Your Complete Guide to Woods Hole, Cape Cod Nature Walks

Your Complete Guide to Woods Hole, Cape Cod Nature Walks

Without question, Cape Cod is a nature lover’s paradise. Whether you travel the country over to find incredible and unique nature walks and hiking trails, or you simply want to add a lot of nature to your Cape Cod trip, Southern Cape Cod is home to some must-travel walking, hiking and nature trails.

Do you have a passion for bird watching? With so much conservation land and the protected National Seashore, the Cape is a safe-haven for various types of bird species – making most of these trails and nature spots ideal for bird watching and potentially adding a species to your life list.

Let us help you plan your nature-filled Cape Cod trip. This guide reviews Cape Cod hiking and walking trails and delivers suggestions on what to pack and where to stay.

Cape Cod is known for its conservation and preservation, and its unmatched natural beauty is amplified when sought-out on foot along well-maintained nature and walking trails that are designed for bike rides, hikes, and – of course – scenic walks. Here are some top walking trails on Cape Cod:

The Knob (Cornelia Carey Sanctuary)

The Knob – which is located in Woods Hole – delivers a shorter, but great trail for easy walking and exceptional views of nature.

This is a hidden place that most tourists either don’t know about or don’t bother looking for. After a trail walk, you will land at a nature area and a rocky hill that overlooks beautiful Quissett Harbor and Buzzards Bay. The beaches at the Knob are perfect for swimming, unwinding, and endless bird-and boat-watching.

The Knob is maintained by Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries and is accessible year-round.

Beebe Woods Loop

Beebe Woods is a 400-acre swath of protected forest that offers miles of trails that loop through rocky hills and sandy woods. It is a peaceful place to walk and bird watch any time of year.

Beebe Woods’ 3.1-mile loop trail wanders through a charming historic forest and features beautiful wildflowers, two ponds for swimming, and is good for all skill levels – with varied terrain, wooded ridges and steep-sided hollows. There is also a picturesque pond on the property known as the Punch Bowl.

Visiting in the fall?Beebe Woods is one of the most sought-after places to soak in the fall colors.

Spohr Gardens

Located next to Oyster Pond, Spohr Gardens is a 6-acre woodland garden that features garden paths, winding trails and thousands of beautiful flowers – like daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, day lilies and more.

These gardens are the ideal place to walk with or even sit in nature for a quiet, peaceful day.

Two Ponds Conservation Area

Including 4.75 acres of land, Two Ponds Conservation Area used to be a popular 9-hole, par 3 golf course. Now the land is permanently protected with a conservation restriction.

The area includes an Atlantic white cedar swamp, and it has beautiful frontage on both Jones Pond and Sols Pond. The area’s accessible pathways and benches are open to the public.

Sea Farms Marsh Conservation Area

This conservation area is a 1.2-mile trail that curves through the property to protect fox dens and habitats of other animals. There is a bench that offers a view of Black Duck Cove – a small inlet of Bourne’s Pond – and another bench sits above Israel’s Cove.

Both of these resting benches are prime spots for viewing great blue heron, osprey, cormorant, marsh hawk and a variety of ducks, and this area is a beautiful way to stroll through a morning or afternoon.

Kelly Woodland and Wildlife Corridor

This important woodland consists of 3-acres that connects the 28-acre Flume Pond parcel with Beebe Woods, creating a broad swath of more than 500 protected acres.

The Kelly Woodland also connects a vast variety of habitats, including Flume Pond, a coastal freshwater pond, vernal pools, oak and pine forest and rugged upland.

When you visit the Kelly Woodland, you can explore Flume Pond by walking across Sippewissett Road to the wooded loop trail south of the pond.

Other incredible nature areas and walking trails in Cape Cod to check out include:

• Miles Pond Frontage
• Little Sippewissett Marsh
• Great Sippewissett Marsh
• Bella Shephard Reserve
• Coonnamessett River Restoration

While several of these areas and woodlands easily double as places to enjoy nature walks, some offer lengthier trails and/or a little more terrain for a hike.

Bourne Farm

With an old New England feel – with a farmhouse and fields leading to walking and hiking trails – Bourne Farm is a beautiful nature sanctuary located on over 49 acres of fields, trails and woodlands that overlook Crocker Pond.

You can start a peaceful stroll by the pond or a quiet walk on a wooded trail. There’s also a neat cattle tunnel under a former railroad bed to experience.

Shining Sea Bikeway

Not a traditional hiking trail, but a must-travel path for stunning views of Southern Cape Cod nature.

Starting in Woods Hole and extending 10.7-miles to North Falmouth, this round-trip path was made for biking (for any skill level), but is also great for walking, running and paved path hiking.

