SPORTS & RECREATION
BIKING
The Outer Cape is a biking enthusiast’s dream. Quiet back roads stretch for countless miles through beautiful scenery that ranges from beautiful beaches to coastal forest. Be sure to keep alert on trails, and always wear a helmet. Note that all biking and hiking trails are marked on our maps. Enjoy!
EASTHAM
The Cape Cod Rail Trail
This twenty-four-mile path runs from LeCount Hollow in Wellfleet to Rte 134 in Dennis, and follows the whole length of Eastham along the old Penn Central Railway tracks. Parking is available at the trailhead on LeCount Hollow Rd in South Wellfleet. The smooth path passes by cranberry bogs, beaches, ponds, and a few stops with public bathrooms.
Nauset Bike Trail
This trail starts at the National Seashore Visitors Center and ends at Coast Guard beach two and a quarter miles later. Beautiful views of the salt marsh and the Atlantic. Wheelchair accessible.
PROVINCETOWN
CCNS Province Lands Bike Trail at Race Point
A five-and-a-half-mile journey (it’s longer if you take the available spurs) through the National Seashore, this bike path stretches from Herring Cove to Race Point, looping around Beech Forest along the way. Beautiful terrain that includes sand, scrub, beach, forest, and ponds can help distract from the occasionally steep stretch of path. The path is a short ride from downtown Provincetown, but parking is also available at Race Point and Herring Cove, with free parking at Beech Forest and the Province Lands Visitor Center. The bike path is two-way, so stick to the right side of the path, keeping an eye out for the sporadic pedestrian, and the infrequent, but hazardous, patch of sand.
Commercial St
Not an official bike path but still one of our favorite means of transportation around Provincetown, biking from one end of Commercial St to the other becomes an extreme sport at the height of the season. Starting in the East End where Rte 6A becomes Commercial St, head west, keeping an eye out for unpaved patches of road. Be sure to look left at the beautiful stretches of waterfront before reaching the gallery district where the congestion truly begins. Good Luck!
TRURO
The High Head – Head of the Meadow CCNS Bike Path
This two mile (four miles round-trip) trail runs beside an old railroad bed along the base of the ancient cliff called High Head, adjacent to dunes and marsh, and past Pilgrim Springs, where the Pilgrims first found fresh water on the Cape. Free parking is available at High Head or for a beach entry fee, at Head of the Meadow.
WELLFLEET
The Cape Cod Rail Trail
Running from Wellfleet to Dennis, this bike trail follows almost 30 miles of former railroad, making it a path for the long-winded. Parking is available at the trailhead on LeCount Hollow Road in South Wellfleet. The smooth path passes by cranberry bogs, beaches, ponds, and a few stops with public bathrooms.
FISHING
The Outer Cape has always been known for its seafood, so it’s no surprise that recreational fishing would be a favorite summer activity among sports-minded visitors. A permit is not required for saltwater fishing, but you need a permit for shellfish, fresh water and pond fishing. Some favorite local fishing spots include: Gull Pond, Hatches Point, Herring Cove, the Pipe in Truro, and even the end of Macmillan Wharf in Provincetown where you can catch squid in season. Check out Salt Pond in Eastham for shellfish. Contact the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries at 617-626-1520 or on the web at www.mass.gov/dfwele for more information on fishing permits and regulations.
HIKING & WALKING
EASTHAM
Buttonbush Trail
Buttonbush Trail is a short quarter mile multi-sensory loop designed for the blind. There is a rope guide and interpretive text panels in Braille and large lettering.
Cottontail Acres
Part of Eastham's conservation land, this area has many hiking trails that cut through meadows covered with wildflowers along Herring and Jemina Ponds. Enter at Samoset Rd.
Cedar Banks Trail
A one and one-half mile hiking path, this trail connects to the Nauset Marsh Trail and continues on to Coast Guard Beach.
Fort Hill Trail
This one and one-half mile trail offers a great view of Nauset Marsh, the Nauset Spit and the Atlantic Ocean. Bring your binoculars for some wonderful bird watching opportunities.
Nauset Marsh Trail
This half-mile loop skirts Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh and returns through transitional forest and fields. Well-suited for studies of salt marsh ecosystems and upland succession, it also offers excellent bird watching opportunities.
The Nickerson Property
This 25 acres of Conservation land has walking trails along Bridge Pond, Great Pond, and Widow Harding Pond. See Eastham's Herring Run flow into Bridge Pond and on to Great Pond. Located on Herringbrook Rd with parking at the Cole Rd Herring Run.
