Before selling it all and moving into our RV to travel the country, Myles Standish State Park was about 40 minutes from my home, and it was my favorite place to hike. I spent many of my off days hiking anywhere from 5 to 10 miles. The best part, it wasn’t crowded, and I rarely saw others on the trails. It provided the serenity I yearned for after a stressful work week. 

Myles Standish State Park is in Plymouth and Carver, MA and is about 45 minutes south of Boston taking 93 to route 3. The state park is 12,400 acres large with an advertised, 18 miles of hiking trails, many ponds (one for swimming) and 14 miles of designated bike paths. While they only advertise 18 miles of hiking trials, there are miles of fire lane roads that are only used by park rangers and very rarely. The fire roads were my favorite to hike because they were wide open and allowed me to see more of the state park. 

The same could be said about the bike paths as well. While there are 14 miles of designated bike paths, there are miles of paved roads. If you have a mountain bike or a bike good in the sand, the fire roads are another option as well. The only time the fire roads are used by anyone other than park rangers are snowmobilers. Unless you’re cross-country skiing in the winter, you don’t have to worry about any motorized vehicles. 

In this week’s YouTube episode (see below) we hike one of the most popular trails in the state park, the East Head Pond Loop trail. The trail is marked as a “heart healthy” trail as it is generally pretty flat and considered an easy to moderate hike. It was a 2.3 mile hike around the East Head Pond and it provided a great look at the pond almost the entire way around. 

The trail was very well marked and well maintained. The “Friends” of the state park rebuilt some of the boardwalks that traverse through the swampy/ marsh areas of the pond. We did have difficulty finding the trailhead once we left the parking lot only because the sign at the trailhead was called something different than what was on the map. Just know, when you see a brown sign after crossing the bridge, that’s the right trail.

The East Head Pond Loop Trail was located near the Forest Headquarters of the state park. The parking was free here as is most of the parking in the state forest. Near the headquarters are picnic areas as well which you pass on your way to the trailhead. You could also hike the trail clockwise and the trailhead would be to your left if the headquarters building is behind you from the parking lot. That would keep the pond on your right the whole hike. We hiked it counterclockwise, keeping the pond to our left the whole time. 

One of my favorite features of Myles Standish State Forest that you don’t get to see while hiking the East Head Pond Loop Trail is something called “frost pockets.” Frost pockets are depressions that accumulate cooler air, allowing frost to occur in any season, even summer. In contrast, on a hot day, the temperatures in frost pockets can exceed the maximum temperatures of the surrounding areas as there is little to no shade from canopy trees.

A frost pocket can be recognized by the low growth surrounded by an area of high growth. It almost feels like hiking in the artic tundra. There are two marked trails where frost pockets can be observed. The first is the Frost Pocket loop trail which is marked as a 1.6-mile trail. It can be accessed from the P2 parking lot, another free lot. 

The other trail where you can observe frost pockets is the Pine Barrens Path. This is an 8-mile one way path that traverses the east side of the state forest from north to south. You can access the beginning of the trail in the P4 lot at the east entrance (Long Pond Rd). 

The fire roads will also intersect with some of these trails, and you can see the frost pockets that way as well. What I find very cool is that you can be hiking in a pine forest one minute and then come out to a frost pocket which feels like a totally different world. The tall pines disappear and instead you’re standing amongst shoulder high bushes. You can feel the temperature change as well, especially during the summer. I highly recommend seeking these out when you’re exploring the state forest. 

While there are a lot of ponds throughout the forest there are no rivers and therefore no waterfalls or anything of that nature. The landscape here was developed by glaciers and because of that, some of the ponds are called, Kettle Hole Ponds. These ponds have no inlet or outlet and are filled with only groundwater. Because of that, the ponds water levels fluctuate a lot from year to year and even season to season. 

There also isn’t a lot of elevation in the forest. There are some good-sized hills that will kick up your heart rate but don’t expect to have 1000’ of elevation gain while you’re hiking. This is a good thing if you consider yourself a novice or casual hiker. While I consider myself an experienced hiker, I really like hiking Myles Standish State Forest mostly for its secluded feel and it’s massive size. I hiked the state forest for over 14 years and still hadn’t seen every section (most of it though). If you’re visiting for a week or even a month, you can see something new just about every time. 

In our YouTube episode we were staying at the Thousand Trails Gateway to Cape Cod campground in Rochester, MA. It was 10 miles and 20 minutes away which felt faster to be honest. There are several other campgrounds in the area including a Jellystone resort. Myles Standish State Forest also has a very large campground that is dry camping only. It’s perfect for tenting but they do allow RV’s as well. There are size restrictions so be sure to pay attention when browsing Reserve America for reservations. On a brief browse, it looks like 30’ may be the max. They book early and are only open May to October so plan ahead if you want to camp in the state forest. 

Earlier I mentioned that there are parking and day use fees. There is only one lot that requires a fee and it’s a seasonal lot for College Pond. College Pond is the only pond that allows swimming and it has a picnic area as well. The fee to park is $8 for Massachusetts residents and $30 for out of state residents.

Again, if you’re looking to only hike or bike, there is no need to use the College Pond lot. The rest of the lots are free and most have plenty of space, so you won’t have to worry about finding another lot. The only exception (in my experience) is the P4 lot (East entrance). That lot is a little smaller and because it’s near a popular loop (the Friends Loop) and near the start of a bike path, it can get full during the summer weekends. The P2 lot I mentioned is a larger lot and has access to two hiking trails and a bike path. 

Be sure to check the trail map before you go to the State Forest for a hike or bike or even a drive. Because it is so large, you’ll want to plan your parking and your trails before arriving. You can find a trail map on the DCR website. Here’s a hint, take a screen shot of the map before you leave because cell service is spotty within the state forest. If you’d like a physical map, they can be found at the Forest Headquarters. 

There is a lot of wildlife in the state forest. Deer, coyote, snakes, and birds are among the most popular. The state forest also allows hunting some seasons. There are areas designated for hunting (quail and pheasant) and only during certain times of year. Be sure to check the map for the Wildlife Management Areas. You can still hike here but be sure you’re wearing orange. You can call the park rangers ahead of time as well to find out if hunting season is on. 

If you’re staying in the area, I would highly recommend at least a day in this state forest, especially if you like hiking and biking. Like I said before, you could also drive the state forest and still be able to see some great scenery. The best time of year to visit is late spring to early fall. The vegetation seems to come in late and leaves early but when all the vegetation is nice and green, it’s a beautiful state forest. It’s beautiful with snow on the ground too.  

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Be sure to check out the YouTube video as well. If you enjoyed this, please consider “liking” it below and sharing with anyone you know. Also, feel free to comment below.

God bless and stay safe!