Biking on Cape Cod

My favorite scene in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the montage of Paul Newman riding a bike through the pasture trying to charm Katherine Ross, with Burt Bacharach’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” playing in the background. Call me  crazy, but I would have fallen for the impish Newman character over Robert Redford’s rakish Sundance any day.

So when Rich suggested we buy bikes some years ago to enjoy the many bike trails throughout Cape Cod, I was envisioning lazy afternoons meandering through the countryside, picnic basket in hand, all choreographed to show tunes. Needless to say, things didn’t exactly turn out as I had envisioned. But, I’m happy to report, we have found much joy in our bike riding adventures and can happily recommend any/all of the trails to our guests, depending on your ability and personal biking fantasies.

Cape Cod Canal Bikeway

This bikeway follows the Cape Cod Canal through sections of Bourne and Sagamore, respectively. Partially maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, it offers fantastic views of the canal’s various boat traffic, along with the area’s quaint shoreline scenery of unique homes and natural beauty.

The path is actually the canal access road, a paved route designated for government vehicles, foot traffic and non-motorized vehicles only. It runs for approximately 7 – 8 miles between the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges. Featuring a wide road with minimal grades, it is ideal for beginner to casual cyclists, especially families with younger children.

Following the length of the canal roughly 7 1/2 miles between the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, the canal trail is a popular destination for cyclists, pedestrians, inline skaters and joggers. Even during the off-season, you can find full parking lots at either end of this flat multi-use path.

The bikeway itself is smooth concrete, with a well-defined single yellow line painted down the center designating two-way traffic. It makes for a fast and fun sprint for those ready to compete against themselves or cycling partners in a casual time-trial.

Park benches are also scattered along the path at regular intervals for rest and relaxation after a long walk or hard workout on the route. The Bourne Recreation Area also features picnic facilities and an information booth (open in-season) in a nicely landscaped plot to the right of the parking area.

Shining Sea Bike Path

Teacher and poet Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote about the “shining sea” in “America the Beautiful,” was born in Falmouth in 1859. Take the opportunity to see the beauty for yourself along the Shining Sea Bike Path. Formerly a 3.3-mile paved route that ran along the coast from Falmouth to Woods Hole, an extension was added in 2009 to increase the paved bikeway to 11.5 miles long. The linear park weaves through a natural setting of salt marsh, cranberry bogs, ponds and woodlands, along with sandy shores and a busy working harbor, across an ancient coastal plain. It’s the only bikeway on Cape Cod that runs along the seashore. The extension begins on County Road in North Falmouth and ends at the Steamship Authority’s ferry terminal in Woods Hole, a historic seaside fishing village and site of several major research institutions. This is a great way to get to Woods Hole, where traffic in summer is heavy and parking is scarce. The trail offers views of Nobska Light, a working lighthouse built in the 1800s, that now serves as home for the Group Commander of the Woods Hole Coast Guard Base.

Cape Cod Rail Trail

The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved bikeway that runs 28 miles from South Dennis to Wellfleet. The terrain is relatively flat, with some minor grades at certain sections in the Lower and Outer Cape areas, specifically Orleans and Wellfleet. It offers the most variety in scenery and natural Cape landscapes available of all the regional bike routes.

The trail itself is 28 miles from end to end. It extends from the Route 134 trailhead to Lecount Hollow Road in South Wellfleet. The name stems from the old railroad right of way it follows, which used to transport passengers and freight to Cape Cod in the early 1800s until around 1960. The route is managed by the Mass. Department of Environmental Management. It passes by many local points of interest and several lakes suitable for swimming and picnics, including Nickerson State Park in Brewster.

Continuously monitored by local police bike patrols, the trail is a safe and enjoyable way to spend a Cape Cod summer day. Traveling through the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet, the smoothly-paved surface (akin to gravel asphalt), makes this trail ideal for cyclists, equestrians, walkers, in-line skaters and runners. Bicycle and rollerblade rentals are also available at various bike shops conveniently located right along the trail in Dennis, Brewster, Orleans and Wellfleet.

