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Cape Cod & the Islands boast state and local parks with fun activities all year

Massachusetts > Cape Cod & The Islands > Outdoor Activities > State and Local Parks
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge - Photo Credit Trustees of Reservations
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, Wasque Reservation, East Beach

Dike Road - on Chappaquiddick Island Edgartown, MA, 02539 Phone: 508-627-7689

Chappaquiddick Island is separated from Martha’s Vineyard by a narrow strait. Access is by boat or by ferry that shuttles back and forth continuously from Edgartown. On this lovely and uncrowded island visitors find a sandy beach, salt ponds and meadows, great blue heron, sandpipers and fishermen casting in the surf. The eastern barrier beach extends seven miles from Wasque Point past the Cape Poge Lighthouse to Cape Poge Gut.
Hiking of moderate difficulty can be done on 14 miles of trails for walkers and over-sand vehicles. Tours of the lighthouse, and kayak and seaside exploration tours are offer daily from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Van transportation is offered for tour participants directly from the Chappaquiddick side of the ferry landing. - Trail Map (PDF)
Lowell Holly Reservation - Mashpee, MA - Photo Credit Trustees of Reservations
Lowell Holly

South Sandwich Road Mashpee, MA, 02649 Phone: 508-636-4693

Carriage roads and foot trails of moderate difficulty pass around and through groves of holly on this peninsula owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The property has two freshwater ponds, and views of the large, freshwater Mashpee Pond and Wakeby Pond. Both ponds are stocked with fish. Area is good for bird watching. Four miles of walking trails. Seasonal parking is closer to the property than year-round parking.
Manuel Correllus State Forest - Edgartown, MA - Photo Credit MA State Parks
Manuel Correllus State Forest

Barnes Road Edgartown, MA, 02539 Phone: 508-693-2540

Correllus State Forest occupies over 5,100 acres in the center of Martha's Vineyard. It is best for hiking and cycling on its 15 miles of bicycling and walking paths. It is also the focus of one of the largest environmental restoration projects in the country. Here, visitors can see many rare species and examples of grasslands, heathlands, barrens, and woodlands, dominated by mixed oak-pine. - Trail Map (PDF)
Walking in Cape Cod National Seashore - Photo Credit Paul Scharff
Cape Cod National Seashore

Various Locations Chatham to Provincetown, MA Phone: 508-255-3421

Forty miles of pristine beaches, marshes, fresh water ponds, woodlands, cranberry bogs, and historic lighthouses stretching from Chatham to the very end of Cape Cod in Provincetown. Many walking and biking trails. Six oceanside swimming beaches are life guarded June through August. Eleven self-guided nature trails are open year-round.
Visitor Info is available at two locations. The first is Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, which offers orientation movies, a bookstore, a museum, and restrooms. The second, Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown, has an observation deck with a 360-degree view of the dunes and the Atlantic Ocean.
We all need a little Cape Cod! - Click for more information
Beach - Nickerson State Park - Brewster, MA - Photo Credit MA State Parks
Nickerson State Park

3488 Main Street - Route 6A Brewster, MA, 02631 Phone: 508-896-3491

Inland park offers lots of camping; fresh water swimming, fishing and paddling; hiking and biking

This is a large camping park in the inland pine woods of Cape Cod. Swimming and fishing is done at eight fresh-water kettle ponds. Ponds are stocked year-round with trout. The park is filled with walking, hiking, and biking trails. An eight-mile bicycling trail within the park connects to the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail, a former railroad bed now dedicated to walking and biking. Visitors may swim and canoe and kayak at Flax Pond; enjoy the wildlife or fish (catch-and-release) at Higgins Pond, or enjoy staff-led nature learning programs. Four hundred camp sites include yurt camping. You cannot see Cape Cod Bay from this inland park, but the bay is within walking or bicycling distance. - Trail Map (PDF)