Cape Cod Insider

Province Lands and the Cape Cod National Seashore

The Cape Cod National Seashore encompasses about 1200 acres of the Province Lands.  Most of this land is undeveloped and open. We can thank President Kennedy for having had the foresight to protect so much of the Cape land.  Naturally he was not very popular at the time for doing this because many on the Cape feared this would hamper business opportunities. It was also thought of as governmental intrusion.  Of course, the opposite is true since the preservation of so much of the undeveloped Cape is what continues to attract so many visitors every year.  The National Seashore has protected some of the most amazing lands.

There are signs from Route 6 to the Visitor Center.  There is a traffic light a little over 2 miles from the Truro/Provincetown town line.  Take a right onto Race Point Road and the Visitor Center is about 1.5 miles up on the right.  It sits high up atop a sand dune and has great views of the ocean and all the beaches.  If the weather is clear, there is an upper deck where the views are truly awesome.  The center also has rangers on duty to answer questions about the region.  Check here also for sponsored activities such as videos, ranger led hikes and activities as well as maps for hiking and biking.  This area should not be missed. Cape Cod National Seashore: Province Lands

There is a great ranger led hike out to one of the dune shacks where you can meet an artist in residence and learn what is like to live out there for several weeks.  This hike requires reservations but if you can be part of it, I would highly recommend it.  You have to be in good shape to even consider it.  You can also see the dune shacks (but not visit them) by traveling to the dunes with Art's Dune Tours.

There is also a walking tour of the town itself.  Again, check for times.  When I last did this tour, advanced reservations were required, there was a nominal fee (at that time it was $5) and the tour began at the Pilgrim Monument. 

The bike trails from the Visitor Center are something to experience. Pick up a map. Fortunately, the trails are paved and in excellent condition.  They wind all through the lands.  At times, you feel like you must be in the desert of the southwest because it is just so dry and hot. At other times, you might be a wooded area or near a pond or on the beach. Sometimes you will come to the top of a hill and see the ocean stretching in front of you as far as you can see.  What a great way to spend part of the day, touring the wild and windswept land of dunes and dense woods, ponds and beach.

Beyond the Visitor Center, you will come to Race Point, one of the most popular and well-known beaches on the Cape.  It is a wide open expanse of beach and you can walk for miles in any direction.  It is pretty easy to “get away from it all” when you are on this beach.  Remember there is a daily parking fee to access the beach during the summer season.

Provincetown was recently listed as one of the best beach locations in the US, and the wild and crazy sands and waters of Race Point may be one reason why. Here the Cape Cod Bay waters meet the untamed Atlantic Ocean waves to create a rolling surge called "The Race." Not always safe for small boats (just watch the swells), it is also home to the Race Point Lifesaving Museum. In the summer, there are facilities available from dressing rooms to showers to toilets. Although it is a great beach to sun and swim, the water can be quite chilly and it is a long arduous walk from the parking area to the beach. Make sure to wear sandals on hot days because the sand can be really hot.  It can also be quite windy here, adding to the feeling that you are facing the ocean at the end of the world.

Bike, Run, Walk.....

When I go to the Cape, I like to relax, but still get my exercise. Leaving behind the gym, stationary bike and treadmill, you can enjoy the fresh air and beauty of the outdoors. The Cape Cod Rail Trail is the answer. Here you can bike, walk, run or skate at your own pace.

The trail is 25 miles of asphalt extending from Dennis to Wellfleet, easily accessible from any of the mid and lower cape towns. Since it is built on the old railroad tracks, the trail is generally flat.

Once I start a ride, the miles go by very quickly. I find myself looking off to the sides of the trail and taking in all of the scenery and appreciating the serenity as the path runs through woodlands, cranberry bogs, marshes, ponds, and streams. There are places where you can stop to pick wild flowers, blackberries or blueberries (be sure you know which berries are edible).

