Flax Pond

Flax Pond is a 48-acre kettle pond in Nickerson State Park, Brewster, with a sandy beach, a picnic area and clear, deep water. DCR names it, with Cliff Pond, as the place to swim and canoe in the park. Only electric motors are allowed, the pond is stocked with trout, and dogs aren't allowed on the beach.

Swimming at Flax Pond

Yes, you can swim in Flax Pond. It's fresh water, so there are no waves, no tides and no salt. The water is deep for a small pond: the Brewster Ponds Coalition gives an average depth of 36 feet.

Check DCR's park page before you go for any posted beach notice or swimming advisory. Bring water and sunscreen, and keep a close eye on children, because the water gets deep.

Where else to swim in the park

Cliff Pond, the park's largest, has a small beach with a roped-off swimming area and several sandy beaches along its loop trail. Little Cliff Pond's loop also passes occasional sandy beaches.

Accessibility

DCR lists a beach wheelchair and a beach mat among Nickerson's accessibility features, along with accessible camping and access to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Ask at the contact station or call the park office for where they're set up that day.

How Big and Deep Is Flax Pond?

The Brewster Ponds Coalition lists Flax Pond at 48 acres, with a deepest point of 75 feet and an average of 36 feet. Like the others, it's a kettle pond with no inflowing stream, so its water level moves with the groundwater.

Canoeing, Kayaking and Boating

ReserveAmerica says electric motors are allowed on Flax Pond, and the Brewster Ponds Coalition says only electric motors are permitted, so leave the gas outboard for Cliff Pond. There's no boat ramp: MassWildlife says car-top boats are carried in and launched from a beach area off Deer Park Road on the western shore, roughly 500 feet down a steep path.

Fishing Flax Pond

MassWildlife stocks Flax Pond with trout in both spring and fall. The Brewster Ponds Coalition says trout often feed in fairly shallow water in spring and fall and can be caught from almost anywhere on the shore with fly or spinning gear. In midsummer they go deep, 25 to 36 feet, and you may need a boat or canoe to reach them. License rules are on our fishing page.

Picnicking

Flax Pond is where the park's day use began. The park's 1998 brochure says the Civilian Conservation Corps built Nickerson's first roads, campsites, parking and picnic areas near Flax Pond in 1935, and it describes picnicking on the beach there. More on the park's history.

Rules at Flax Pond Beach

• No dogs or other pets on the beach, except service animals. Dogs can use the rest of the park on a leash (see rules).
• No alcohol anywhere in the park.
• Electric motors only on the pond.
• Open sunrise to sunset for day visitors.

Parking and Getting There

Flax Pond is inside the park, reached from the main entrance at 3488 Main Street (Route 6A) in Brewster. Day visitors pay a parking fee from May 23 through October 12: $8 for cars with Massachusetts plates and $30 for others. See our parking page for passes and directions.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

• Good for: families who want calm fresh water, campers looking for a beach close to the camping areas, paddlers, and shore fishing for trout in spring and fall.
• Maybe skip if: you want to bring your dog to the beach, or you want ocean waves. For a longer walk with water views, try the Cliff Pond Loop.