Red Maple Swamp Trail
This quarter mile walk’s serpentine boardwalk gives yet another dimension to Cape Cod. A portion of this trail is wheelchair accessible via Hemenway Landing.
South Eastham Conservation Area (SECA)
This area is home to a rich variety of habitats surrounding three small ponds, with unusual tree species. Parking available on the trailhead on Peach Orchard Lane or at the trailhead on Smith Lane as well as the bike path on Rock Harbor Rd. Adjacent to Upper Boat Meadow.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary
This sanctuary, in Eastham and Wellfleet, has five unique walking trails. They all begin at the Nature Center, and cut through forests, meadows, marshes and a boardwalk out to Cape Cod Bay.
Upper Boat Meadow
Enjoy beautiful walking trails through woodlands, marshes and an arboretum of specimen trees. Adjacent to SECA and the Cape Cod Rail Trail bike path. Parking and access at the trailhead on Smith Lane and at the bike path on Rock Harbor Rd and Peach Orchard Lane.
PROVINCETOWN
Beech Forest
This one-mile trail winds around a kettle pond and through beech trees, scotch pines, oaks, and dunes. Free parking and restrooms are available at the trailhead. If you go to the right, you’ll cross over a tiny footbridge past finches, ducks, and turtles. Start out to the left, and you’ll travel along the bike trail. From there, it’s one and a half miles to Bennett Pond. You can also follow the bike trail all the way to the Visitor Center.
Foss Woods Conservation Area
A peaceful 15-acre stretch of land just past Snail Rd along what was once a railroad bed. The pitch pine and oak woodland is home to the Eastern Box Turtle, one of Massachusetts’s species of “special concern.”
TRURO
Pilgrim Heights
There are two trails here: Pilgrim Spring and Small’s Swamp. Each is three-quarters of a mile long. Parking is free, and there are picnic tables and restrooms. Pilgrim Spring, named after the first place the Pilgrims found fresh water in the New World, is a dirt trail that goes through pine woods and opens onto Salt Meadow. Small’s Swamp starts by the Interpretive Shelter and winds through trees and tall grasses past what once was Small’s farm. Look for blueberries, black cherry, and swamp azalea. Be sure to avoid the dreaded poison ivy.
Pamet Cranberry Bog
Located at the end of North Pamet Rd, the bog contains several trails of varying lengths, offering all walking levels a chance to enjoy this area’s beauty. Visitors can follow signs to the top of Bearberry Hill for a peaceful rest and spectacular view.
WELLFLEET
Great Island Wellfleet
Nearly nine miles long, this path is more of a hike than a trail. You may want to bring along water, a snack, and a bathing suit, because it is easy to spend at least half a day exploring this beautiful island. The west side of Great Island and Great Beach Hill consists of a long bay beach. The east side includes a series of salt marshes on Wellfleet Bay, where a wide array of shorebirds can be found – particularly in Jul and Aug. There is also an inland route which takes the walker through well-developed woods with tall trees and past the site of an old tavern.
Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
This one and a half mile trail loops through beautiful White Cedar Swamp. Parking for the trail is free, and there are restrooms in the parking lot. The Atlantic White Cedar is not only resistant to insects and disease, but it was also used in almost every aspect of colonial life. When you leave the swamp, step onto sandy Wireless Rd, the original road to the Marconi Wireless Station.
Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
291 State Hwy, Rte 6 508-349-2615
www.massaudubon.org/wellfleet
Located in South Wellfleet, the Wildlife Sanctuary is easy to reach, has plenty of parking and offers five trails and a butterfly garden. You can walk through pine and oak woodlands or cross the salt marsh on a boardwalk to the beach. Goose Pond Trail is excellent for bird watching and Silver Spring Trail winds around a small freshwater pond; a large trail map and a recent sightings board will help you choose. Trails are open all year from 8am to dusk. The nature center is open from 8:30am to 5pm. Admission is free to Mass Audubon members. For non-members, admission is $5 per adult, $3 for children & senior citizens.
EASTHAM
Wiley Park
Located at the west side of Great Pond, it has a playground and beach.
PROVINCETOWN
The Mildred Greensfelder Playground
Bradford St at Howland St has a playground and a free basketball court.
Chelsea Earnest Memorial Playground
Bradford St at Nickerson St has a playground and a free basketball court.
Motta Field
Near the Provincetown Monument, Motta Field has two free tennis courts. The skateboard park is located at Shank Painter Rd and Rte 6.
WELLFLEET
Bakers Field
Kendrick Ave across from Mayo Beach, has a playground, skateboard park (open 9am-dusk) and free basketball and tennis courts across the street.