About Cape Cod: Exploring the National Seashore
The intensity of the summer rush evaporates; days are still drenched in sun; the breeze has a new crispness to it – and fall is the perfect time of year for residents and visitors to step outside and experience Cape Cod’s great outdoors at the Cape Cod National Seashore, which sweeps across the forearm of the Cape from Eastham to Provincetown.
A good place to start is the newly renovated Salt Pond Visitor Center (508-255-3421), located just off Route 6 in Eastham. Open seven days a week from 9-4:30, the center has stunning views of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh. Fall programs include hikes along the beach to search for seals, guided walks of the Marconi area and the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp trail, and ranger specialty topics. Salt Pond’s friendly rangers can provide up-to-date information on guided hikes and activities throughout the park, or visit the web at www.nps.gov/caco.
A beach campfire on a cool fall evening can be a great way to relax and celebrate the change of seasons. Make a free reservation at the Visitor Center, bring your own wood and blankets, and settle in for some out-of-this-world stargazing.
With 11 self-guided nature trails and many more miles of “off the beaten track” fire roads to explore, the Seashore is a hiker’s delight. Not to be missed is a traipse through the Fort Hill area of Eastham. Autumn’s brush paints this spectacular spot with a palette of yellows, reds, and oranges. The 1.5-mile Fort Hill Trail begins adjacent to the historic Captain Penniman House (check with the Visitor Center for fall tour schedules) and meanders through open fields and dense woodlands. For some added distance, tack on the .75-mile Red Maple Swamp Boardwalk Loop that adjoins the main trail.
The miles of fire roads that crisscross the National Seashore can be found on U.S.G.S. topographic maps, available for sale at the park bookstore. A hike into the woods along one of these dirt roads can provide a day’s worth of fall colors and outside adventure, often without seeing another person for miles. And while dogs are not allowed on the self-guided trails, your best friend can accompany you on fire road hikes, provided he/she stays on-leash.
If the weather’s a bit on the chilly side, a picturesque drive to Provincetown can be the perfect activity. The free park maps available at the Visitor Center are wonderful guides for getting off Route 6 and exploring some of the National Seashore’s many additional scenic highlights.
As you make your way north, stop off at the Marconi Station Site in Wellfleet. Strikingly beautiful and historically significant, this spot offers views of both the Atlantic and Cape Cod Bay from an observation platform. It is also the location where, in 1903, Guglielmo Marconi sent the first two-way trans-Atlantic wireless transmission between the President of the United States and the King of England. While erosion has eaten away most of the original site, the park maintains a model of Marconi’s station and several educational wayside boards detailing the historic events that took place at this location.
Highland Light in North Truro offers sweeping coastal views of the Cape’s weather-beaten backside and the wide Atlantic. Standing at the site of the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod, on a coastal bluff 100-plus feet above the beach and the ocean below, it is easy to see the truth in Thoreau’s famous words about Cape Cod: “A man may stand there and put all America behind him.”
The lands and waters that make up the Cape Cod National Seashore have inspired people throughout time. Let this special place work its magic on you – and get out there and enjoy it – because it’s your national park!