There are lots of places to go along the trail and a specific destination helps to make the distance easier to complete. Food is often a great incentive. I coax my kids along with the promise of a treat. One of our favorites is the Ben & Jerry’s on Brackett Rd. in Eastham, near the Wellfleet end of the trail. If you pedal here from Brewster, you certainly have earned the right to a double scoop or a sundae! Another great ice cream stop is Cobie’s on Route 6A, by Nickerson State Park in Brewster. This is near the midpoint of the path. The Pleasant Lake General Store in Harwich also has a good selection of snacks and has an air pump where you can fill your tires. If you get to Route 134 in Dennis, there are any number of places to stop for a snack, including Burger King and Dunkin Donuts. Of course you don’t need to stop for just a snack - you can get an entire meal, but be prepared to pedal back on a full stomach!

If food doesn’t motivate you, there are other rewarding destinations such as shops galleries, and museums where you can stop to meander. The Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham is an interesting place to stop with its museum, gift shop and education center offering guided walks, lectures, films, and kids activities. Since this is a national park, it is free. My son loved taking his shoes off and mucking around in the marsh with one of the biologists here. Nickerson State Park in Brewster is another option. At either of these places, you can leave the rail trail and follow other bike or walking paths to discover the natural beauty of the Cape. Near the end of the bike trail in Wellfleet, there is an old graveyard with interesting- to- read names and epitaphs on the old markers.

On a hot day, you might want to wear a bathing suit and bring a towel. There are beautiful public beaches at the National Seashore in Wellfleet and Eastham, along the bay in Brewster, and fresh water ponds with sandy beaches such as Long Pond or Pleasant Lake in Harwich.

The bike path crosses Underpass Road, which runs between 6A and route 137 in Brewster. Here, the elementary school has a fun playground or you can stop for a round of mini-golf. This is also a good place to find a sandwich or pizza.

The Rail Trail begins at Route 134 in Dennis (off exit 9), running through Harwich Center, crossing routes 124 and 137, through Brewster, parallel to Route 6A, by Nickerson Park, through Orleans by Rock Harbor and by the rotary, into Eastham, parallel to Route 6, by the Salt Pond Visitors Center and Audubon Sanctuary, ending in Wellfleet at LeCount Hollow Rd. (east of Route 6.) There are a number of places where you can rent bikes. If you bring your own bike, parking is available at either end of the trail, Nickerson State Park, or at other places along the route. This is a great way to get your exercise and to see the natural beauty of the cape.

Hiking, Biking and Swimming at Nickerson State Park

On a windy or cool summer day when ocean beaches can be a bit chilly, go to Nickerson State Park in Brewster for hiking and biking as well as swimming in beautiful fresh water kettle ponds.  Or just spend some time there as an alternative to the salt water beaches of the Cape. The Park is beautiful!  Even Thoreau marveled at the beauty of this area.

Nickerson has some great hiking and wonderful “private” beaches.  When you look at the map of the Park and look at the trails around the ponds, it doesn’t appear as if the trails are all that long or scenic.  Wrong!  If you decide to take the trail around Cliff Pond, count on about 2 hours to make the loop.  It will take you about an hour to hike around Flax Pond. There are so many small coves and inlets along the way that the time required for the hike can be deceptive. Of course, you can always swim across some of these inlets as long as you don’t have any gear with you.

Plan to take your time because as you hike, you will come across the neatest little sandy beaches where you can take a swim, have lunch or just enjoy the peace and quiet.  In fact, you may just want to stay there for a while and take in nature.  The beaches all around these ponds are sandy and excellent beaches for children to swim and play. The bonus is that a lot of the time, you may be on your own “private” beach.  There are bound to be people on the larger beaches, but if you go on the trails, you will come across numerous tiny little beaches. During the summer months, the water is very warm, clear and inviting. Some of the beaches are even set in pine groves so there is shade. You don’t have to fry in the sun. This is one of those unique places in the middle of the Cape Cod that should not to be missed .

The Park is also crisscrossed with paved biking trails that run through the heart of Nickerson.  This is a quick way to travel through the Park, visit the ponds, and check out the campsites.  Nickerson is easy to access off the bike trails in Brewster. There are great reviews of the Park at Trip Advisor.  The reviews tell all about camping, hiking and even mountain biking in Nickerson State Park.  Also go to Nickerson State Park Main Page for all recreational activities available in the Park.

