all the way there so I wouldn’t have to deal with the heavy tourist traffic. I noticed a sign that read - Cooperative Conservation Project by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of Chatham. I decided to check it out and drove down the dirt road to a small parking area with another sign - Chatham Conservation Area at a trail head. I started up the dirt trail into the woods, that was wide enough for two people. I passed a trail on my right and kept going straight until I had to go left or right. Going left brings you out to some houses and a wider dirt road. Going right brings you up and down hills to the street and back up to the trail I had first passed. The trail was about 3.5 miles long.

     
         I decided to see if I could find the trail I came to hike so I kept going straight on Queen Anne. I didn’t realize Queen Anne went right. The road I stayed straight on became Comers Rd. In between Comers and the next intersection, Training Field Rd, I saw another trail with parking for a few cars along the road. Again no name - just a sign - Chatham Conservation Area. I walked into the woods and saw that there was a choice of going left or right. I went left on the narrow trail that brought me out at one turn to the intersection where there was parking alongside the road for a couple more cars. I went back into the woods and ended up following the trail around “The Golden Triangle” . That’s what the area in between the roads that connect to each other Queen Anne, Old Comers and Training Field. The trail was narrow and easy and took about 20 minutes.
     When I got back in my car I took a right on Training Field. It brought me to Old Queen Anne where I took a right to go home when I noticed a small parking lot  that was surrounded by bushes with what looked like a hole in the middle. The hole was the beginning of Barclay Ponds Trail. I know this because when I got home I looked it up. I did this because again there was no sign. What is it with Chatham ? I always thought it was a money town. Come on put up a Sign - Will Ya.
    I went back a few days later to hike Barclay Ponds. Of course there was no map either. I went between the bushes on a narrow trail. Not far in there was a path on the right but I ignored it and stayed on the trail that headed off towards the left. A little further down the trail was another choice, but this time There were signs on a tree. One read Barclays Pond Loop and pointed to the left trail. The other read Mary’s Pond and pointed to a trail that went right. I took the Barclay and followed the narrow trail through the woods that at times came close to the street and others close to the pond. The trail went about ¾ of the way around the pond where it ended and I headed back. I found another parking area on the way back and still don’t know which road it is on. I got back to the trail I was walking and saw that instead of going all the way back to the trees where the signs were, I could take another trail that ended up bringing me to Mary’s Pond which had a few houses on the opposite side. The trail kept going in the woods up and down hills to another pond. This one much bigger with a sign on a tree that read Schoolhouse Pond. This pond seemed to have a beach on the opposite side. I took the wrong trail back and ended up going in circles for a half hour on different paths that went between Schoolhouse Pond and a water shed. Finally I realized all I had to do was face the pond and go right. I retraced my steps and luckily saw the sign on the tree and I was headed back. By Mary’s Pond I saw a trail that went up a steep hill and towards where I figured My car was parked. I was hoping this was the trail that would lead me to the tree that had the pond signs on it. If it was I could take a left to lead be back to the parking area. It turned out it was the first path I saw that was on the right when I first started the hike. Whew !!! I was happy to see m car. Work was tough that night so I told everyone - I got lost in the woods today, the worst part is - I found my way out. lol

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

Accessibility - 3 - No signs so a bit hard to find
Parking -  3 - About 8 at Barclay 3 at Triangle and 4 at No-name
Length-  4 - Barclay and no name are decent and triangle short
Degree of Difficulty- 4 - Barclay has some steep hills - No name some hills and Triangle is easy
Extras-  1 - None
Trail Markings- 1 - None
Trail Maintenance-   4 - could use a little work
Variation - 4- Barclay, plenty - No Name, some - Triangle, none
Scenic  - 2 - Only Barclay with 3 different lakes
Worth Returning - 1- Not likely- glad I did them but no reason to go back
Surface - Pine needles, sand
Map - No
Beach -   No
Facilities - No
What I liked - Good thing they had pond signs on trees
What I didn’t - No Map or Markers

Rating 27 out of 50

Fox Island Marsh & Pilgrim Springs Woodlands Conservation Area.

     
       Day off, no plans, perfect weather. Wellfleet here I come. Since moving back from Florida I have fallen in love with Wellfleet, but had yet to hike one of it’s many trails. I decided on Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Springs Woodlands Conservation Area. There are two areas to park- both off Rte 6 - the Baker Road Trailhead is off Way 112 - The other trailhead is on Pilgrim Springs Rd. Coming fro Yarmouth both roads are on the left, with Way 112 first and Pilgrim springs next. The roads are a little less than 2 miles after the entrance to The Marconi Area at The National Seashore . Looking at the map I decided to start at Pilgrim Springs, which is 2/10 of a mile on the left. I picked this one because the trailhead is at one end, while The Baker trailhead looked like it was in the middle.
        Right at the beginning of the narrow trail that led into the thick woods and straight up a hill was an arrow marker on a tree. Always a good sign, I had the map with me and decided I would keep taking the trails to my left. That way I would eventually end up where I started. The trail widened in parts and had some benches along the way that overlooked the marsh thru the trees. All the way there were the arrow markers on the trees. There were a few dirt roads along the way that led to cottages, but the arrows made it easy to stay on the trail. The trail brought me to Whale Bone Point where I saw the beautiful views of Fox island Marsh and Blackfish Creek. It was low tide and I decided to walk along the shore. Since it was summer there was al kinds of small boats moored along the way. I kept walking until I saw what seemed like a private beach and turned back. I didn’t want to bother anyone. I did bother hundreds of the fiddler crabs on the way back and forth.
       I went back into the woods a little further down the marsh than where I had come out. The trail brought me to another dirt road and eventually the much larger parking lot of the Baker Road Trailhead. I followed the arrows back thru the woods and came to a spot where the arrows pointed left and right. My picking left worked and I was brought back down the hill I had first climbed and to my car.
     

     

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

Accessibility - 5 - 2 choices both off Rte 6
Parking -  4 - Pilgrim Springs only room for 3 cars - Baker Road can fit 15 - 20
Length-  5 - about 3.5 round trip but can add more with marsh
Degree of Difficulty- 5 - only a couple of hills
Extras-  4 - Not far from beaches and National Seashore
Trail Markings- 4 - plenty but should have different colors for the different trails
Trail Maintenance-   5 - very good
Variation - 4 - Can mix and match but bring the map
Scenic  - 5- Awesome coming out of forest and seeing the marsh
Worth Returning - 5 - No doubt
Surface - Pine needles, sand
Beach -   No
Facilities - No
What I liked - Forest and Marsh - great diversity
What I didn’t -  The markers could have been better

Rating 46 out of 50