Walk off that turkey: Cape Cod trails to hike after the Thanksgiving feast

You push yourself back from the Thanksgiving table. Finally. Maybe it was the second piece of pie that got you to the finish line. Or the astonished applause from family and friends.

Now you need fresh air and a little walk. Something to help you work off that epic feast, and eventually work up an appetite again. Because one thing is certain: there will be leftovers.

Luckily, Cape Cod is chock-full of fantastic hiking trails. And a stroll around these beautiful places is the perfect way to cap off the holiday. So we've chosen one nature area from each town, making it easy to get out there without much fuss. Or, if one of the trails below strikes your fancy, you can plan a little road trip to a different part of the Cape. Gobble up the hiking fun!

Barnstable

Bridge Creek Conservation Area: This may be the home of the Cape's biggest uprooted tree, a slumped-over monster with a root ball twice my height! Wide trails traverse woods, marshes and old bogs. A great old-timey West Barnstable vibe. Parking: There are three parking spots behind the West Barnstable Fire Station (2160 Meetinghouse Way) and a small lot on Church Street in West Barnstable.

Bourne

Little Bay Park and Monks Park: What a view! I still remember taking in Little Bay for the first time — you walk under a railroad bridge and there it is: a dreamy lagoon. Trails crisscross varied terrain — one even goes out to a little island-like point where I found cool shells and driftwood. Parking: At the end of Valley Bars Road or in the lot in the vicinity of 585 Shore Road, Pocasset.

Brewster

You'll be loopy with joy on the Cliff Pond Loop trail at Nickerson State Park, an epic 3.1 mile leg-stretcher with great kettle pond views and quiet woodland passages. The bonus is that the park stops collecting a parking fee at the end of October, so all that beauty will be free. Parking: At the end of Flax Pond Road, Brewster.

Chatham

Morris Island Trail: Just the drive out to the Monomoy Island Wildlife Refuge visitor center is big-view soul food. And while the trail has been reconfigured by erosion in the area, it's still a breathtaking seaside winner.The trail begins with a couple of awe-inspiring vistas, then pops down a staircase and continues along a beach. A real Cape Cod, toes-in-the-sand kind of place. Parking: At the end of Wikis Way, Chatham.

Dennis

It's gotta be Crowe’s Pasture in East Dennis. A big playground of dirt roads and trails through marshes and pasture lead you out to Cape Cod Bay where you can watch shellfishermen in action. The sunsets over Quivett Creek are splendid! Parking: Lot on South Street, just past the Quivet Neck Cemetery.

Eastham

Fort Hill Trail: Epic vistas out over Nauset Marsh and the wild Atlantic beyond, plus nicely-maintained fields and the super-bonus is that this Cape Cod National Seashore trail connects to the recently refurbished Red Maple Swamp boardwalk trail — an especially colorful place in fall. Parking: At the end of Fort Hill Rd., Eastham.

Falmouth

Bourne Farm: I just love this place! It feels like old New England, with a farmhouse and fields leading to trails. There's a wicked cool cattle tunnel under a former railroad bed and access to a herring run. And right next door is Bunker Tree Farm where you can cut your own Christmas tree on weekends in December. Parking: 6 North Falmouth Hwy., North Falmouth.

Harwich

Bell’s Neck Conservation Lands: This place has it all — 2.75 miles of trails, spots to launch kayaks and canoes and lots of herons and ospreys. It's one of the best foliage spots on the Cape with deciduous trees and salt marshes working the colors into a symphony. Parking: From Great Western Road in Harwich, take Bell’s Neck Road south for a quarter-mile to parking area on the right.

Mashpee

Dead Neck Trail: This makes a trip to South Cape Beach a special occasion. The trail winds through a sandy peninsula with pond and ocean views, out to a scenic breakwater at the entrance to Waquoit Bay. I saw a snowy owl out there and it stared me down like I was a big, tasty mouse! Parking: At the end of Great Oak Road, Mashpee.

Orleans

Twinings Pond Conservation Area: This out-of-the-way place is one of the most tranquil spots on Cape Cod. Twinings Pond is a beautiful mirror that catches reflections of sky and clouds and you can feel the worries of the day melt away in the ripples. If you walk down Quanset Road a bit, there is another section of trails. Parking: Off-road spots in the vicinity of 135 Quanset Road.

Provincetown

Clapps Pond and Duck Pond Conservation Area: I've fallen in love with this trail system over the last few years. It's a perfect hour-long loop around a big hidden pond. Side trails take you out into the sandy Province Lands — good foliage, too. Parking: Along the eastbound lane of Route 6, about a 1,000 feet east of the town's wastewater treatment plant.

Sandwich

Murkwood Conservation Area. Before I ever visited, I fell in love with the name. "Murkwood" sounds like an Edward Gorey story! The trails wind through the woods and the whole place is surrounded by salt marsh with great views of Scorton Creek. Good foliage spot, too.

Truro

Pamet Area Trail System: A cornucopia of vistas, history and even beach access to the Atlantic backshore. Trail winds up to a big view over Ballston Beach and there's a creepy bog house remaining from cranberry farming days. Further along, the trail heads north into wilderness. Parking: There's a lot next to the youth hostel at 111 North Pamet Road, .Truro, and some nearby spots along North Pamet Road.

Wellfleet

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail: Ancient cedar trees and coppery-green water make this the most creepily evocative trail on Cape Cod. I dare ya to meander down to the newly-repaired boardwalk toward dusk on a late afternoon. Super spooky! Parking is at the Marconi Station site at the end of Marconi Station Road. in South Wellfleet, where there is also an awesome overlook of the wild Atlantic Ocean.

Yarmouth

Historical Society of Old Yarmouth Nature/Botanical Trails: A great way to get away — right off Route 6A! 1.5 miles of trails with woods, ponds and one of my favorite trees on Cape Cod — a gigantic weeping beech that has to be seen to be believed! Parking: Small lot next to the Yarmouth Port Post Office on Route 6A.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Great Cape Cod trails to hike after the Thanksgiving feast