AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Cape Cod Rail Trail 22, South Wellfleet MA.jpg
John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Cod National Seashore

Duck Pond–Great Pond Beach, 3 beaches

6 mi · ▲ 202 ft · 2 hr 6 min

Duck Pond–Great Pond Beach, 3 beaches is a 6-mile out-and-back in Cape Cod National Seashore near Fresh Brook, MA. The route passes Cape Cod National Seashore Beach and Great Pond Beach before reaching Duck Pond at the turnaround, 3 miles in. It is mostly level, with 202 ft of elevation gain. It scores 17/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi10 – 79 ft6.7 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Old King's Highway 41.89976, -69.98353
Nearest town Fresh Brook, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Duck Pond–Great Pond Beach, 3 beaches

6 mi · ▲ 202 ft · 2 hr 6 min

Elevation 9–79 ft

Out & Back · Cape Cod National Seashore

Trailhead: Old King's Highway · 41.89976, -69.98353

Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:26 AM · sunset 6:43 PM

Transit-accessible: Marconi Beach stop 547 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Old King's Highway, heading N.
  2. 0.4 miTurn right, heading E.
  3. 0.6 miBear left, heading W.
  4. 150 ftBear right onto Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading NW.
  5. 0.4 miBear right, heading N.
  6. 350 ftTurn left, heading N.
  7. 0.4 miTurn left onto Bell Road, heading N.
  8. 350 ftBear right, heading NE.
  9. 0.2 miBear left, heading N.
  10. 250 ftPass Cape Cod National Seashore Beach.
  11. 150 ftTurn left, heading N.
  12. 250 ftSharp right, heading NW.
  13. 0.3 miPass Great Pond Beach.
  14. 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
  15. 0.3 miTurn right, heading W.
  16. 200 ftReach Duck Pond, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  17. 250 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  18. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
  19. 0.3 miSharp left, heading E.
  20. 250 ftTurn right, heading E.
  21. 450 ftBear right, heading SE.
  22. 0.3 miTurn right, heading SE.
  23. 0.4 miTurn right, heading SW.
  24. 350 ftBear left, heading SW.
  25. 250 ftContinue straight onto Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading S.
  26. 0.4 miBear left, heading SE.
  27. 150 ftBear right, heading SE.
  28. 0.6 miTurn left onto Old King's Highway, heading S.
  29. 0.2 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/duck-pond-great-pond-beach-out-back-4-beaches-11-km-3b42

Trail surface

51% dirt10% paved2% sand37% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:26 AMSunset 6:43 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.9 mi in (~22 min). Leave by 6:00 PM for the 6:43 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:20 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Transit-accessible: Marconi Beach stop 547 m from the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from Old King's Highway Trailhead

Hikes near Fresh Brook, Massachusetts