Cape Cod Canal area #1

Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

Map of the Entire Canal Recreation Area

Located just off of Main Street in Buzzards Bay, MA on the north side of the Canal is the parking area for the Corps of Engineers Railroad Bridge Buzzards Bay Recreation Area.

https://goo.gl/maps/UVc5u4cBm43PcdeV9

With over 200 parking spaces available there is seldom an issue finding a spot year round. Rest room facilities operated by the Corps of Engineers are on site; building is open seasonally. Portable toilets available year round. This is a good entry level walking area with a paved Service Road stretching the entire length of the Cape Cod Canal. Keep an eye out for bikes, e-bikes, and dog walkers but overall everyone shares the space nicely.

Depending on the season and time of day this can be a solitary walk or something out of an inner city rush hour. Very popular and adjacent to a municipal park this spot can find all sorts of recreational uses besides walking.

The pavement is marked in half mile increments. There are several picnic pavilions as well as benches along the way to rest. About 3/4 of a mile east, just passed the Hampton Inn, is a paved exit from the path and access to Three Mile Overlook. On a clear day this provides a view of the West End of the Canal and entrance to Onset; to the east is the Bourne Bridge. Continuing on the Service Road the Bourne Bridge and Scenic Park Recreation Area and Campground are approximately 1.5 miles total from the Railroad Bridge. For those that need even further distances the Service Road continues all the way to Scussett Beach. An approximately 6 mile hike - one way!

Map of the Entire Canal Recreation Area

This map is provided at all the recreation areas. It provides an overview of all the different facilities provided by the Corps of Engineers.

Use the legend on the left hand side to get an idea of distances between major points. From the Railroad Bridge Parking Area the Bourne Bridge is approximately 1.25 miles - one way! Plan accordingly for the weather and wind. Buzzards Bay has a predominately SSW wind for most of the year. Heading towards the Bourne Bridge can provide a nice tail wind. The walk back can be less pleasant into a strong headwind.

Cape cod canal area #2

Herring Run Comfort Station

https://goo.gl/maps/BMt3foEmrUPVKccd8

With over 100 parking spaces and both stairway and walkway access to the Service Road, this spot provides for easy access for walking along the Canal. Like in Buzzards Bay, the Corps of Engineers provides a seasonal restroom facility indoors along with an information station. Portable toilets are on the site year round.

Walkers can head in either direction on the Service Road. East will take you toward the Sagamore Bridge and the east entrance of the Canal at Scussett Beach. West will take you back toward the Bourne Bridge and Buzzards Bay. Again, as with all walks on the Canal - watch for bikes, e-bikes, and dog walkers.

** Available for the more adventurous are the Bournedale Hills Trails. An entrance to that network is located up a stairway at the far eastern end of the Herring Run Recreation Area boundary. This network extends over 3 miles back to Buzzards Bay, just west of the Bourne Bridge. Hilly and narrow at points, made up of dirt, rocks, pine needles, and leaves with encroaching shrubbery and a log fall or two it is perhaps one of the most strenuous walks in the area. Some of the unique views of the Cape Cod Canal high above its banks may make the walk worth the effort. The trail stretches from the Herring Run back up over the hills to the east and joins at the eastern side of the Scenic Park Campground. CAUTION advised for beginners.

Cape cod canal area #3

Scussett State Beach Fish Pier

Located inside the Scusset Beach State Reservation is the Fish Pier Parking Area.

https://goo.gl/maps/5WvBzgnTbVg3F8bU9

The Fish Pier area, as well as all the other facilities inside the Reservation are run by Massachusetts Department of Recreation. Seasonal operation of indoor facilities as well as year round portable toilets are available. No fee is required to park at the Fish Pier. However, beyond this point inside the reservation a DOR app and associated parking fees are required for use of the campground or beach parking lots.

Two different walks are available here; the Canal service road with a paved surface (easy) or a walk on a wooded dirt roadway up Sagamore Hill overlooking Cape Cod Bay (moderate difficulty)

#1 - Service Road Much like the other Canal Recreation Areas this is a paved service road with a shared bike/ dog walker path. To the east and approximately 2.5 miles is the East Approach and Entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. West, approximately 1.5 miles is the Sagamore Bridge.

#2 - Sagamore Hill and associated trail network. Across the street from the Fish Pier is the entrance to Sagamore Hill. This is the site of a WWII era US Army encampment and gun placement in operation to protect the approach to the Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay durnig WWII. Several markers along the way describe where soldiers trained and lived during the 1940s while stationed in Bourne. Several different trial networks comb the area but the highlight is the scenic overlook at the top of Sagamore Hill. On clear day you can see the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown across Cape Cod Bay without using binoculars.

Cape cod canal area #4

Bell Road

ON CAPE side of the Bourne Bridge, the Corps of Engineers operates an additional comfort station at Bell Road.

https://goo.gl/maps/P5hMF9qAX17Y5G5x5

Located directly across the Canal from the Massachussettes Maritime Academy and Cape Cod Canal Corps of Engineers Headquarters, Bell Road facilities provide seasonal operation like other Canal parking and space for approximately 75 vehicles. From this point you have access to the entire Cape side of the Service Road. In the future you may also have access to the Cape Cod Rail Trail Network but as of 2023 that is still years away.