Hiking in Cape Cod

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Hiking

Mashpee

The 4 mi of walking trails at 135-acre Lowell Holly Reservation (S. Sandwich Rd. off Rte. 130. 508/679-2115. www.thetrustees.org), administered by the Trustees of Reservations, wind through American beeches, hollies, white pines, and rhododendrons on a peninsula between Mashpee and Wakeby ponds. The reservation has picnic tables and a little swimming beach. A small free parking area is open year-round, and an additional parking lot opens from late May to early September ($6).

In summer, the Mashpee Conservation Commission (508/539-1400 Ext. 540 for schedules) has information about free naturalist-led guided walks of Mashpee's woods and conservation areas. Family nature walks, animal scavenger hunts, and "pond scoops" to explore aquatic life are a few of the activities offered for kids and their parents; sunrise walks on South Cape Beach and natural history tours of the Lowell Holly Reservation are also on the program.

Bourne

Run by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Herring Run Visitor Center (U.S. 6, Bournedale. 508/759-4431; 508/759-5991 tides, weather, and special events), on a bank of the canal with an excellent view, has picnic tables (close to noisy U.S. 6), access to the canal bike path, a herring run through which the fish travel on their spawning run in May, and short self-guided walking trails through woodland. The visitor center is on the mainland side of the canal, between the bridges.

On the Cape side of the canal, the Army Corps of Engineers manages the Tidal Flats Recreation Area (Shore Rd. 508/759-4431), a small but peaceful canal-side park near the Cape railroad bridge. It's a pleasant site for picnicking or fishing, with a great view of the canal's ship traffic. There's also access to the canal bike path. In the late afternoon, between 5 and 7, you can watch the bridge lower to allow a service train to cross the canal; these times are approximate and can vary widely because of traffic and bridge work. To reach the recreation area, cross the Bourne Bridge and follow Trowbridge Road to Shore Road.