Photo: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0Shift Roams · Falmouth · Cape Cod
Shining Sea Bikeway
Cape Cod's original rail trail, from cranberry bogs to ocean views
This roam covers 8.8 miles of Massachusetts' first rail trail, which traces 10.7 miles from North Falmouth to Woods Hole along the Cape's glacial coast. Named for Katharine Lee Bates' iconic poem, the trail passes cranberry bogs, salt marshes, and beaches with views of Martha's Vineyard.
Numbered pins are the roam's stops; gold rings are bonus stops. Check in at each stop in the Shift app to complete the roam.
The stops
Wings Pond & Cranberry Bog
An 1860s cranberry bog landscape with a scenic pond overlook
Bourne Farm
A 49-acre working farm with a rare stone cattle tunnel, one of only a few remaining in Massachusetts
Goodwill Park
A glacial moraine park with Long Pond access and the Moraine Trail loop
Falmouth Beach
A waterfront stretch with views across Vineyard Sound to Martha's Vineyard
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Home to the Ocean Science Discovery Center, the world's leading ocean research institute
Bonus stops nearby
Optional detours worth the extra steps.
Monument to Katharine Lee Bates
Memorial to the Falmouth-born author of America the Beautiful
Nobska Lighthouse
An 1876 lighthouse overlooking the junction of Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay
Roam it for real
Open this roam in the free Shift app to follow the route, check in at each stop, and earn the Shining Sea badge.