540 Main Street • Chatham, MA 02633 • 508-945-4084
Poetry Walk at Sylvan Gardens
Our annual collaboration with the Eldredge Public Library
TRAIL GUIDES
You are invited to enjoy these trails on foot and we ask that you help us maintain the natural beauty of the land. For your safety and convenience parking is noted on the individual maps.
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The following are prohibited:
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Motorized vehicles, bicycles
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Fires, fireworks, firearms
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Hunting or trapping
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Disposal of debris
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Camping
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Please stay on the trails
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No picking plant life or disturbing wildlife
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Refrain from leaving any litter
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Please keep pets on leash & pick up after them
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Respect the rights of adjacent property owners
Chatham Walking
Trails
Please be mindful of poison ivy and in all seasons check for ticks after your walk.
Click on PDF icons for a printable PDF of each map.
Go Exploring!
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These trails are not mapped, but they are worth seeking out. They are located by red letters on the town map above.
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A Antenna Field Park A short woodland walk with a pollinator garden. Parking and access behind the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center off Route 28 in North Chatham.
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B McCoy Tree Farm 11-acre woodland with trails leading to cranberry bogs and views of Mill Pond. Parking and access south of Old Queen Anne Road.
C The Twine Field 9-acre meadowland, which was one of the last twine fields used by Cape Cod fishermen. Parking and access on Twine Field Road off Morton Road in South Chatham. The Bike Trail runs nearby.​
D Samuel Hawes Park 10-acre woodland, with trail overlooking three ponds. From George Ryder Road, near the airport, walk 200 yards east on the Bike Trail and turn right onto an unmarked path.
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E Valley Farm Trail 0.75-mile woodland loop with salt marsh views. From Route 28 in West Chatham, take Barn Hill Road and turn left onto Valley Farm Road. Designated parking is at the trailhead.
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F Cedar Street 3-acres with mowed trails and fruit trees. Park at Oyster Pond and walk south on Stage Harbor Road turning right onto Cedar Street. The signed entrance is a quarter-mile down Cedar Street on the left, shortly before you reach Robinson Court.
1 Strong Island
Caution: Strong tides & currents!
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Acquired in 1973 from the Horst family, Strong Island, with 75 acres of upland owned by CCF and 69 acres of Town-owned marsh, sits as the “gem” of Pleasant Bay. Located as it is in Pleasant Bay, the property has both the limitations of isolation from the Cape as a whole, and also the likelihood of unique migrational visitations. Birds and mammals are representative of the general area. The island-long 1.7-mile trail system winds through Pine and Oak woodlands filled with native shrubs and wildlife. Impressive vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, a barrier beach, salt ponds, marshland, and Pleasant Bay are all around you as you walk. There is a pristine sandy beach on the north side of the island. A three-acre private reserve is located on the northwestern end of the island. Please stay on the trail, observe all signs, and respect the private residential area.
Please take great caution for poison ivy, ticks, and summer greenhead flies. Boats may come ashore on the north and west sides. The waters around the island are shallow with strong tides and currents in the channel. Kayakers and canoers should use extreme caution.
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on Strong Island in August of 2020, click here to view.
2 Frost Fish Creek
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CCF acquired all of the almost 50 acres that now protect Frost Fish Creek over a span of 33 years. The 1.1-mile walking trail meanders along the eastern edge of Frost Fish Creek offering walkers glimpses of an old cranberry operation, which has reverted into open wetlands. As you walk along the high trail, borrow pits for sanding the bogs appear on either side of the path. With its unique configuration featuring a brackish-freshwater tidal wetland over viewed from upland Pine/Oak woodlands, this area offers the most varied and numerous opportunities to experience seasonal bird and mammal life in our area.
From the traffic light in North Chatham, travel 0.7 miles north on Route 28. The entrance to the trail is a dirt road on the left. Parking is available.
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on Frost Fish Creek in March of 2020, click here to view.
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In August of 2020 a film of the history, ecosystem, and future of the Creek was created by Volunteer Intern Matthew Hamilton:
3 Old Comers Woodland
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Purchased by the town in 1999, in part with Land Bank funds, this property is diversely vegetated with a mix of upland and wetland species. Two trail entrances to this property are located off Old Comers Road. The 11.3 acre conservation land contains an approximately 1 mile loop trail and a small spur trail that leads visitors to Lover’s Lake, Chatham’s only river herring spawning area. Portions of the trail are steep and may be difficult to traverse. Tall antennas formerly used for intercontinental wireless transmissions in the early 1900’s can still be seen throughout the property. To learn more about the history of the property visit the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center located across from Ryder’s Cove on Route 28.
Visitors can park along Old Comers Road near the property entrance sign
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on the Old Comers Woodland in June of 2020, click here to view.
4 Training Field Triangle
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This 39-acre Oak and Pine forest contains a 0.75-mile loop trail. Chatham’s 18th century smallpox cemetery is located just off the trail near Old Comers Road. During the Revolutionary War this site was used as a training field for soldiers. The kettle hole wetland is a MA certified vernal pool. This acreage was purchased in 1972 for $195,000 for the purpose of conservation and passive recreation.
Visitors can park at pull-off areas along Old Comers Road or Training Field Road. A southeastern exit enables visitors to easily access Chatham Conservation Foundation’s Barclay’s Pond property on the other side of Old Queen Anne Road.
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newlstter on the Training Field Triangle in June of 2020. Click here to view.
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5 Barclays Pond
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Through purchases or gifts to CCF, 1968-1985, three parcels of land have been combined to create over 46 conservation acres named after the first parcel donor, William H. Barclay. Made up almost totally of woodland featuring Pitch Pine and Oak, the property is habitat to mammal and bird life typical of such habitat. The three ponds- Barclay’s Pond, Mary’s Pond, and Schoolhouse Pond- are visited by waterfowl in season. Combined with adjacent Town Land, a corridor of 116 acres is conserved.
The entrance to the 1.25-mile trail is located off of Old Queen Anne Road. Parking is available at the entrance to the trail.
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on Barclay Pond in May of 2020, click here to view.
6 Sylvan Gardens Conservation Area
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Featuring Chatham’s first ADA accessible trail, the Rolf E. Sylvan Gardens contains almost 10 acres of woodland and views overlooking White Pond and Black Pond. Four other rustic trails traverse a variety of settings leading visitors through deep woods and open areas to broad pond views. It is a green refuge for plants, wildlife, and people. Rolf Sylvan cultivated a commercial nursery here in the 1960’s and it is now an interesting mix of ornamental plants and native species.
Parking and access is on Old Main Street off Route 28 in West Chatham. One handicap and three regular spaces are available along the road.
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on Sylvan Gardens in April of 2020, click here to view.
7 Monomoy National
Wildlife Refuge
Caution: Beach trail is under water at high tide!
There is a 0.75-mile walk, with additional side trails, through beach, sand, dunes, forest, salt marsh, and tidal flats. Overlooks offer stunning views of South Beach, the Atlantic, and North and South Monomoy Islands. Shorebirds abound along the beaches. The trail is open to the public from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset. All plants and animals are protected on the Refuge; please stay on the trail and do not enter areas marked “area closed” or “beach closed”. Please respect the neighbor’s private property.
Handicap Parking and some spaces are available at the Visitors Center. Parking is also available on the Morris Island Road Dike. Walk up the hill to Wikis Way to the Wildlife Refuge entrance.
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Please note: Dogs are allowed on-leash only in the off season, from September 16 to April 30
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CCF released a Featured Trail E-Newsletter on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge / Morris Island, in July of 2020, click here to view.
