Long Walks on Cape Cod
Brewster Beaches
USGS Maps: Orleans, Harwich
Trailheads:
1. Beach parking lot at the end of Crosby Lane,
one-half mile north of Route 6A in Brewster.
2. Beach parking lot at the end of Paine's Creek
Road, one-half mile north of Route 6A in
Brewster.
Guide:
The tidal flats of Cape Cod Bay, particularly in the Town of
Brewster, are a unique environment. Walking the beaches next to
the tidal flats is a strange and wondrous experience. We do not
recommend walking out on the flats because of the hazard of tidal
creeks between sand bars.
It is said that the Brewster Flats are the widest expanse of tidal
flats in North America, rivaled in the western hemisphere only by
a similar expanse in Brazil. The flats extend all the way to North
Eastham, but this guide will take you on the beaches between two
creeks at either end of Brewster. The creeks run far out into the
bay, and would require wading, even at dead low tide.
Pick a clear day, with not much wind. Then consult the tide chart
carefully to begin no sooner than an hour and one-half before low
tide. The entire hike is best done as a shuttle between the two
trailheads. The straight line distance is seven miles.
You can park without charge at the beach parking lots between Labor
Day and the middle of June. During the season, you must have a beach
sticker for the Town of Brewster. Don't even THINK of parking on the
side roads.
Starting from the Crosby Lane Beach parking lot, look for the
foot path going east from the northeast corner of the lot. It is
heavily used and easy to follow. Notice that the Orleans topographical map shows a line of shacks along the beach. They are all gone.
You then have a primitive seaside environment to walk along. To
your right, high on a pole, is an osprey nest. During the summer, a
large, ugly bird sits on the nest, glowering at passersby. If you
look more carefully in June and July, you might also see the cute
heads of a couple of the ugly bird's children looking at you
curiously, or shouting for food if a parent has just arrived with a
fish sandwich. As the signs warn you, do not go near the pole.
On your right is a marsh environment. Most of it is dry, with
tributaries of Namskaket Creek winding through it. As the seascape
opens to your left, you see the reach of Cape Cod Bay from Orleans to
Wellfleet. Wellfleet Harbor and Great Beach Island are the farthest
points that you can see. On a very clear day, however, the Pilgrim
Monument in Provincetown spikes upward to the left of the shore.
Continue walking east until the foot path brings you out to the
beach. As you begin the trek west, you will see the Crosby Mansion
looming up over the trees, beyond the Crosby Lane Beach parking lot.
Then a little further down, a large grey-green structure sits on the
beach at Linnell Landing. That is "Linger Longer by the Sea," a
wonderfully seedy old bed-and-breakfast that is now divided into
summer condominiums. The Town of Brewster has a small parking lot
at the end of Linnell Landing Road.
You will notice that the tidal flat has narrowed appreciably as
you walk closer to "Linger Longer." It is narrow for another mile,
then widens abruptly opposite Ellis Landing beach, to reach its maximum width at Paine's Creek.
Notice that west of Ellis Landing, some of the summer shacks on
the bluff have been undermined and are tumbling into the bay. West
of these are a row of elegant condominiums with yellow trim, part of
the Sea Pines area, known as Pineland Park. Their beach is posted
"No trespassing," but walking along the beach is permitted.
Theoretically, the ownership of the shore extends to low tide, but
it is an ancient colonial law both unenforced and unenforceable.
If you were close to the bluff in the summer, you might be warned off.
You would still have access, though, if you were carrying a fish pole,
as the same law states that citizens have a right to "fish or fowl" between high and low tide lines anywhere along the shore.
Continuing your walk west around Point of Rocks, you will see a
small parking area at the end of Point of Rocks Road. Along the shore
are, indeed, numerous rocks presenting the usual hazard to navigation.
On the flats, you may see, besides the ubiquitous gulls, ducks of
various colors, and flocks of hundreds of plovers.
About three-quarters of a mile further, you will see a green
revetment on the shore in front of some low houses. To the left of
the revetment is a sizeable parking area at the end of Breakwater
Road. The scattering of rocks to the west looks as random as those
around Point of Rocks. It is the remains of a manmade breakwater
that served as a pier and harbor for the packet ships sailing to and
from Boston in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Just west of Breakwater Point are massive, elegant houses in
the Cobbs Pond area, looming up above the bluff. Their beach is not
posted. If you walk the beaches in the winter, you may see
Buffleheads, a variety of duck with showy white plumage. About a
mile from Breakwater Landing is a little parking area for Saints
Landing Beach.
Then you will see that the bluff begins to descend to a marsh.
At the east end of the marsh is the parking area for Robbins Hill
Beach. Notice the grey and white house with so many walks and decks
that it looks like a crenellated castle.
Look ahead to the two story white house on the bluff to the rear
of the marsh. Set your sights on that for the walk to the Paine's
Creek Beach parking area.
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