The ‘hidden gem’ of Harwich: A guided walk in Hawksnest State Park

Even though it covers more than 200 acres, Hawksnest State Park is easy to miss. Tucked away along Spruce Road in Harwich, this hidden gem offers lovely woodland trails, pristine ponds and the wonderful ambiance of old Cape Cod.

This environmental intrigue was irresistible to an intrepid group from the Chatham Walkers club, who assembled on a recent morning, when the dew point was so high, it felt like a terrarium. We were greeted by the ebullient Abdul “Abid” Raoof, who organized the walk.

Raoof’s home borders Hawksnest and he loves the wilderness in his backyard. “At four o’clock, I sit on my deck,” he said. “No noise, no cars, just beautiful birds. The breeze comes in. My wife says ‘come inside to the air conditioning,’ but I stay right there.”

Decades ago, the state had plans to create more than 160 campsites at Hawksnest, as well as two swimming beaches, parking lots and a recreation hall. These plans never came to fruition, leaving the park to slumber in a more natural state, a boon to lovers of wild places.

Our guide on the walk was the knowledgeable Connor O’Brien, Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Director of Land Stewardship. A crackerjack naturalist, O’Brien has the knack of explaining the natural world in an intriguing and easy-to-understand way.

HCT is available to lead walks for social and civic groups at a variety of scenic conservation destinations, so if your group is interested, please email us at info@harwichconservationtrust.org.

HCT and Hawksnest

Hawksnest State Park is situated in the Six Ponds Special District of Harwich, which is an environmentally sensitive area because of fragile ponds bordered by stretches of forest habitat.

In 2022, HCT led the 85-acre Six Ponds Great Woods Project within the Six Ponds Special District to preserve the largest property left on the Lower Cape at the time. The forested acreage is in the watershed to three of the six ponds. Preserving the 85 acres created an overall 400-acre conservation assemblage because of adjoining town open space and Hawksnest State Park.

The walking group ambled past some recently preserved land along Round Cove Road. Over the past few years, HCT had been in discussion with Bob Fratus who owned 17 acres along the dirt section of Round Cove Road that accesses Hawksnest State Park from the east.

Thanks to membership donations that fund HCT’s land-saving work including property research, HCT facilitated a survey and appraisal of the 17 acres that led to a negotiated price of $1 million. The land could have become a six lot subdivision that would have disrupted habitat integrity, displaced wildlife and impacted the quality of groundwater that flows toward public water supply wells serving 10,000 households.

To cultivate a connection with indigenous peoples, HCT reached out to the Native Land Conservancy (NLC), the first Native American-led land trust formed east of the Mississippi River that happens to be based in Mashpee, in hopes that NLC could buy the 17 acres.

In 2024, HCT initiated a dialogue between NLC, Mr. Fratus, and the Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (MA DCR), and also worked with town officials and the neighbors to help advance the land-saving effort. This spring, NLC purchased the 17 acres, now named Awâhsh Uwatuhshât in Wampanoag. The state contributed funds seeing this acquisition as a valuable expansion of protected land in the larger Hawksnest context.

Bearded wonder of the trees

As we moved along a ridge above Olivers Pond, we noticed that the trees were festooned with what looked like hair. “One of the reasons that I really like Hawksnest State Park, especially this area up here, is that you have Usnea, or Old Man’s Beard,” said O’Brien. “It’s a lichen, and it requires a very specific environment. They like salt air, high moisture and also really clean air.”

The display of Old Man’s Beard in this area was remarkable, like a Rip Van Winkle convention. Some specimens were nearly a foot long, which became more amazing when O’Brien told us that it grew at the slow rate of about a centimeter a year. “These might be 15 or 20 years old,” said O’Brien.

A sad encounter with a box turtle

In a rather shocking turn of events, the walking group stumbled on a deceased Eastern box turtle that had apparently been run over by a vehicle.

“They are a species of special concern in Massachusetts,” said O’Brien. “They’re not necessarily endangered, but we’re seeing a lot less of them. And we think they’ve had this steep drop in population due to habitat loss. And one of the major sources of mortality is being run over.”

Box turtles can live up to 100 years if they have enough habitat. With your help, HCT is working hard to give these shelled wonders room to roam. Please click here to learn more about sending us your box turtle sightings, and advice about safely relocating a box turtle that is found in the road.

“Borrowing” from the land

A peculiar looking gouge in a hillside was a reminder of farming days of yore.

“A borrow pit is from the legacy of cranberry farming on the Cape,” said O’Brien. “Cranberry farmers would spread sand over their bogs to push down competing plants and bug eggs. They would just dig into the side of a hill to get the sand.”

These historical divots can be found in many locations around the Cape. “If you’re walking through the woods, and you see a hillside that looks like it’s collapsed, chances are a cranberry farmer carved into it for sand.”

There was so much to discover at Hawksnest that it was hard to leave, especially when we found a native highbush blueberry plant and paused for a snack.

But our splendid adventure had provided new knowledge and a fortifying dose of serenity that would carry us through the day. Chances are, we’ll all be back soon!

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.