Nickerson State Park

Addie Nickerson gave this land to Massachusetts in 1934, and it became the Commonwealth's first state park. More than 1,900 acres in Brewster, it sits on sandy glacial soil — the same terminal moraine that built the Cape itself — surrounding kettle ponds left behind by retreating ice. Cliff Pond, the largest at 0.7 miles across, and several others are stocked with trout each year. Over 400 campsites, 8 miles of bicycle trails connecting to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, and swimming make it worth the reservation fight.