Near Pamet Loop
Experiencing the Old King's Highway seems to bring you back in time.
Near Pamet Loop
Walking the Great Beach is a must-do on any visit to the Cape.

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Driving Directions
Hike Route

Pamet Loop

5.0 (2 Ratings)
Enjoy a hike through pitch pine forests, quiet country lanes, and the beach.
5.3
mi
Distance
502
ft
Gain
strenuous
Difficulty
BirdingFall ColorsFamily FriendlySwimmingViewsWildflowersWildlife

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
5.26mi
Distance
502ft
Elevation Gain
502ft
Elevation Loss
60%
Max Grade
135ft
High Point
-237ft
Low Point
Path Type
Loop
Description
Begin the hike by taking a left from the parking area adjacent to the Environmental Education Center onto North Pamet Road and follow it to its intersection with Old King's Highway. Follow the Old King's Highway surrounded by the nobs and kettles of a pitch-pine forest for about a mile until it merges with Higgins Hollow Road. Continue to the left onto Higgins Hollow Road and follow it until it ends on Longnook Road. Continue to the right onto Longnook Road passing hundreds of years of colonial cottages on the way to its end at Longnook Beach. From here, descend to the Great Beach and turn to the right for a hike along the Atlantic's battered cliffs. Hike the beach for about a mile till you reach the first hollow in the cliffs. Ascend through the hollow into the Pamet Valley and follow the trail from the beach. At the next fork in the trail, bear left/straight onto the Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail and follow the trail past bearberry-encrusted hills and cranberry bogs to reach North Pamet Road.Continue to the left along North Pamet Road to the starting point at the parking area.
History & Background
The Old King's Highway was the original main road that crossed Cape Cod from Sandwich to Provincetown. On the Upper Cape, Route 6A follows the original route of the Old King's Highway. Throughout the Outer Cape, fragments of the original dirt road still exist including the portion followed by this hike.

Route Conditions

Report Conditions
No Condition Reports
Report Conditions

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Contributors
William Collins