With the recently completed Chatham arm, the bike path now truly encompasses all of the Lower Cape. Though the trail begins at Route 134 in Dennis, there are public parking lots and access paths on Underpass Road at Rte. 137 and at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, and on Route 124 at the Pleasant Lake General Store and off Great Western Road near Herring Run Road in Harwich. Chatham has space on Stepping Stone Road, just off Crowell Road. Grab your helmet, a bottle of water and start pedaling. You’ll see cranberry bogs, lakes and ponds and maybe even some wildlife.

Nickerson State Park Network

Located off the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Brewster, Nickerson State Park contains eight miles of dedicated bike trails. Offering easy access to picnic area and campsites, this hilly and scenic network provides an enjoyable ride through beautiful pine and fir tree forests around ponds, lakes and bogs.

This area has great natural scenery, along with a collection of the most diverse tree species on Cape Cod. You can view pine, fir, spruce and oak. as well as various types of holly and berry bushes. Wildlife is abundant, with regular sightings of fox, deer, coyote and other common smaller animals. The trail is hilly, winding throughout the perimeter of the parks seven camping areas, as well as around two of the park’s five pristine lakes. Be careful of patches of thick pine needles collected on the pavement from the predominately pine tree canopy – they can be somewhat slippery!

Also be prepared for heavy bicycle and foot traffic in the summertime, as Nickerson fills up quickly from June through September. Accordingly, the larger lot is heavily used throughout the season, making the smaller dirt area a better bet for hassle-free parking.

Nauset Marsh Trail

Starting at the gateway to the National Seashore, the Nauset Marsh Trail runs 1.5 miles into National Seashore acreage once inhabited by the Nauset Indian tribe and early Cape Cod settlers. Ending at Coast Guard Beach, the trail here provides a panoramic vista of the Atlantic Ocean.

A three mile roundtrip, this route first wanders through a large grove of cedar, pine and oak. Beyond, rolling countryside awaits along with a trailside bench to stop, rest and enjoy the scenery at. Be sure to take a detour at the second stop sign to the Doane Memorial, a monument to Deacon John Doane. Right on the marsh, this site marks where he built his home in 1644.

Back on the paved path, prepare to cross a wooden bridge spanning the marsh overlooking Salt Pond. A short distance further is the old Coast Guard Station, overlooking Coast Guard Beach. The beach itself is a sprawling and beautiful site, with waves lapping the shore as far as the eye can see in either direction. At times the surf can reach head high to overhead (6-8 foot) during a nor’easter or hurricane swell. Also, scope the shoreline for surfers who commonly share the water with curious harbor seals.

The Provincelands

This hilly loop starts from the Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown.
The route is 5 1/4 miles long. But with the trail extensions to Herring Cove Beach, Race Point Beach and Bennet Pond, two more miles can be added to your distance. Riding the trail is a great way to tour the vast dune system in the Province Lands area, as well as its shady Beech Forest, one of the few places within the tract with extensive tree cover.

The Visitor Center itself is an excellent source for more information on the history and current ecosystem of the surrounding area. It offers informative movies, exhibits, a bookstore and the observation tower. Numerous Ranger-guided walks from the center also explore the dunes and hollows comprising this stark but beautiful landscape.

This trail is certain to become a favorite for bicyclists, although the route can turn difficult due to the undulating hilly terrain it follows. The paved network traverses much of Province Lands’ 4,000 wild acres, winding through and over the dunes of Provincetown and other local sand formations.

In your travels you’ll explore cranberry bogs, marshes and skirt several saltwater kettle ponds, as well. From breathtaking marshland to magnificent exposed dunes to expansive shore views, these trails feature much spectacular scenery. An added convenience is that they also offer direct access to both Race Point and Herring Cove beaches.

Cocktails by the Cape Cod Canal

Often during the summer months, Rich and I will pack our folding beach chairs into the car, fill a cooler with drinks and hors d’ouevres, grab the dog and head for the Cape Cod Canal for what we like to call “Cocktails by the Canal”. It’s a great way to wind down after a busy day at the inn. Positioned on the grass near the Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center, we set up our chairs, pour our cocktails, and settle back for an hour or two of “canal watching”. Rich spends his time watching the fisherman cast for stripers or hauling lobster traps up from the side of the canal. I like to scan the horizon for the next approaching yacht, dreaming of the day when it will me onboard swirling my martini and eating canapes. Casey just likes to sniff whatever and wherever she can. It’s a true family outing.

