Stewart M. Green - Scenic Driving Massachusetts: Exploring the States Most Spectacular Byways and Back Roads

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

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Copyright 2016 by Rowman and Littlefield

Photography by Stewart M. Green unless otherwise noted.

Excerpted from Scenic Routes & Byways New England (Globe Pequot, 978-0-7627-7955-0)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-1-4930-2239-7 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-4930-2240-3 (e-book)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

M assachusetts offers travelers a spectacular assortment of natural and scenic wonders, historic sites, and varied recreational opportunities. Numerous state parks, forests, beaches, and recreation areas preserve slices of superlative landscapes. In addition to the ocean, thousands of lakes and ponds and numerous rivers and brooks offer boating, swimming, canoeing, and angling choices for outdoor enthusiasts. The cities, towns, and villages, from the urban centers to myriad tiny villages dotting the hills of Massachusetts, are filled with culture and steeped in history.

Scenic Driving Massachusetts is an indispensable mile-by-mile highway companion that explores and discovers the wonders of this compact region. The drives follow miles of highways and back roads, sampling the regions colorful history, beauty spots, hidden wonders, and scenic jewels. Drivers will wind along sandy beaches and headlands pounded by the restless ocean along the coast, marvel at classic villages set among valleys and hills, pass rural birthplaces and burial sites of the notable and the notorious, and wander among shifting sand dunes. Most of the drives leave the urban sprawl and interstate highways behind, setting off into the beautiful heart of the state.

Massachusetts is laced with highways and roads, some dating back to the earliest paths that once connected colonial settlements. Area natives will undoubtedly wonder why some roads are included and others omitted. These routes were chosen for their beauty, unique natural history, and historical implications. Omitted are worthy roads for one reason or another, but mostly due to the burgeoning development along those asphalt corridors in an amazing labyrinth of highway possibilities.

Use these described drives to win a new appreciation and understanding of this marvelous land. Take them as a starting point to embark on new adventures by seeking out other back-road gems.

Travel Advice

Be prepared for changing weather when traveling these scenic highways, especially in winter when snow and ice encase the roadways. All of the drives are paved two-lane highways that are regularly maintained. Services are available on all the drives, and every little village offers at least some basics during daylight hours. Use caution when driving. Many of the roads twist and wind through valleys and over mountains, with blind corners. Follow the posted speed limits and stay in your lane. Use occasional pullouts to allow faster traffic to safely pass. Watch for heavy traffic on some roads, particularly during summer vacation season and on fall-foliage weekends. Be extremely alert for animals crossing the asphalt. Take care at dusk, just after darkness falls, and in the early morning.

The regions fickle weather creates changeable and dangerous driving conditions. Make sure your windshield wipers are in good shape. Heavy rain can impair highway vision and cause your vehicle to hydroplane. Snow and ice slicken mountain highways. Slow down, carry chains and a shovel, and have spare clothes and a sleeping bag when traveling in winter. Watch for fog and poor visibility, particularly along the coastlines. Know your vehicle and its limits when traveling and, above all, use common sense.

Travelers are, unfortunately, potential crime victims. Use caution when driving in urban areas or popular tourist destinations. Keep all valuables, including wallets, purses, cameras, and video cameras, out of sight in a parked car. Better yet, take them with you when leaving the vehicle.

These drives cross a complex mosaic of private and public land. Respect private property rights by not trespassing or crossing fences.

Remember also that all archaeological and historic sites are protected by federal law. Campers should try to use established campgrounds or campsites whenever possible to avoid adverse environmental impacts. Remember to douse your campfires and to pack all your trash out with you to the nearest refuse container.

Every road we travel offers its own promise and special rewards. Remember Walt Whitmans poetic proclamation as you drive along these scenic highways: Afoot, light-hearted, I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me.

General description: A 63-mile scenic route along the historic south shore of Cape Cod Bay and up the Outer Beach along the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Cod National Seashore to Provincetown at the Capes northern tip.

Special attractions: Heritage Plantation, Sandwich Historical Museum, Crocker Tavern, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Nickerson State Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Nauset Beach and Light, Marconi Beach and Station Site, Race Point, Salt Pond Visitor Center, Province Lands Visitor Center, Old Harbor Life Saving Station, Three Sisters Lighthouse, trails, hiking, picnicking, beaches, biking, birding, fishing, childrens programs.

Location: Southeastern Massachusetts.

Drive route numbers: MA 6A, US 6.

Travel season: Year-round.

Camping: Nickerson State Park offers 420 campsites. Shawme-Crowell State Forest, near the Cape Cod Canal, has a 285-site campground. Visit reserveamerica.com for reservations at any Massachusetts state forest and park campground. Otherwise, several private campgrounds are available on Cape Cod.

Services: All services in Sandwich, West Barnstable, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, South Wellfleet, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.

Nearby attractions: Woods Hole, Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket Island, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Aptucxet Trading Post, Myles Standish State Forest, Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Plantation, Boston attractions.

Like a flexed, muscular, 60-mile-long arm, Cape Cod bends far out into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. This long, crooked peninsula, bordered by 585 miles of shoreline and 310 miles of sand beaches, is a quintessential New England landscape. When anyone talks of the great natural wonders of the Northeast, the Cape is always the first one mentionedand for good reason. Here lies a magnificent landscape shaped by the Earths most basic elements: storm and sunlight; the unceasing wind constantly resculpting sand dunes; and the restless North Atlantic pounding against the outer edges.