Cape Cod Trails Conference Home Page
Long Walks on Cape Cod
Copyright 1998 Cape Cod Trails Conference
Freemans Way
USGS Maps: Orleans, Harwich
Trailheads: 1. South Orleans
Center (shopping area) on Route
28, 0.2 miles north of Route 39.
2. The end of Nook Road in Nickerson State Park.
From the main entrance on Route 6A, drive south
on Deer Park Road, and continue on Nook Road.
3. Small parking area on Route 137 at Spruce Road,
just south of exit 11 from Route 6.
Guide:
This hike is best done
as a shuttle between trailheads 1 and
2, or in conjunction with our Nickerson
Park or South Orleans walks.
If you are using it as a connector on Walk the
Length of Cape Cod,
you may wish to shuttle between trailheads 1 and 3.
From trailhead 1, cross
route 28 on the exit road from the
shopping center, to Eli Rogers Road just opposite. Walk west
on Eli
Rogers Road for about 100 yards to a woods road heading northwest.
Continue on this road for 0.3 mile to a gravel road that is Cliff
Pond Road.
Walk west on Cliff Pond
Road for another 0.3 mile to the
utility right of way. Cross it to the dirt bike trail that
runs
between the cyclone fence and Route 6. The trail runs south
from
the beginning of our South Orleans walk.
You will now be walking
south on a long reach that parallels Route 6 for about 1.5 miles
to
Freemans Way.
Turn right and cross
the Lawrence B. Doyle bridge on Freemans
Way. Notice that the dirt bike trail continues under the
bridge
close to Route 6. If you continue south, described later,
you will
stay on this trail all the way to Route 137.
In 0.2 mile, past the
entrance to the Brewster Recreational
Fields, turn right on the gravel road heading north. It has
a gate
across it with a sign warning you that this is the Brewster Water
Shed area.
Follow it north for 0.4
mile to the T intersection with Silas
Road at the southern boundary of Nickerson State Park. From
there
you can walk west and north to the bike path around Ruth Pond in
the
park and continue to the entrance to the park on Route 6A.
See the
Map of Bicycle Trails in Nickerson State
Park.
Or walk east 0.2 mile
until you see a dirt road heading north,
which is a continuation of Silas Road. The road meanders
north
and northeast for a mile until you come to the paved bike path
in
the park. Turn right on the path, walking east as it crosses
and
parallels Nook Road for 0.3 mile to Trailhead 2. You can
also walk
north to Higgins Pond and return to the park entrance, as shown
in
our Nickerson State Park walk, if you
have parked a car there.
If you are continuing
south to Route 137, follow the dirt
bike trail south under the Lawrence B. Doyle bridge over Route
6 on
Freemans Way. Continue to follow the bike trail as it goes
southwest,
passing Mud Pond along the way.
Follow the trail along
the west shore of Grassy Pond.
The dirt bike trail comes up to the south ramps for Exit 11 on
Route
6. Walk along the south edge of the ramps to Route 137.
Trailhead
3 is directly opposite. It is the starting point for our
Hawks Nest walk.