....When the Beach is Off Limits by Susan
As most of us local dog owners know... dogs are not allowed on Cape Cod beaches during the summer months. The date varies by town but in Barnstable's it's May 15 - September 15. Although I've always owned a dog, a lot of the best places to take your dog are new to me because my previous Airedale, Daisy, was dog aggressive, making it difficult to bring her anywhere. Connor is friendly and loves meeting new dogs and people so when May 15th rolls around we are both going to miss our beach walks. We go to Craigville Beach a few times a week and walk all the way down Long Beach to the point (across from Dowses Beach).
I think you can still take your dog to the National Seashore beaches (correct me if I'm wrong) and to the dunes at Sandy Neck during the summer months. I know there are a few ponds in some of the conservation areas on the Cape, like Eagle Pond in Cotuit, that are great for dogs.
A lot of dog walkers can be found on the various bike trails around the Cape: Shining Sea, the Canal Bike Trail, Cape Cod Rail Trail, and Nickerson State Park (keep in mind that dogs are not allowed in the ponds). There is a lot of hiking all over the Cape, but not all of the areas allow dogs.
Hiking Cape Cod lists the places where dogs are allowed. However, it isn't a complete list, because Connor and I often hike in the large conservation area behind
Cape Cod Airfield.
There are two dog parks on the Cape. The
Pilgrim Bark Park is in Provincetown; I've not been there yet but it looks great! The other is the
Fresh Pond Dog Park in Dennis, Ma... there are two fenced in play areas, walking trails and a pond.
Hot Diggity is leading the way for a
dog park in Mashpee but I think it is at least a year away. I'd love to get a dog park in Barnstable and I've talked to a whole bunch of "dog people" that I know but no one seems interested enough to take an initiative.
Those are all of the dog resources I know about. I'd love to hear about where you take your dog to play in the dog days of summer!
There's a great 28 acre conservation park in South Orleans called Kent's Point with beautiful water views. Kent’s Point begins at the end of a little, unpaved road named Frost Fish Lane, which can be found off of Monument Road in Orleans. It has a good sized parking lot, a sweet trail map, and a handy bag dispenser for picking up after your dog. Surrounded by Frost Fish Cove, The River, and Little Pleasant Bay, Kent’s Point is bordered on three sides by beautiful views and access to two (somewhat mucky, hence dog-friendly) beaches, making it a safe, car-free place to let your pup run around off-leash.
ReplyDeleteWow this sounds great, I don't head down to Orleans too often (in the past) but I bet I will now, this sounds great. Thanks!
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