Nicky's Park, Jimmy's Pond—a conservation project in Provincetown, Massachusetts

Jimmy's Pond in Nick's Park, Provincetown, Cape Cod

Nicky's Park is only a short walk away from the welcoming, colorful and busy main-strip of bars, boutiques and art galleries in P-town. In spring and early summer, Jimmy's Pond—a shallow, acidic body of water in the park—turns into a magical canvas of art on its own, being surrounded by a lush-green forest and covered by a blanket of floating leaves of white water-lilies, also named fragrant water-lilies (Nymphaea odorata). White flowers dot every corner of the pond. Each flower consists of radially symmetric rings of white petals around a large number of yellow stamens. The petals decrease in size toward center.

Fragrant water-lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Nicky's park contains a loop trail with benches at various locations. This small park is a serene oasis of the Province Lands, which elsewhere is dominated by sand dunes. After hiking around half the loop (5 to 10 minutes), Jimmy's Pond come into view through the dense stand of trees and brushes. A short path leads right to the wet soil at the pond level.  

An informative panel near the trailhead summarizes the significance of the park:

Nicky's Park is a sanctuary consisting of nearly four acres, half wooded and half wetland. The primary wetland area is Jimmy's Pond. It is approximately an acre in size and is a shallow, acidic body of water. It is surrounded by blueberry shrub and red maple swamp. This type of land has been described by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program as “one of the most threatened and ecologically essential areas for rare plants and animals in Massachusetts” and as one of the “most important targets for biodiversity conservation”. 

The panel also highlights that “Jimmy's Pond is the only site in southeastern Massachusetts where the bog twayblade orchid (Liparis loselii) can be found.” 

 

Getting there

From the Provincetown Public Library at  356 Commercial Street, walk in northeast direction on Commerical St. and turn left on Pearl Street.  Continue to its end, turn left on Brewster Street and then right on Harry Kemp Way. About 5 to 10 minutes away, find the Nick's Park trailhead on your left.

Nicky's Park loop trail

 

 

Further Reading

Nicky's Pond. Provincetown Conservation Trust. URL: https://www.provincetownconservationtrust.org/nickys-park.