Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The Sun, Sea and Sand, a Paved Trail and you are in Bicycle Heaven
(And, not to forget the opportunity to buy fresh steamers and lobster). 

 

There is a network of paved trails along the shore line in Cape Cod that is great for both hiking and biking.  These trails pass through high dunes and forest and connect to shady village streets. 

The longest biking route, the Cape Cod Rail Trail, is a largely off-road path that runs for about 25 miles. It  passes through Nickerson State Park, winding through Rock Harbor,  up to Eastham, then along the Cape Cod National Seashore.  The trail is a former railway bed.  It continues north and ends at Le Count Hollow in the town of Wellfleet.  If you do not want to bike the entire 25 miles, there are many places to park along the way. 

Rock Harbor, the small port on the inner  elbow of Cape Cod, is a good place to stop and there is plenty of parking adjacent to the beach.  Young's Fish Market offers fresh steamers and lobsters, and they'll cook them to order for you, or you can have your own Yankee clambake right in your RV.

Another good stopping place is Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham where there is a museum, good local information and - here is some good news - plenty of free RV parking.  From there you can bike or walk along the 1.6 mile Nauset Trail that takes you through marsh and wood to Coast Guard Beach on the wild and windswept dunes of the Atlantic outer shore.  A mile-long northern journey along Ocean View Road leads to Nauset Light and the Three Sisters Lighthouses and the vast cold-water beach below the high dunes. RT

Posted 9/2005    Travel Blog