Mashpee River Reservation

As the options for nature walks have been decreasing over the last several weeks due to COVID-19 closures, it’s a welcome sight to see that The Trustees have reopened some of their more secluded properties. Looking for a new place to take a hike not too far from home, and the Mashpee River Reservation fit the bill. 

Directions to Mashpee River Reservation

One word of note, the directions to this reservation are not clear. The north lot (smaller lot) is located on Quinaquisset Avenue. We parked at the lot on Mashpee Neck Road. This entrance is marked with a sign that said Mashpee River Woodlands. In theory, based on the internet, these two reservations have the same lot. In reality, whether we hiked at Mashpee River Reservation or Mashpee River Woodlands, is not clear. Nonetheless, it’s a great walk. To make things more confusing, there’s also a Mashpee River Reservation entrance off of Meetinghouse Road.

Or is it Mashpee River Woodlands?

This journey details the walk from the Mashpee Neck Road Entrance. The trails are perfect for social distancing, since, especially closer to the entrance, they are wide enough to keep distance between. The trails wind under a tall pine grove creating a soft ground that is littered with fallen pine needles. This made the stroller-pushing easier. At the parking lot, there is a kiosk with a map, that honestly was quite confusing. The property is large and we only saw about three trail options from where we hiked.

On the Trail

Bearing left on the park’s first trail, at the first major fork, we headed straight, this trail became much skinnier and eventually looped back where we started. We tried again and chose to head left this time. This was the correct choice. The trail stayed mostly flat, at least at first. It heads close to the Mashpee River with picturesque views of the Mashpee River. It’s a wide one, here it is more reminiscent of a lake.    Here the terrain becomes hilly, with sloping sides towards the water. Certainly never rough terrain, but a bit of a harder push of the stroller. After the waterside foray, the trail loops back close to the entrance where we began. 

The Old Indian Meetinghouse

Although the entrance was wide, there was not a great spot to have lunch. I knew about the Old Indian Meetinghouse also located in Mashpee. Only a few minute drive away, we ate our lunch there, on the edge of the cemetery. 

The meetinghouse, which in colonial New England doubled as a church, was built in 1684. It is an early Native American Christian church. The term “praying Indians” was the term used for Indigenous peoples who were converted to Christianity. It is the oldest Native American church in the eastern part of the United States and is also the oldest church on Cape Cod. The cemetery that surrounds it is a Wampanoag burial ground and is still in use. 

The Mashpee River Reservation and Old Indian Meetinghouse made for a very enjoyable morning on Cape Cod. Looking for more fun in Mashpee, try this link and this link too.