National Park Service Trip Planner U.S. Department of the Interior Cape Cod National Seashore Seasonal listings of activities, events, and ranger programs are available at seashore visitor centers. NPS/MCQUEENEY Park Information Superintendent’s Message Cape Cod National Seashore Oversand Office at Race Point Mention Cape Cod National 99 Marconi Site Road Ranger Station Seashore and different thoughts Wellfleet, MA 02667 Route Information: come to mind. Certainly, for Superintendent: Brian Carlstrom 508-487-2100, ext. 0926 many, the national seashore is Email: [email protected] (April 15 through November 15) “the beach”—a place to recreate, rejuvenate, and forge lasting Park Headquarters, Wellfleet Permit Information: memories with family and friends. 508-771-2144 508-487-2100, ext. 0927 Other people are attracted to Fax: 508-349-9052 nature’s wildness. Change is an North Atlantic Coastal Lab ever-present force on the Outer Nauset Ranger Station, Eastham 508-487-3262 Cape, with wind, waves, and 508-255-2112 storms constantly shaping and reshaping the land. As the longest Emergencies: 911 NPS/KEKOA ROSEHILL Race Point Ranger Station, Provincetown continuous stretch of shoreline 508-487-2100 https://www.nps.gov/caco on the East Coast, the national seashore doesn’t just host sun-loving humans; it provides a refuge Salt Pond Visitor Center Province Lands Visitor Center for many species, including threatened shorebirds. Salt marshes and forests support a diverse array of plants and animals. And off-shore, Open daily from 9 am to 4:30 pm (later during Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, mid-April to the ocean teems with life, including the microscopic plankton that the summer). mid-October. lure massive whales into Cape Cod Bay to feed - plus fish, seals, and the sharks that hunt them. This visitor center offers magnificent views of Just two miles from the tip of the Cape, this Salt Pond, Nauset Marsh, and the Atlantic; an center features an observation deck with Cape Cod National Seashore is also a place to explore rich human outstanding museum; and regularly scheduled 360-degree views; exhibits; and showings stories. The First People, the Wampanoag, were here long before films in the theater. Exhibits showcase the of park orientation films. Whales are often the Mayflower set anchor in Provincetown Harbor in 1620 and Outer Cape’s location in the Gulf of Maine viewable from here. Restrooms are available in her passengers set foot in the new world. Whaling captains and ecosystem and stories of people. Restrooms are the parking area. The Province Lands Bicycle lighthouse keepers; inventors, artists, and writers; early tourists and available in the parking area. The Nauset Marsh Trail and Race Point Beach are nearby. today’s park neighbors and visitors, including you and me, are all and Buttonbush trails and the Nauset Bicycle part of a continuum of human activity here. Trail are nearby. This trip planner is an excellent first step for getting oriented. I Location: 50 Nauset Road, Eastham. Location: 171 Race Point Road, Provincetown. invite you to seek out our staff and volunteers in visitor centers and Telephone: 508-255-3421. Telephone: 508-487-1256. elsewhere in the park. We’re here to help! Rangers and park partners offer many programs and activities to enhance your enjoyment and Getting to the Park understanding of the national seashore. Your safety is a high priority. Take note of safety messages in this trip planner and at seashore Cape Cod National Seashore is located about 100 miles south of Boston using Route 3, and about locations, especially beaches and bike trails. We also are committed 105 miles east of Providence using Interstate 195. Cape Cod is accessed using either the Sagamore to protecting resources. Over four million people come to the Bridge at the northeast end of the Cape Cod Canal, or the Bourne Bridge at the southwest end of national seashore each year. We ask you to consider your actions. the Cape Cod Canal. A passenger ferry runs between Boston and Provincetown seasonally. Join us in protecting this special place for all who will come after us. What’s Inside Whatever your reason for visiting, we welcome you, and we hope you explore the many dimensions of the seashore. Savor a wild cranberry, Page 2: General Information Page 6: Local Area Information climb a lighthouse, spy migrating birds, and enjoy a morning stroll on the beach. And when you can’t be here in person, we invite you to Page 3: Beaches Page 7: Get Involved stay in touch through our website, www.nps.gov/capecod, and social media. Page 4: Hiking and Biking Trails Page 8: Park Map Brian Carlstrom, Park Superintendent Page 5: Historic Structures Trip Planner 1 General Information Beach Entrance Fees Oversand Permits Private Vehicle $20 Permits for driving on seashore oversand routes are required Motorcycle $10 and available for purchase at Race Point Oversand Station in Provincetown. Oversand permits cannot