The Knob – A Hidden, Seaside Trail in Falmouth, MA

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Exploring this easy, family-friendly seaside trail in Falmouth is a perfect way to spend an hour or two while on Cape Cod.

Get there early!

The Knob, as it’s known to locals, is a small, hard-to-find, tucked-away piece of heaven in Falmouth. I had heard a few people talk about “The Knob,” so on a bright, sunny day, I decided it was time to find “The Knob” and see what it was all about.

If you’re planning on exploring The Knob, go early. There isn’t a lot of parking. There are 3 very small parking areas. Together, there’s no more than 20 spaces. I thought we would have to leave, but luckily I found, literally, the last spot. Now when I say literally, I don’t mean literally in a figurative sense; I mean literally in the literal sense, the way literally is supposed to be used. (Sorry for the tirade, just airing a pet peeve of mine.) As in, if we didn’t have that spot, we would have had to leave and go somewhere else.

So, there we were, at the last spot. The entrance to the trail head is about 1/4 mile down the road. Be careful while walking – the road is a bit narrow. Even though you won’t be on the official trail yet, you’ll be met with spectacular views of Quissett Harbor.

The Beginning of the Trail

Keep following the road, and you’ll see this sign marking the beginning of the trail. Stay to the left; the right is private property. In a few yards you’ll see the sign that’s on the right.

You’ll go up a few stairs. As you can see from the pictures below, the beginning of the trail is wide, and then it narrows. You’ll have to stop a bit and make room for hikers coming in the opposite direction. But the views you’ll see make it worth the trouble.

Ocean Views

After this short trek through the woods, you’ll see amazing ocean views. On the right, there’s a staircase that goes to the beach. Naturally, we went down to explore. The water was so clear that we felt like we were in the Caribbean.

This is where I have a little bit of trouble:  The water was so blue and clear, that I don’t think showing just one picture will do this trail any justice.

Along the way, there's a stone staircase that literally goes into the ocean. (Yes, I used literally correctly.)

Did I mention that the water was really amazing?

The Overlook

When I had my fill of taking pictures of the water and the staircase, we continued down the path. Below is the beginning of the end:  The trail heads up a small hill that will bring you to an overlook. There, you'll be able to see for miles.

The Way Back

For the return trip, we decided to go through another part of The Knob. The actual area of The Knob isn't that large, but there's enough room for trails to take you through a wooded section. There were some narrow paths that we chose not to go down. It was spring, after all, and we were not about to mess with ticks.

We decided to travel down another path, The Harbor Cliff Trail, that would lead us to Fisherman's Beach. Along the way, I noticed that there were a lot of cedar trees. I pointed every one out to my wife. Every. Single. One. As you can imagine, she was thrilled with my limited botany identification skills. (Ahem.)

We continued along the trail, which brought us to this spot known as the Inner Harbor Overlook. After admiring the view for a few moments, we walked along the beach. The trailhead, which you saw at the beginning up top, is about 50 yards away from this spot.

If you visit and enjoy walking at The Knob, consider donating to the Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuary, Inc, which is a non-profit that owns and maintains The Knob. You can find their website here: http://saltpondsanctuaries.org/

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Looking for nearby family-friendly activities? Check out our post on Five Free Things to do in Falmouth, MA.

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Check out our map of places we've been in New England!

Looking for other things to do on the Cape? Check out these posts:

• The Knob, Falmouth
• Hidden Lawrence Island, Bourne
• Nobska Lighthouse, Falmouth
• The Sandwich Boardwalk, Sandwich
• Sagamore Hill, Sandwich
• Seal Watching
• 5 Free Things to do in Falmouth
• The Cape Cod National Seashore

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If you like local hikes, you should check out these places:

• Ridge Hill Reserve, Dartmouth
• Hiking Simmons Pond in Little Compton
• New Bedford Harbor Walk
• Destruction Brook Woods, Dartmouth
• A Stroll at the Westport Town Farm
• Gooseberry Island in Westport
• Sandwich's WWII Remains
• East Over Reservation, Rochester
• Natural Resources Trust of Easton
• Colt State Park, Bristol
• The Knob, Falmouth
• Blackstone Gorge, Blackstone
• Quequechan River Rail Trail, Fall River
• Lyman Reserve, Plymouth/Bourne/Wareham
• Lawrence Island, Bourne
• Meshanticut State Park, Cranston
• South Mount Sugarloaf, Deerfield
• Hiking up Mount Wachusett, Princeton, MA

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The Knob is located in Falmouth, MA.

The best way to find it is to set your GPS to Quissett Harbor Road in Falmouth.

If you've heard that The Knob is in Woods Hole, well, that would also be right. Woods Hole is a section of Falmouth. (*Cue "The More You Know" theme.)

Check out our map of places we've been in New England!