Hiking Cape Cod: The Mashpee River Woodlands
MASHPEE — This hiking adventure combines the adjoining Mashpee River Reservation, a Trustees of Reservations property, and the Mashpee River Woodlands, a conservation area owned by the town. They wrap around the river south of route 28, with a parking lot off Quinaquisset Avenue.
The combined areas offer miles of hiking trails through the forest and along the beautiful Mashpee River. It is kind of astounding to find this much open land in such a busy and populated part of Cape Cod. One of the trails runs by the biggest pine tree I have ever seen on the Cape.
There's a lot of natural beauty to take in as you hike along, but perhaps the most intriguing thing along the trail is a man-made object known as the Great Bridge and a section of old road that used to be part of Route 28. The Mashpee Environmental Coalition website describes the area and location like this:
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"Route 28 crosses the river near the Mashpee Rotary. The rectangular culvert facilitating the river’s passage under the roadway has a twin less than a stone’s throw downstream. One vehicle wide, if you don’t cringe at the brush scratching the vehicle’s side, this section of the old Route 28 still has remnants of its asphalt remaining as it travels from 28 near the rotary to a dead end on the far side of the river."
The trails along the Mashpee River are amazing and extensive. I was gobsmacked by the long water views. I saw herons and swans and the biggest pine tree I've ever seen on Cape Cod. I felt like Huck Finn along the mighty Mississippi, chucking rocks and talking to ducks. Sportfishing in the area was a big deal back in the day and celebrity anglers like Grover Cleveland and Daniel Webster came by, stalking brook trout.
This is a great place to take a break from summer crowds and traffic and enjoy a nice long walk.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Take a hike in Cape Cod through the Mashpee River Woodlands
