After all these years of going to Cape Cod, we have a new favorite spot!

I first recall visiting Nickerson State Park in the summer of 1993, but since then I’ve only been a handful of times. So it was a nice surprise to return this summer and remember what a slice of paradise it is.

Nickerson is hardly a secret — thousands of people flock here every summer to swim and camp — but it still feels like a hidden gem. It’s sprawling with multiple lakes, a half-dozen campgrounds, and trails for biking and hiking.

We paid $10 for a parking tag and then drove to one of the parking lots on Cliff Pond.

We set out on a three mile walking path that circumnavigates the lake. It took us about 90 minutes in total, as we stopped often to admire the views and take pictures. A few notes if you do this trail:

1) The path is within 15 feet of the water’s edge almost the entire time. A few times the path seems to veer upwards away from the water, but those are different trails that lead to the campground or main road. Stick close to the pond. (FYI: there is no signage for this loop trail around the pond.)

2) Wear good shoes and watch out for errant tree roots — my dad and sister both took a spill at various points.

I couldn’t get over the clarity of the water — at times it reminded me of Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, or some of the mountainous lakes around Mt. Whitney in California. Other times the water appeared Caribbean blue. It’s so scenic.

This giant boulder was practically begging for a photo op:

There are multiple smaller lakes adjacent to Cliff Pond; some of them are covered in lily pads:

I want to know how that rock pile got there:

There are dozens of “private beaches” along this pond — empty stretches of sand protected by trees to create little alcoves, which people have temporarily claimed with a towel or beach chair. Sounds like the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

This is one of the more popular swimming spots on Cliff Pond, as it’s adjacent to a parking lot. We will come here after our walk to go swimming.

A different pond right next to Cliff Pond, spotted from the trail:

Kayaking is quite popular here — a few years ago my college friend Laura came to visit, and we kayaked on this very pond. There are a couple of parking lots where you can unload and then launch from.

Our loop around the lake continues…

Watch your head… my sister fell just after ducking under this fallen tree:

This next section is a relatively private stretch of beach because there are no parking lots nearby — my parents like to kayak over here and then go swimming:

Family photo:

And then we go back to one of the main beach areas to swim. I can’t think of better conditions — there are very few people around, the pond feels like bath water, it’s so shallow that we can swim way out and still touch the bottom. And best of all: no snakes! (That is a reference to yesterday’s post about our visit to nearby Sand Pond.) We are happy campers.

My parents have already been back to Nickerson — they walked to an empty stretch of sand hidden along the perimeter and claimed their private beach for an afternoon. I’m already looking forward to future visits.