The majority of the bikeway hugs the shoreline, so you can experience this end of Cape Code from a whole different perspective.

Bartolomei Conservation Area

A 6.87-acre plot of land, this beautiful, peaceful area sits above the river and Pond 14, and has an established handicapped accessible trail. The trail also has benches and picnic tables that accommodate wheelchairs where visitors have a lovely view of the water.

A trail for able-bodied visitors is located at the back of the parcel, which dips down and up through a spring-sapping valley.

Roskovics Preserve

The Roskovics Preserve is comprised of 20 acres that are part of North Falmouth’s rolling upland hills.

Beginning in the woods, the hiking trail roams up and down through the trees, and then opens up to an old dirt road that navigates a sunny meadow.

The old road curves around a bend and climbs a small, grassy knoll. At the top, hikers get a view of the land below before heading back into the woods to take the loop back to the start.

Mashpee River Woodlands

As a little known gem, the Mashpee Woodlands are home to a quiet, extremely scenic trail system.

Most of the Woodlands trails are single tracks. The trails twist through the trees and climb and descend short hills. On bike, they’re very pleasant to ride, too.

In all, there’s approximately 4-miles of trails, and most hikers travel them in both directions to make it longer, as they’re different in the opposite direction.

Other incredible hiking trails to check out include:

• Salt Pond Area Reservation
• Washburn Island
• Goodwill Park
• Mass Audubon’s Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary

Did you know you can easily walk to the Martha’s Vineyard ferry from anywhere in Woods Hole?

Once you’ve had your fill of Woods Hole, Cape Cod nature walks and hikes and you still want more, catch a ride across the sound for a day and explore Martha’s Vineyard. The walking trails on Martha’s Vineyard hold their own mystique and feel.

Menemsha Hill

Menemsha Hill has one of the longest walks available on the shores of the Vineyard Sound. With 211-acres of hilly trails and stunning shoreline, you can walk through marshland, woods, and coastal plains to dune cliffs and Prospect Hill – the Vineyard’s second-highest peak at 308 feet high – to soak in incredible panoramic water views.

Great Rock Bight Preserve

Often called the Vineyard’s better-kept secret, this preserve delivers a set of wide, graceful trails that twist through open meadows and woodlands to a beautiful sandy beach and even loop around upland ponds.

Trade Winds Field Trailhead

At 71.8-acres, the Trade Winds Field Preserve was used for decades as a grass-strip airport. Now, a beautiful sandplain grassland habitat with unusual wildflowers and grasses is used for nature study, hiking, picnicking, mountain-biking, horseback-riding, dog-walking, scenic vista and more.

Caroline Tuthill Preserve

Made up of over 150-acres of oak and pitch pine forest, wooded wetlands, salt marsh and open meadow, you can enjoy this preserve by walking or bicycling on the Garrett Family Trail and the many other trails on the property – including a self-guided nature walk, 1.7-mile mountain bike trail, and many others.

Other nature areas and walking trails on Martha’s Vineyard to check out include:

• Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
• Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary

Cape Cod Nature Events

Because nature and preservation are top priorities for all of Cape Cod, there are events year-round – like group hikes, nature walks, Hydrangea fest, and so much more – to help locals and visitors alike get out and truly enjoy all the Cape has to offer.

At the Sands of Time Inn and Harbor House, we’re well-versed on current events and know upcoming events as the seasons change. As our guest, we would be honored to help you plan your trip here and attend as many events as you wish.

The Chamber of Commerce also displays a packed, up-to-date calendar.

Suggested Packing List

Whether you plan to enjoy a nature walk or hike occasionally or everyday of your Cape Cod trip, don’t forget to pack these essentials:

• Hiking backpack
• Weather-appropriate clothing (like moisture-wicking and layers, depending on the season)
• Hiking boots or shoes and appropriate socks
• Plenty of food
• Plenty of water
• Sun protection
• Navigation tools
• First-aid kit
• Knife or multi-tool

When It’s Time to Rest, Stay Close to All These Trails at the Sands of Time Inn and Harbor House

At the Sands of Time Inn and Harbor House, your stay will be fun, comfortable, and convenient.

You and your family or group can choose between two distinct styles of accommodations that overlook gardens or the blue waters of the harbor and Vineyard Sound.

Whatever your preferences and needs, let us know how we can tailor your stay. As our guests, we can’t wait to make your stay in Woods Hole, Cape Cod one to remember for a lifetime.

Book your stay or contact us today to get your questions answered and receive further assistance in planning your trip.

If you’re ready to book your stay at the Sands of Time Inn and Harbor House, you can quickly and easily complete your reservation online today: