Cape Cod Trails Conference Home Page
Long Walks on Cape Cod
Copyright 1996 Cape Cod Trails Conference
Little Sandy Pond and Horse Pond, West Yarmouth
USGS Maps: Dennis, Hyannis
Trailheads: 1. Parking
lot for the Sandy Pond Recreation Park
in West Yarmouth, north off Buck Island Road,
0.3 miles west of Higgins-Crowell Road.
2. Parking lot for Yarmouth Walking Trails on
Higgins-Crowell Road, just south of Mattacheese
Middle School.
3. Parking lot for Raymond J. Syrjala Conservation
Area on Winslow Gray Road, 0.5 mile north of
Route 28 in West Yarmouth.
Guide:
This will be about a six mile walk, counterclockwise
through
the West Yarmouth watershed area. Walking trails abound in
the area.
Some are marked with a white wood triangle; most are not.
The latter
are obviously used by local residents for dog walking, jogging,
etc.
You may start at any trailhead. Trailhead
1 has more parking,
but may be restricted to Yarmouth residents during the summer.
Trailhead 2 is small. Trailhead 3 will be discussed at the
end.
From Trailhead 1, walk east and north around the ball field to
the
shore of Little Sandy Pond. Then follow the path around the
shore
east and north. Where the trail turns west to follow the
north
shore, look for a well-worn path going off to the northeast.
Follow the path for about 200 yards as it takes
you to two water
pumping stations. Walk east on the road for another 200 yards
to
Higgins-Crowell Road. Across the road and a little to the
left is
Trailhead 2. From Trailhead 2, walk east to follow the trail
heading
toward Horse Pond. Walk through an intersecting sandy track
and
continue east on the foot path. Horse Pond is visible to
your right.
At the next trail junction, walk east, continuing
to parallel the
shore of Horse Pond. Continue east at the succeeding trail
junctions,
until you come to a house in view to your right. Walk to
the left,
heading due north, for about 100 yards until you come to a foot
path
going east. Bassetts Lot Pond is in view to your right.
Just before you get to the end of Bassets Lot
Pond, turn
north on the foot path, passing two boundary markers along the
way.
The path ends in a T intersection at a wide sandy track.
Walk east
on this track. You will get another glimpse of Bassetts Lot
Pond to
your right.
At the top of the rise, turn south on the sand
road. You will
see a bit more of Bassetts Lot Pond to the west. When you
reach a
sign designating the Yarmouth Water Supply area, walk east on the
sand road. Soon you reach West Yarmouth Road.
Looking south, you will see its intersection
with Buck Island
Road. Walk south along West Yarmouth Road until you come
to a sand
road to your left with a sign posted by the Cranberry Bog Owners
Association. Walk east to the edge of the bog.
If the owners are not working around or in the
bog, you may
walk around the perimeter to the shore of Plashes Pond to the north,
and then west and north to West Yarmouth Road again. Just
south is
the track that you walked on north of Bassetts Lot Pond.
Walk west on it through the first intersection,
and look for a well-
worn foot path going north. At the fork, take the trail to
the left.
Continue walking on trails heading west until you come to a wide
sandy
track. Walk northeast for about 100 yards until you reach
a foot path
heading off to the left in a straight line due north.
When you come to a sandy track, walk west.
At the upcoming T
intersection, walk north. Almost immediately, another wide
foot path
goes to the left. Walk west on it through the next trail
intersection.
A golf course is visible to your right. This track has obviously
been
widened by motor bikes coming from the utility right of way, which
you
reach shortly.
Walk west on the dirt road in the right of way
until you come to
Higgins-Crowell Road. You are now about three-quarters of
a mile north
of Trailhead 2. Walk south briefly on Higgins-Crowell Road
until you
reach the paved road to another water pumping station, just south
of
the church. Walk west toward the station, then southwest
on a wide
sandy track leading from the area. It passes through low
stands of
pine trees, through a gate, then becomes paved as you pass a cemetery
on your right.
Continue southwest as the road becomes a track
again, and then,
after crossing another sand road, narrows to a foot path.
You will
be walking nearly a mile on this route. Look for a foot path
coming
in from your left. If you miss it, you will shortly come
out on Buck
Island Road, and can double back.
Walk east on the path. At the next fork,
in about one-half mile,
turn south. Soon you will reach the shore path around Little
Sandy
Pond. Walk west and south to the beach area, then walk around
the ball
field to return to Trailhead 1. To return to Trailhead 2,
circum-
navigate Little Sandy Pond, then follow the directions at the begin-
ning of this guide.
Beginning at Trailhead 3 adds two miles to the
total distance,
and reverses the description given above. Walk north on the
right
hand trail to the first junction. Walk right at the trail
signs,
taking a woods road that brings you out to a large cranberry bog.
Follow the east edge of the bog to the north,
and at the far
northeast corner, look for a somewhat overgrown trail leading
north. Very soon it begins to parallel a fence along the
Yarmouth
Water Department property. Ahead of you will be Buck Island
Road.
Cross it and take a short walk north on the dirt road ahead to
the
cranberry bog below Plashes Pound.