Hawksnest State Park is located in the Town of Harwich, southwest of the intersection of US-6 and MA-137.  It is accessed via Spruce or Round Cove roads.

There are no signs to inform you of its presence or direct you to its entrance. If you are aware of the park and can travel the dirt entrance road, you will be rewarded with a near private beach on one of Cape Cod’s least developed ponds. This differs markedly from what had originally been proposed for this park.

Hawksnest was established in the early 1970s in response to “the critical need for additional public camping facilities on the Cape." A two-phased approach to acquisition and development was planned. The first was to include the acquisition of 218 acres and the creation of 163 campsites, two swimming beaches, a recreation hall, parking lots, and two beaches on Hawksnest Pond. The second phase was to add 482 acres and construct 406 campsites, a 120-car parking lot, picnic sites, and a beach that could accommodate 500 people. This vision was never implemented.

Today, Hawksnest is the core of a broad, multi-partner conservation landscape that protects globally rare coastal plain pond shores and other natural resources.