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Long Walks on Cape Cod
Copyright 1997 Cape Cod Trails Conference
Brewster Ponds
USGS Map: Harwich
Trailheads: l. Brewster
town parking lot on Sheep Pond,
at the end of Fishermens Landing Road,
east off Route l24 in Brewster.
2. Punkhorn Parklands parking lot at the end
of Run Hill Road in Brewster.
3. Parking area at the intersection of the
utility right of way and Great Fields Road
in Brewster.
Guide:
A longer title for this hike would be:
"Seven ponds and
three bogs in Brewster." Altogether, it encompasses ten miles.
You may not want to hike the whole thing, therefore alternative
trailheads are given above to permit spotting cars for a shuttle.
Be sure to identify all the ponds.
You are parked at the
first, Sheep Pond, but you will leave it immediately. Walk
back
up the road from the parking lot and turn left on the road marked
"Jolly's Crossing." It takes you through a little residential
area, then the road surface changes to gravel and dirt.
The road now is Storrow Road, labeled as
such at the other
end. It is still a public road. In about 0.3 miles
you will be
at Crowell's Bog Road, also with a dirt surface, and also a
public road.
Just to your left, a dirt road goes down
to a large
cranberry bog on Long Pond. A small "No Trespassing" sign
is at
the beginning. What to do? The local hiking clubs ignore
it and
continue on to walk around the bog. Is that allowed?
Legally, no; practically, yes. We
are obliged to say that
you may not trespass on private property. Having said this,
we
also know that some bog owners do not object to ecologically-minded
walkers touring around their bogs.
Except, of course, during harvest season,
or any other time
that they are working on the bog. And even during the dormant
season, you absolutely may not walk on the bog, pick any
cranberries, or fool around with the sluice gates or the
pumphouse.
Bog owners are understandably nervous about
possible
vandalism. Granted, a group of respectable-looking walkers
may
appear harmless, but the owner cannot be sure of that. The
solution would be for the town and owners to agree on proper
conditions of access, and appropriate signage.
Turning right on Crowell's Bog Road takes
you through an
area still in the process of residential development, then on
down to the Brewster town beach on Long Pond. That's pond
number
two. Walk the short stretch of paved road past Black Pond
on
your left (number three), back to Route l24, Harwich Road.
Cross Route 124 carefully. It's a
busy road, and cars zoom
along. On the other side is the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
Go south,
staying to the right on the dirt path. To your right is Seymour
Pond (number four). The trail crosses Route l24, then parallels
the shore of Long Pond.
Just before you get to the herring run,
an opening will
appear in the wood railing on the west side of the paved trail.
A telephone pole is right there, with metal letters "101" nailed
on. Walk down to explore the herring run, if you wish, then
return to pole 101.
Directly opposite, across Route 124, a
narrow road heads
west right past the yards and driveways of two houses. There
is
no street sign at the intersection. Nevertheless, it is Seymour
Road, a public road in the Town of Brewster.
Walk west, past summer cabins, and then
just past the ditch
between Seymour Pond and Hinckleys Pond, take the left hand road
at the fork. This will be another tour of a cranberry bog,
and
an especially scenic detour. But if you choose to omit it,
take
the right road at the fork.
Walking about one-quarter mile past several
dirt driveways
to the left, a deeply rutted dirt road comes up on the left.
Follow it down to the cranberry bog on the shore of Hinckleys
Pond (number five). Although no signs are posted on this
bog,
use the same discretion as previously advised.
On the west side of cranberry bog, a well-graded
dirt road
runs north and south. This is Eastgate Road. Walk north
for
one-half mile until it intersects a sharply angled road.
This is
Punkhorn Road. A large brown sign informs you that you are
now
in the Punkhorn Parklands of the Town of Brewster.
Walk southeast for 0.3 mile on Punkhorn
Road to pick up
another woods road heading northeast. The little woods road
brings
you past an abandoned cranberry bog on the shore of Seymour Pond.
On your right is a sixty foot knob.
Follow the foot path to climb the knob
for excellent views
of Seymour Pond and the surrounding area. Or if that seems
a bit
daunting, walk around the knob on the woods road. Continue
north
to a short path to the "truck body pump" that once pumped water
from Seymour Pond to the cranberry bog.
Backtrack briefly and walk west on the
trail leading up the
rise and into the woods. Soon you will come to Eastgate Road
again.
Walk north on it for another quarter mile until you see a wide
foot
path with hikers' markers on the trees.
Walk west and northwest on the path to
a fork, bearing left
to cross a wide dirt road which is Massasoit Road. Walk across
to the woods road which leads northwest to Westgate Road and
trailhead 2.
From there, walk north briefly to Red Maple
Road, then east
to Winsome Court. On your left, heading north, is a woods
road
that soon turns into a horse trail. Walk north on it to another
woods road.
In about 300 yards, look for a well-worn
foot path heading
east. Follow it past a huge beech tree with a swing, to another
woods road. Follow it north until you reach a utility right
of
way, just east of Run Hill Road. You will pass Calf Field
Pond
on your right (number six).
At the utility right of way, head east,
following the worn
track along either edge. It is not an aesthetic journey,
but is
necessary to avoid tramping through private property north of
Calf Field Pond. Follow the right of way one-half mile, out
to
Great Fields Road. You may enjoy observing the horses along
the
way, frolicking in their corrals.
You are now at trailhead number three.
Cross Great Fields
Road and pick up a woods road to the right of the utility right
of way, heading east. Follow it for one-quarter mile until
a
worn path curves to the right. Walk this path south down
to the
edge of yet another cranberry bog (number three). It is on
the
shore of Griffiths Pond (number seven).
Reverse to Great Fields Road, and walk
southeast on it, a
little over one mile, to Route 124. Cross the road to pick
up
the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Walk north on it to Fisherman's
Landing Road. Walk east on that to return to trailhead one.
The whole hike is about ten miles, and
will take six hours,
at a moderate pace.