Massachusetts trails · Falmouth Shining Sea Trail
Falmouth Shining Sea Trail
A 10.5-mile out-and-back in Massachusetts, with 59 ft of climbing. Reaches Quissett Beach and other beach/lake destinations. Managed by Local Government.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 10.5 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Quissett Beach (beach)
- Fresh Pond (lake)
- Quahog Pond (lake)
- Harbor Head (lake)
- Crocker Pond (lake)
- Wings Pond (lake)
Getting there
Falmouth Shining Sea Trail access — parking nearby, restroom. About 41 min drive (22 mi) from Barnstable Town. 41.52266, -70.67020 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:25 a.m., the sun rises at 6:53 a.m. and sets at 6:03 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:31 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.0-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 49 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:42 p.m. — 3 h 21 min before sunset.
Loop options
- SHINING SEA BIKEWAY + Falmouth Shining Sea Trail + SHINING SEA BIKEWAY ACCESS RAMP — 5.8 mi loop, 181 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Martha's Vinyard - roadside paths — 8.5 mi
- Shining Sea Bikeway — 9.1 mi
- Energetic Sauce — 23.5 mi