As a reminder, there was a lot of damage at Nickerson State Park from the December 9, 2005 freak storm.  Some of the bike trails may still be impassable because of trees still down.  Check for the latest update.

Damage at Nickerson State Park in Brewster

Nickerson State Park

The storm of December 9 slammed all of Cape Cod but really targeted Brewster and Nickerson State Park.  From what I read, it is doubtful that Nickerson will be able to open this May on time for the start of the summer 2006 season (Updated information about Nickerson State \Park).  There are trees down all over the place.  The damage was that extensive.  Some people have even said that the amount of destruction almost looked like Brewster had experienced a tornado.

On January 21, 2006 (6 weeks after the storm), we decided to go there and see what damage might still be visible.  Our intent was to go to the far end of the Park where there are huge stands of pines that are just beautiful.  It is an area that I can only describe as surreal. I was afraid that this beautiful area might have been decimated.  However, just beyond the left turn for Cliff Pond, the road is closed .  The only way to find out about the damage in that far end first hand is to hike or bike there, something that I would like to do soon. Because it was after 3:00, it just too late to undertake such a hike. 

Instead we took the left to Cliff Pond.  Wow!  Although the road was open and clear, there were trees down all over the place.  Some huge trees were uprooted and others were broken in half. Amazingly enough, there are many standing dead trees that were never affected by the winds. While some sections along the road were virtually untouched, other parts were destroyed.  The picnic area overlooking Little Cliff Pond was a mess!  The picture does not show the scope of the real damage but at least it will give you an idea.

Since our time was short, we decided to start down the Little Cliff Pond trail just to see what we could see. We immediately came upon several blow downs right across the trail. These trees were huge.  Some were pine and one particularly large one was oak .  I decided to put myself in the picture to give you a reference about the size of these trees. You can only imagine the strength of the wind that could uproot these giants.  Certainly these trees have withstood several hurricanes and blizzards but for some reason, this storm was their undoing.

If you have been there, please add your comments.

Biking to suit just about everyone

Cape Cod lends itself to some of the most enjoyable biking anywhere.  It doesn’t matter whether you just want to take a short ride with the children or you plan to do some serious cycling, the Cape has it all. 

Personally, I like to take a leisurely bike stroll and appreciate the scenery and enjoy the people that I encounter.  My favorite area to ride is between Exit 10 off Route 6 in Harwich to Nickerson State Park in East Brewster. (The state of Massachusetts is doing a huge renovation project on a large part of this section right now but it is slated to be open and ready to use again by June (MA bike trail removation project).  It is along this stretch that you will pass cranberry bogs and several “kettle” ponds.  The ponds are remnants of the last ice age and it always amazes me how much fresh water there is so close to the ocean.  Cape Cod is basically a large sandbar sticking about 30 miles into the Atlantic, yet it is dotted with an abundance of fresh water lakes and ponds.  Although most people come to the Cape for the ocean and Bay beaches, there is also a wide choice of fresh water beaches to enjoy too.

As you bike along this stretch, the bike trails are right next to the ponds and lakes.  There are so many places to just stop, get off your bike and cool off with a quick swim in sparkling clean fresh water.  You can find small beaches where many people have stopped or you can find your own little beach where there is nobody but you there.  And all the while you have to remember how lucky you are to be in the middle of Cape Cod in the summer and yet you have found quiet and solitude.

You can also find places to stop and get a cool drink, a sandwich or ice cream, right on the trails.  At the Harwich end, there is Pleasant Lake General Store.  In the Brewster region, just past the Post Office, there is the Rail Trail snack bar.  Both have picnic tables and shade for that quick rest or quick lunch.

There are so many great bike trails to explore as you learn more about Cape Cod.  Check out these sites for other ideas and information (Cape Cod Rail Trail Information and Map, Great Bike Trails on Cape Cod, Cycling on Cape Cod, Cape Cod Maps and Books for Biking).  There are some bike trails described above that should be checked out. Remember to add your own experiences to the blog to help others find more of the unusual places.