Take a Hike - Sandy Neck

Take a Hike – Sandy Neck (in Sandwich)

By John Nye Cullity 

This coming Sunday, April 7 at 2 P.M., the Sandwich Conservation Trust will sponsor a guided walk at Sandy Neck, our first time hiking in this part of town.

Sandy Neck is a fascinating and unique Cape Cod landscape – a windswept place, where a surprising number of plants and animals eke out a living in the white sand.  We tend to associate Sandy Neck with the Town of Barnstable – that’s where the popular beach, parking lot, facilities, staff, and most of the neck are.  Many don’t realize that our Sandwich Conservation Commission owns 27 acres here, purchased in 1971 after a vigorous town meeting debate.

The access to this preserve is through Barnstable land, and figuring out where to park can be a challenge.  Currently there are several spots near the gate house marked “Hiking Only”, and these can be used.  For our upcoming walk, however, we will meet in the upper level of the large parking lot at 2 PM.  We will walk to the gate house, cross Barnstable park land, pass through our 27 acres to the beach, and back to the parking lot.

The walk should take somewhat less than an hour.  Be prepared to walk in soft sand, and, sorry about this, we are allowing only 20 hikers due to the fragility of the environment and narrowness of the trail.  If you wish to participate, please call me at (508) 888-7629 to register for the walk.