By DEBORAH G. SCANLON
Getting out for a walk in the winter can be challenging. Your favorite path might be too hilly to access in the snow and ice, and the wind blowing off the chilly water can limit your beach walk.
Fortunately, there are many paths on the Upper Cape that are easier to access and suitable for winter walks.
The 300 Committee Land Trust (T3C) is a good source for winter outings. Formed in 1985 with the goal of saving 300 acres to celebrate the town’s 300th anniversary the following year, it continues to work toward the town’s overall goal of permanently protecting 30 percent of Falmouth’s total land area as open space. To date, T3C has helped preserve more than 2,500 acres in all of Falmouth’s villages.
Lucy Helfrich, director of T3C’s program services, said that “getting out and walking anywhere in Falmouth’s conservation lands in winter is worthwhile and rewarding. The woods can provide a bit of a windbreak on a windy day, and there are many vistas that open up once the trees are bare; coastal and pond walks can be very different, and starkly beautiful, in winter than in other seasons. Without the foliage, you can see through the trees and spot boulders (glacial erratics) or even deer, fox, coyotes and birds.”
As you plan winter walks, remember the old saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” Ms. Helfrich advises using walking poles and spikes for shoes (Yaktrax or others), which can be very helpful in slippery conditions. Muck boots are also recommended by winter walkers.
All of the T3C trails are great for winter walks, but some are more accessible and easier to navigate if there is snow and ice, including the Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail and Two Ponds Conservation Area.
Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail (CGHT)
The Coonamessett River runs from Coonamessett Pond and empties into Great Pond, then Nantucket Sound. With the restoration of the lower Coonamessett River and the construction of the Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail (CGHT), the 500 acres of land along the riverway corridor, formerly used for cranberry bogs, are now protected, thanks to the Town of Falmouth and The 300 Committee. The effort to restore the river to a working natural system was completed in 2020, protecting the herring run.
The CGHT is a trail network within conservation lands that borders the river from Dexter’s Mill Crossing to Coonamessett Pond. The three-mile walking path along the length of the river was created in 2020. It has several shorter loop options with a nearly one-mile wheelchair accessible section and two boardwalks that cross the river. There are five sections of the trail.
T3C contributed funds to the town for the public access portion, supporting the creation of the river overlook and the accessibility to and along the Lower Loop, which is accessed off John Parker Road not far from Route 28.
An elevated boardwalk, called the Gateway to the Greenway, is the trailhead to the restored lower area, and allows views up and down the river. Parking is available for disabled accessibility and for school buses to drop students off. Granite benches, made from blocks found onsite from dams created in the late 1700s, are available for seating.
The walk is easy, and if you want to go beyond the first section (designated as the red section on the map), you can cross John Parker Road to the orange section, where the trail leads to Pond 14, with more trails along the pond. On a recent walk, a group of friends commented that it was their favorite winter walk with their dogs.
Along the way, interpretive stations provide information on the cultural and natural history of the valley. For example, if you wonder why there are tree trunks scattered across the wetland, it is because they provide shady area for frogs, turtles and salamanders.
Ms. Helfrich noted that planning and preparation is underway for additional restoration work father up the river.
Two Ponds
Two Ponds conservation area comprises 14.75 acres of land on Gifford Street, donated to The 300 Committee by Atria Woodbriar. The site of a former nine-hole, par 3 golf course, it offers views of Jones Pond and Sols Pond.
Jeffress Williams Pathway allows visitors to reach an elevated boardwalk and viewing platform by a wheelchair-accessible connector. In addition, beyond the boardwalk, the Upper Wetland Loop Trail brings through-hikers (but not disabled hikers) to circumnavigate the back portion of the preserve and see and learn about the rare Atlantic white cedar swamp on the property.
The walk is less than a mile, not steep, and would be ideal for a wintertime outing. And bird watching in the morning, Ms. Helfrich said, is “unbelievable.”
Trail maps for 24 conservation lands are available on the T3C website. The app alltrails.com can also be downloaded to a phone so if you get lost, you can hit “navigate,” and it will tell you where you are. “It’s the Wikipedia for trail maps,” said Alexandra Zollo, T3C director of stewardship.
Dogs are allowed on T3C trails but must be leashed and owners must clean up after them. Hours for the trails are generally dawn to dusk.
Parking is listed on the trail maps.
T3C offers free guided nature walks year-round in conservation parcels all over Falmouth. Sign up on its website to be on its email list for notification of these walks, talks and other events.
Shining Sea Bikeway
Always popular, the 10.7-mile bikeway from Woods Hole to North Falmouth along the former railroad also offers stunning views of many beautiful sites with access to many. A map of conservation land along the Shining Sea Bikeway is available on the T3C website.
Walking trails off the bikeway include Salt Pond and Bourne Farm, both owned by Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries (SPABS), which was formed in 1962 by Ermine and Hollis Lovell to protect the land from development. The private land trust now owns approximately 200 acres, and its inventory also includes the Knob in Quissett and Peachtree Circle Farm.
Salt Pond
The Salt Pond parcel is located between Salt Pond and the bikeway, south of Locust Street. Popular with birders, the sanctuary has several flat, well-maintained trails through the woods and along the edge of the pond. There are several places to stop and view the pond with Surf Drive and Nantucket Sound in the background.
Bourne Farm
The 49-acre Bourne Farm includes fields, trails and woodlands that overlook Crocker Pond in West Falmouth and would be easy to access in the winter. The farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was established in 1775. SPABS has restored the farmhouse.
Visitors can follow the dirt drive to the back of the property, where a trail goes under the bikeway. This was used as a cattle tunnel to herd cattle under the railroad that preceded the bikeway. On the other side are 14 acres of hilly woods that would be a good hike—if there is no snow or ice.
The land trust has erected small markers that identify various trees and shrubs along the trails. To the south, via the bike path, is a link to more conservation land, the town’s 45-acre Cardoza Farm.
In the winter you see things differently when you are walking outside, especially on a new trail, and the benefits go beyond your physical health!