Four Ponds Conservation Area & Bourne Town Forest

Listed & VerifiedVerified Jun 19, 2026

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What is Four Ponds Conservation Area & Bourne Town Forest like?

A 125-acre town forest in Pocasset with four man-made ponds set in an oak-pine forest. The Eagle, Lions, Pine, and Town Forest trails leave from the Barlows Landing Road lot; short Basin and Freeman Pond loops suit casual walkers, while the Pine and Town Forest trails run over three miles past Upper Pond. Popular for hiking, easy mountain biking, birding, and freshwater fishing.

Plan your walk

Four Ponds Conservation Area & Bourne Town Forest

Directions to the trailhead

Barlows Landing Rd & Observatory Ln, Pocasset (Bourne), MA 02559

Check conditions before you go. Trail details from Town of Bourne / Buzzards Bay Coalition (opens in a new tab)

When should you go?

Best time to go

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What’s the trail like?

Length: 3 mi
Difficulty: Moderate
Surface: Natural trail
Dogs: Allowed (leashed)
Kids: Kid-friendly
Accessible: Not noted
Views: Not noted
Good for: Hiking, Walking, Mountain biking

What should you know before you go?

Parking

Small gravel lot at the corner of Barlows Landing Road and Observatory Lane

Dogs

Allowed (leashed)

Managed by

Town of Bourne Conservation Commission

What you'll see

Bird sanctuary, Dog-friendly, Forest, Kid-friendly, Mountain biking, Pond

Where is the trailhead?

Barlows Landing Rd & Observatory Ln, Pocasset (Bourne), MA 02559.

Get directions

Get directions Open in Google Maps

Where else can you walk in Bourne?

Easy
Bournedale Herring Run (Herring Run Recreation Area)
Mixed · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (property owner, per Buzzards Bay Coalition)
Herring Run Recreation Area sits near the midpoint of the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne, where a concrete fish ladder helps river herring swim upstream to spawn. Come in spring to watch the fish work their way up the rushing ladder, on their way to Great Herring Pond. The paved Cape Cod Canal Bikeway runs right past, and the 1.4-mile Bournedale Hills Trail starts here, with a 0.8-mile interpretive loop about the canal's history and nature. The Buzzards Bay Coalition lists it as open dawn to dusk, with free parking, seasonal restrooms, picnic tables and leashed dogs welcome.
CCC Visited · Verified 2026-10-06
See details
Easy · 2.1 mi
Pocasset River Conservation Area Trail
Natural trail · Town of Bourne Conservation Commission
A network of footpaths through conservation land along the Pocasset River corridor in Bourne. The trail winds through mixed hardwood forest and past freshwater wetlands. Good birding in spring and fall migration periods.
Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-25
See details
Easy · 1 mi
Red Brook Pond Conservation Area
Natural trail · Bourne Conservation Trust
A Bourne Conservation Trust property in Pocasset with about a mile of well-marked, sandy looping trails through woods, past working cranberry bogs, and along Red Brook Pond. The full loop takes roughly an hour; a short loop near the lot leads straight to the shoreline, where benches sit along the water. Great for an easy family walk and birding.
Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19
See details
Moderate · 0.6 mi
Bourne Sisters Woodland
Natural trail · Bourne Conservation Trust
A 22-acre Bourne Conservation Trust woodland between Route 28 and Buzzards Bay near Monument Beach. The 0.6-mile Loop Trail climbs steep, hilly woods to scenic vistas and drops to a stream, mill pond, and working cranberry bog. Home to barred and great horned owls. Expect 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19
See details
Easy · 0.5 mi
Little Bay Conservation Area
Mixed · Bourne Conservation Trust
A 21-acre Bourne Conservation Trust area with a half-mile Loop Trail through rolling pine forest plus sandy paths out to a scenic peninsula on upper Buzzards Bay. Views of wooded Tobey Island; a kayak launch and picnic tables on site. Good for an easy woodland hike, beach walk, shellfishing, and birding.
Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19
See details
Easy · 1.5 mi
Lyman Reserve (Red Brook)
Natural trail · The Trustees of Reservations
A 210-acre Trustees of Reservations nature reserve spanning Bourne, Plymouth, and Wareham at the mouth of Red Brook on Buttermilk Bay. About 1.5 miles of trails wind through pine woods and salt marsh to a quiet beach. Red Brook is one of the last strongholds of sea-run brook trout (salters) in the eastern U.S. Connects to the broader Red Brook Trail Network.
Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19
See details

Every Bourne trail Trails across the Cape

Directions

What is Four Ponds Conservation Area & Bourne Town Forest like?

Where else can you walk in Bourne?

Easy

Bournedale Herring Run (Herring Run Recreation Area)

Mixed · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (property owner, per Buzzards Bay Coalition)

Herring Run Recreation Area sits near the midpoint of the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne, where a concrete fish ladder helps river herring swim upstream to spawn. Come in spring to watch the fish work their way up the rushing ladder, on their way to Great Herring Pond. The paved Cape Cod Canal Bikeway runs right past, and the 1.4-mile Bournedale Hills Trail starts here, with a 0.8-mile interpretive loop about the canal's history and nature. The Buzzards Bay Coalition lists it as open dawn to dusk, with free parking, seasonal restrooms, picnic tables and leashed dogs welcome.

CCC Visited · Verified 2026-10-06

See details

Easy · 2.1 mi

Pocasset River Conservation Area Trail

Natural trail · Town of Bourne Conservation Commission

A network of footpaths through conservation land along the Pocasset River corridor in Bourne. The trail winds through mixed hardwood forest and past freshwater wetlands. Good birding in spring and fall migration periods.

Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-25

See details

Easy · 1 mi

Red Brook Pond Conservation Area

Natural trail · Bourne Conservation Trust

A Bourne Conservation Trust property in Pocasset with about a mile of well-marked, sandy looping trails through woods, past working cranberry bogs, and along Red Brook Pond. The full loop takes roughly an hour; a short loop near the lot leads straight to the shoreline, where benches sit along the water. Great for an easy family walk and birding.

Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19

See details

Moderate · 0.6 mi

Bourne Sisters Woodland

Natural trail · Bourne Conservation Trust

A 22-acre Bourne Conservation Trust woodland between Route 28 and Buzzards Bay near Monument Beach. The 0.6-mile Loop Trail climbs steep, hilly woods to scenic vistas and drops to a stream, mill pond, and working cranberry bog. Home to barred and great horned owls. Expect 30 minutes to an hour to complete.

Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19

See details

Easy · 0.5 mi

Little Bay Conservation Area

Mixed · Bourne Conservation Trust

A 21-acre Bourne Conservation Trust area with a half-mile Loop Trail through rolling pine forest plus sandy paths out to a scenic peninsula on upper Buzzards Bay. Views of wooded Tobey Island; a kayak launch and picnic tables on site. Good for an easy woodland hike, beach walk, shellfishing, and birding.

Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19

See details

Easy · 1.5 mi

Lyman Reserve (Red Brook)

Natural trail · The Trustees of Reservations

A 210-acre Trustees of Reservations nature reserve spanning Bourne, Plymouth, and Wareham at the mouth of Red Brook on Buttermilk Bay. About 1.5 miles of trails wind through pine woods and salt marsh to a quiet beach. Red Brook is one of the last strongholds of sea-run brook trout (salters) in the eastern U.S. Connects to the broader Red Brook Trail Network.

Listed & Verified · Verified 2026-06-19

See details