Parking
Use the small lot beside the Environmental Education Center at 111 North Pamet Road in Truro. Summer hostel use can tighten parking; no restrooms are listed.
Overview
About Higgins Hollow Loop
Why go
- Links an Atlantic-facing Bearberry Hill view with the former cranberry boghouse.
- A varied circuit through the Pamet valley rather than a simple out-and-back.
Heads up
- Some mileage follows unpaved tracks and local roads instead of a single footpath.
- The 3.1-mile loop is an itinerary through the wider Pamet trail network, not a separately listed NPS trail.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cape Cod map
Full mapElevation7–118 ft
TrailheadPamet Area Trails parking area beside the Environmental Education Center42.00154, -70.02593
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Cape Cod alert
- CautionSharks active in park waters through OctoberSharks are active in park waters through October; heed beach guidelines and signage before entering the water.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cape Cod Tour Guide
Your drive to Higgins Hollow Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cape Cod National Seashore. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Pamet Area and Bearberry Hill0:00 / 0:27
“You're approaching the Pamet Area trail access, where I'd choose Bearberry Hill for two quite different views. Allow forty-five minutes to an hour, with steep grades, log steps and sandy footing near the overlooks.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cape Cod Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ballston Beach
- Why Cranberries Float
- Grass That Builds a Dune
- When the Sea Crossed the Pamet
- 56 audio storiesacross Cape Cod’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Gray Seal, Coyote, Red Fox, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 32 trails, 55 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Higgins Hollow Loop
The longer Pamet loopHiggins Hollow Loop is a 3.
Higgins Hollow Loop is a 3.1-mile circuit from the Environmental Education Center parking area, linking Bearberry Hill, Smalls Hill and the former Pamet Cranberry Bog House. It mixes sandy path and unpaved road with a short stretch on local road, so expect a linked route through the trail network rather than one continuous, signed tread. Allow about two hours with stops. The National Park Service lists Pamet Area Trails as a shorter 0.6-mile-each-way core with extensions; this loop is a specific longer itinerary through that system.
Bearberry Hill comes firstThe route reaches Bearberry Hill's east summit early, where the view opens across Ballston…
The route reaches Bearberry Hill's east summit early, where the view opens across Ballston Beach to the Atlantic. The climb includes a steep grade and log steps. Take a pause here and frame the sandy path and rail with the water beyond; this is the route's defining view.
Between the hillsAfter Bearberry Hill, the line follows unpaved footpaths and tracks toward Smalls Hill, then…
After Bearberry Hill, the line follows unpaved footpaths and tracks toward Smalls Hill, then bends back through the wider valley along Higgins Hollow and Old Kings roads. The effort comes in short rises and uneven sandy tread, not a long sustained climb. Some mileage uses connecting road, so keep an eye out for vehicles.
Stop at the boghouseThe loop passes the Pamet Cranberry Bog House, a two-story remnant of commercial cranberry…
The loop passes the Pamet Cranberry Bog House, a two-story remnant of commercial cranberry growing. Cranberries were processed downstairs, with workers housed above. It's the clearest piece of valley history on the route; follow the narrow path to the building and return to the main line.
Parking and a shorter choicePark in the lot beside the Environmental Education Center at 111 North Pamet Road.
Park in the lot beside the Environmental Education Center at 111 North Pamet Road. It's a small lot and summer hostel use can tighten spaces; there are no restrooms. Pets aren't allowed on Pamet Area Trails. If you only want the overlook, take the shorter Bearberry Hill walk instead of the full circuit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cape Cod
459 sightingsGray SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
84 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
297 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
49 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
263 sightingsHorseshoe CrabMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
73 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cape Cod. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
