Shining Sea Bikeway

During my five-day adventure on Cape Cod back in August 2024, I brought my bike for fast touring around town. I did bike the path along the Cape Cod Canal, last covered on this blog in August 2022, and my new place of exploration was the Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth, MA. The name referred to a final line in the patriotic song “America the Beautiful” written by Falmouth native Katharine Lee Bates. A nearby memorial was dedicated to the songwriter and educator. This unique pair of plaques contained the words to “America the Beautiful” along with engraved and painted American symbols including the Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, an American flag, Mayflower, Golden Gate Bridge, and signing the Declaration of Independence. It even described Katherine’s inspiration for her song, which came to her as she climbed Pikes Peak. The panoramic views on Shining Sea Bikeway proved the trail worthy of its name.

A saltwater marsh with grassy flats near sunset as beams of sunlight stream through the clouds and reflect in the clear water

The path including informational signage and maps every few miles, touching on topics familiar to many New England historians and ecologists. One sign reviewed the history of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, whose glacier dragged enormous rocks through the area. Other bingo-worthy references included the migration of river herring, how erosion and the water cycle work, and thousands of years of settlement by Native American groups including Wampanoag prior to the arrival of English colonists. While this information can be found on signage at multiple other sites across New England, this does provide stopping points for families who want to combine exercise and education.

A wooden bridge with white waist-high rails connecting the bikeway. To the left of the bikeway is a beach and the ocean Giant Map of the Falmouth Area on the Side of a Building A rock carved with the words Shining Sea Bikeway 1976 a Bicentennial Project in Memory of Katharine Lee Bates 1859 - 1929, plus a carving of a seashell
A pair of metal plaques affixed to pink granite. The larger top plque contains the words to "America the Beautiful" along with engraved and painted American symbols including the Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, American Flag, Mayflower, Golden Gate Bridge, and signing the Declaration of Independence. The bottom plaque describes Katherine's inspiration for her song. The map includes a yellow star reading "You Are Here" on the railroad bed A yellow star attached to a tree with the words "You Are Here" printed on it

My favorite pair of signs included a vintage aerial view of Great Sippewissett Marsh near West Falmouth Harbor and Buzzards Bay. The photograph included the railway bed that served as the foundation for the modern bike path. A star on the map indicated the exact location of the reader, and a real-life yellow star on a nearby tree made this fact extra clear. I am not sure if this was meant to be funny, but I had a good laugh. QR codes added by Eagle Scout Harley Smith connected tech savvy bikeway travelers with web pages containing even more information about the area. Here, I learned about glacial moraines, rocky hills made by retreating glaciers.

The colorful mural featured recognizable buildings, bikers, sailboats, and a great blue heron. “Shining Sea Bikeway Mosaic Mural” is visible on the right Painted dragonfly, bike, and orange daylily
An early 20th century red brick building beside abandoned train tracks. A sign to the right reads "Falmouth" A blue trolley bus parked in a lot A family of rusty high-wheel bicycles intended to be art

Local artists left their marks along the trail. In an underpass was “Shining Sea Bikeway Mosaic Mural” created by the Cape Cod Mosaic Workshop led by local artist James Bowen in 2010. The colorful mural featured recognizable buildings, bikers, sailboats, and a great blue heron. A painted mural on the opposite side of the underpass was unattributed. Several other artistic installation appeared alongside the path, including a family of rusty high-wheel bicycles, the mural series “Birds of Falmouth” painted by the Falmouth High School Honors Studio Art Students, and another of their serieses featuring the old railroad. The final series even came with a bit of hand-lettered history. This section of track for New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was built in 1872 but abandoned in 1965. Woods Hole artist Joan Kanwisher petitioned to turn the tracks into a bike path and then worked with her friend Barbara Burwell to make it happen. The path was declared a bicentennial project and opened in 1976.

Four square paintings featuring birds and landscapes hung on the exterior of a red wooden building Four more square paintings featuring birds and landscapes hung on the exterior of a red wooden building Four tall rectangular paintings featuring train tracks and landscapes hung against a wooden building
Four tall rectangular paintings featuring train tracks and landscapes hung against a wooden building Four green metal navigation signs with arrows indicating the distance to multiple points along the path including Falmouth Center and Woods Hole Hung on a red wooden building. I'm not a fan.

My final favorite feature of the bike path was the Falmouth railroad station turned bus station. The red brick station was built in 1914 and has undergone multiple restorations. It is currently owned by Mass DOT with a ninety-nine year lease by the Falmouth Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (EDIC). Visitors can take a Whoosh Trolley bus from the parking lot to tour the area, something I must do the next time I visit.