Many of our guests are intrigued by this modern marvel and often ask us questions about its history. Here, in my humble opinion, is the best article written about the canal and its history *:

“When William Bradford and Myles Standish were exploring the area around Plymouth in 1626, they discovered that two rivers, the Manomet on Buzzards Bay and the Scusset on Cape Cod Bay, were separated by only a short distance of land. The Pilgrims realized the advantages to trade and transportation of digging a canal that would connect the two bodies of water; however, the idea was not acted upon. In 1776 General George Washington, hoping to avoid a British blockade and to enhance security, sent an engineer to conduct the first feasibility study of the area, but still no canal was constructed.

Well into the late 1800s, attempts to organize this mammoth construction project continued to be thwarted until 1904, when New York financier Augustus Belmont considered the project. He purchased the Boston, Cape Cod and New York Canal Company. By July 1907 his newly formed Cape Cod Construction Company moved its first shovelful of dirt, and digging was underway. Over the next seven years the men and machinery removed earth. In 1912 two large dredges began digging toward each other from Bourne and Sandwich.

Workers completed the Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge in September, 1910, and finished the two vehicle bridges within the next two years. The finished canal became the world’s widest sea-level canal at 480 feet across. It was 17.4 miles long and 34 feet deep. On July 29, 1914, exactly seven years to the day since work first began, the Cape Cod Canal officially opened, heralded by a parade of ships and boats, among them Augustus Belmont’s private 80-foot yacht and the U.S. Navy destroyer McDougall, which carried Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Cape Cod Canal beat the opening of the Panama Canal by 17 days.

In 1915, canal traffic numbered more than 2,600 vessels, but it never achieved the volume of traffic that Belmont had hoped for. When a German submarine attacked and sank the Perth Amboy off Nauset Beach in Orleans, President Woodrow Wilson ordered a readily compliant Belmont to permit the government to operate the canal. Eventually, Belmont sold the canal to the American government for $11.5 million, and the Army Corps of Engineers took charge of its operation and maintenance. Although the canal was technically a success, it never brought the commercial prosperity to Upper Cape towns that its planners anticipated.

During the Great Depression, the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 provided $4.6 million to build the present three bridges, employing some 700 workers for two years. These modern bridges were completed in 1935. The Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, with a span of 616 feet, became among the longest continuous truss bridges in North America. The railroad bridge, at 544 feet, remains the third longest vertical lift drawbridge on the continent. You can admire the workmanship of the bridges from the 7-mile paved service road that lines both sides of the canal.

If you are taking a boat through the Cape Cod Canal, you’ll move along at a good clip in the direction of the tide but seem to be fighting an uphill battle when you go against it. One reason for this is that Cape Cod Bay waters are about 5 feet higher than Buzzards Bay waters, so a tremendous current is created as they merge and flow through the narrow passageway. Average high tide waters move through the canal at 4 to 5 mph per hour. When high tides are accentuated by a full moon or other conditions, the water’s speed can reach more than 7 miles an hour.”

You can learn more about the history of the canal at the Canal Visitors Center where you’ll find a 46-seat theater showing continuous presentations on canal history, flora and fauna. You’ll also find interactive monitors, as well as displays of maritime artifacts, historic photos and a retired 41-foot US Army Corps of Engineers patrol boat. Throughout the summer, park rangers offer guided walks, “bike hikes” and evening campfire programs. Check with the Visitors Center for scheduled events. The visitors Center is located just off Tupper Road in Sandwich; telephone 508-833-9678.

When we’re not enjoying cocktails by the canal, we take our bikes to ride the level seven-mile service roads on either side of it. Great for biking, walking, jogging, and rollerblading, the service roads are maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. Benches along the service roads invite visitors to sit and watch some of the 20,000 vessels that pass through the canal annually.

* Reprinted with permission from Inside Cape Cod.