Ice House (Miles) Pond

Cool off at Falmouth’s Miles Pond, also known as Ice House Pond because of its role as a source of ice for local ice houses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, this 7-acre town-owned kettle pond is open to the public for swimming, fishing, canoeing, and winter ice skating.

Features

The path down to Miles Pond in Falmouth during spring

From the parking area at Miles Pond, a path leads down to the water for swimmers, paddlers, anglers, and skaters to access the water.

Located on the west side of Beebe Woods, Ice House Pond was once a source of ice for the Beebe family’s summer estate at nearby Highfield Hall. Ice from the pond was harvested each winter and stockpiled in the family’s ice house, where it kept food cold all summer long. In the 1930s, a Woods Hole fish market owner built an ice house along the pond; you can still see the stone remnants of this structure at the edge of the parking area.

Ice House Pond maintains its cool reputation as a spot to swim, ice skate, and escape the crowds of some of Falmouth’s more popular ponds. A path leads down to a stone embankment on the water, offering access for swimmers, skaters, paddlers, and anglers (with a valid Massachusetts freshwater fishing license).

Trails

Although there aren’t any trails at the Miles Pond access point, the far side of the pond meets the trails at the southwestern corner of Beebe Woods. You can explore this extensive network of nearly 7 miles of old carriage roads and wooded foot paths from either Beebe Woods or Peterson Farm.

Habitats & Wildlife

Miles Pond is a kettle pond formed by Ice Age glaciers and fed by groundwater. It’s one of many natural features that reveal this area’s glacial past. Although the pond lies just 14 feet above sea level, neighboring Beebe Woods sits atop the rocky moraine hills that run from Woods Hole to the Cape Cod Canal – also formed by the same massive ice sheet.

Property Owned By
Details
Size: 7 acres
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Parking: Small paved parking area
Dogs: Yes
Facilities: Canoe Launch
Boat Ramp: No
Lifeguards: No
ADA Accessible: No

Please follow all posted rules and regulations at this property.

Address & Contact Information
390 Sippewissett Rd.
Falmouth, MA 02540
41.553974, -70.648681
Falmouth Conservation Commission: (508) 495-7445
Email: concom@falmouthmass.us

Please follow all posted rules and regulations at this property.

Ice House (Miles) Pond
Falmouth, MA
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Upcoming Events Near Here

Falmouth Road Race
Sun, August 18
Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights,
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Nearby Places To Go

Peterson Farm

Discover one of Cape Cod’s oldest farms at Peterson Farm in Falmouth, a working farm with grazing sheep alongside miles of trails through fields and forest.

Beebe Woods

Explore Falmouth’s fascinating glacial past at Beebe Woods, a 400-acre swath of protected forest near Woods Hole.

The Knob

Catch a breathtaking sunset over Buzzards Bay from the protected shores at The Knob in Falmouth.

Current Issues

Land Conservation

Conserving land is one of the most important ways to protect clean water in Buzzards Bay. Since 1998, the Coalition has forever preserved more than 7,000 acres of land across our region.

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