Ironically, living so close to the Upper Cape, many of the places I visit regularly I frequented as a kid, including Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich and the Cape Cod Canal bike path in Bourne and Sandwich. Annually, we visited family friends from New York City who summered in their family home in the Sagamore section of Bourne. Each year my family brought our bikes with us and rode most of the 6.5 (or 7, depending on the side) mile Cape Cod Canal bike path. The 6.5-mile route is the Cape side.
The Cape Cod Canal was constructed primarily through the town of Bourne and finished in 1914 so that ships no longer had to circumvent rounding the tip of Cape Cod to reach Boston. It also kept them away from the treacherous Nantucket Shoals, site of many a shipwreck.
In addition to boaters, the canal appeals to lovers of the outdoors as a recreation area. Bikers, walkers, and joggers love to enjoy the outdoors on either side of the canal. Recently, I took enjoyable walks with my family on both sides of the canal.
Walk 1: Cape Cod Canal Bike Path
My first walk was on the mainland side. I parked at the Bourne Town Hall and walked toward the railroad bridge. I took an additional offshoot through adjoining conservation land. The second walk began at the Aptucxet Trading Post. As a kid, our bike rides, beginning closer to Sandwich, would often end at the trading post.
Walk 2: Cape Cod Canal Bike Path
Aptucxet Trading Post is small, with a re-creation of the trading post, a windmill, railroad station, and saltworks. It is a living history museum. This was the site of the actual Aptucxet Trading Post which provided the Plymouth colonists a trading location with local Indigenous people as well as the Dutch. It was established in 1627 on the banks of the Manomet River, which was lost due to the construction of the Cape Cod Canal.
This is an ideal spot to start the walk if you are looking to begin in Bourne on the Cape side. We walked (and pedaled) towards the train bridge, directly across from our previous walk on the mainland side. The train bridge is beautiful. It is a steel structure with pillars capped with crowns. After reaching the terminus (not far from Aptucxet) on this site, we turned around and biked/walked almost to the Bourne Bridge underpass.
The Cape Cod Canal is a great place to walk, jog, bike ride, take Fido for a run, or rollerblade. With its length, the 6.5-mile route is a bit long for my kids’ little legs, so breaking up the journey into different sections works well for my crew. The path is flat and well-marked with a median line dividing both sides. Everyone we saw kept their distance and most were wearing masks. Biking towards the end of the Sandwich end of the canal path leads to a nice little beach with a jetty that is worth a diversion if you want to extend the trip.
Good stuff. Is the Bourne Town hall the best place to park if you want to bike it? For future (if this ever ends) reference.
Thanks! I parked at the town hall during this crisis so it was empty. Typically I’d say on the main land side park at the lot in buzzards bay center, close to the railroad bridge at the terminus of the path. If you’re looking for the Cape side, either end- Sandwich or Bourne both have lots as well.