be acquired for rental Per Person $3 vehicles. Bird-nesting activity, weather, and impassable conditions Groups Inquire due to changing beach conditions may require some route closures during the spring and summer. Annual Passes Cape Cod National Seashore $60 Call 508-487-2100, ext. 0927, for permit and general information (April 15 through November 15). Call 508-487-2100, ext. 0926, for Interagency (Multiple Federal Areas)* $80 route closure information, or access the park’s website for an up-to- Interagency Senior (Age 62+)* $20 date map of open and closed areas: go.nps.gov/CACOORV Lifetime Passes Hunting and Fishing Interagency Senior (Age 62+)* $80 Interagency Access Pass (Permanently Disabled)* Free Upland wildlife and migratory waterfowl may be hunted in certain areas in season. Federal, state, and local laws apply. Ask at visitor U.S. Military Pass centers for a brochure about hunting. Annual Pass for U.S. Military Free Available to active U.S. military members and dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Visit go.nps.gov/caco_hunting-fishing for more information and Marines, and Coast Guard, and Reserve and National Guard members. (Must be maps of open and closed areas. obtained in person by showing a Common Access Card [CAC] or Military ID [Form 1173].) Special-Use Permits * Photo ID required for pass use Special-use permits are required for events, weddings, and commercial filming. Information and applications are on the park’s Fees are charged and passes are available spring-fall. website at: go.nps.gov/caco_permits Beach Campfire Permits A limited number of campfire permits per day, per seashore beach, may be reserved up to three days in advance in person or by phone. Locations are: Salt Pond Visitor Center for Coast Guard, Nauset Light, and Marconi beaches; or Province Lands Visitor Center for Head of the Meadow, Race Point, and Herring Cove beaches. Fire permits for the Oversand Route are issued through the Oversand Station at Race Point. Permits are free and must be picked up at the reserving visitor center prior to 3:30 pm the day of the fire. Demand often exceeds the number of permits available. People waiting in line when the visitor centers open are given reservation priority over those who call in by phone. How to Reserve a Reserve on: Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Fire Permit: For a fire on: Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues NPS Safety and Park Regulations • Glass containers, flotation devices (rafts, rubber • Be alert for rip currents and underwater tubes), snorkels, and masks are prohibited on obstacles. Keep children within reach. lifeguard-protected beaches. • Use sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Use a • Public nudity is prohibited. waterproof sunscreen if you intend to go • Surfing, windsurfing, and stand-up swimming. paddleboarding are permitted in waters outside • Smoking, including electronic cigarettes, is lifeguard-protected areas. prohibited on protected swimming beaches when • Possession or use of metal detectors is lifeguards are on duty. prohibited. • Drones are prohibited in the national seashore. NPS • Permits are required for all beach fires. They • Biking is prohibited on seashore beaches. National Park Service rangers provide assistance may be obtained on a first-come, first-served • Kite surfing is permitted at Duck Harbor on and enforce regulations that protect you and the basis at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, the the bay side in Wellfleet, and in a posted 1¾-mile national seashore. Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown, section of ocean beach between north of Coast and the Oversand Station at Race Point. Do not Guard and Nauset Light beaches in Eastham. Observe the following: bury coals. (See campfire information above.) • Do not disturb natural or cultural features • Sand collapses easily. Climbing steep slopes For more information about park regulations, including wildlife; all are protected by federal law. or digging deep holes above knee level are check the Superintendent’s Compendium, available Do not feed wildlife. hazardous and prohibited. at: go.nps.gov/caco_compendium • Keep trails, roadsides, and other areas clean. • Swim only where there are lifeguards, and obey Use trash receptacles and recycle bins, or take their directions. Lifeguard-protected beaches are trash with you. marked with signs. Beach Safety Beach warning flags: Placing your beach gear: During the summer a colored flag is flown at the head Do not settle in front of an on-duty lifeguard chair or one lifeguard chair. A sign at each beach describes the that is soon to be opened. This area must be kept clear meaning of each color. for equipment. Stay out of this area to avoid an accident or delay a rescue. GREEN: Low Hazard. Calm Conditions. When you hear a whistle: YELLOW: Medium Hazard. Moderate Surf and/or Lifeguards will signal swimmers when they are in or Currents.