Hiking in and around Wellfleet, Cape Cod

	Nickerson State Park 3488 MAIN STREET Brewster MA 02631 (508)896-3491
	Punkhorn Parklands Run Hill Road, Brewster 508 896-3701
	Spruce Hill Conservation Area 9341 Route 6A, Brewster 508-896-3701
	Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Monomoy Island, Chatham 508 945-0594 Web Site: www.fws.gov/northeast/monomoy

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Map

Cape Cod National Seashore

www.nps.gov/caco

Salt Pond Visitor Center

Route 6, Eastham
508 255-3421

	Nauset Marsh Trail Length: One mile. Allow one hour to walk this trail Location: Adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center amphitheater, off Route 6, Eastham. Features: This trail winds along the edge of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh, crosses fields, and returns to the Salt Pond Visitor Center through a recovering forest. Conditions: Easy; some log steps; moderate grade; use caution when crossing the bike trail; restrooms at visitor center.
	Buttonbush Trail Length: One-fourth mile. Allow thirty minute sand traverses formerly cultivated areas. Location: Adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center Features: Guide rope, texts in Braille, and large amphitheater. This trail involves all the senses as it winds through forest, crosses over the Buttonbush Conditions: Easy; some log steps on the second half of the trail; moderate grade
	Red Maple Swamp Trail Length: One-half mile. Allow a minimum of thirty minutes. Location: Entrances to this trail feed from the Fort Hill Trail. (See above.) Features: Boardwalk sections of this trail loop through the heart of the Red Maple Swamp. This setting is most colorful in the fall.

Fort Hill

Eastham

Fort Hill Trail
Length: One and one-half miles. Allow at least one hour for the entire walk.
Location: Turn off Route 6 at the brown Fort Hill sign on Governor Prence Road in Eastham. Continue to parking area on left, across from the Captain Penniman House. The trail may also be accessed from Hemenway Landing, just north of Fort Hill on Route 6.
Features: This trail crosses open fields, connects with the Red Maple Swamp trail, and offers spectacular vistas of Nauset Marsh and Nauset Spit as it loops back to its starting point.
Conditions: Moderate walking difficulty; solid surface; some log steps on slopes; seasonal restrooms.

Pilgrim Heights

Route 6 Truro

Pilgrim Springs Trail
Length: Three-fourths mile loop.
Location: Turn right (north) at the Pilgrim Heights area sign in North Truro. Walk begins at the interpretive shelter and ends at the restrooms at the adjacent parking lot.
Features: Path leads to a site representative of where the Pilgrims drank their first fresh water in New England. This short loop trail winds through the recovering pine and oak forest, and passes a marker which commemorates the Pilgrim's initial exploration of this area.
Conditions: Easy; some log steps; moderate grade; picnic area and seasonal restrooms in adjacent parking lot.

Smalls Swamp Trail, Route 6 Truro
Length: Three-fourths mile loop.
Location: Turn right off route 6 (north) at the Pilgrim Heights area sign off Route 6 in North Truro. Walk begins at the interpretive shelter.
Features: Early farmers sought to make a living on the fragile Cape Cod landscape. Gradually, the soil gave out and farms were abandoned. Eventually, the landscape began its slow recovery. The forest here now hides most, but not all, of the former land uses in this area.
Conditions: Easy; some log steps; moderate grade; short boardwalk surface; picnic area and seasonal restrooms in adjacent parking lot.

Province Lands Visitor Center

Race Point, Provincetown, (508) 487- 1256

Beech Forest Trail in the Province lands
Length: One mile total loop (pond loop three‑fourths mile, extensions loop one-fourth mile)
Location: Turn right (north) at traffic light on Route 6 onto Race Point Road. Proceed approximately one-half mile to the Beech Forest parking lot on left.
Features: This trail provides walkers an in-depth journey into the heart of the picturesque beech forest. The trail skirts the shallow Beech Forest Pond, and hugs dunes that are gradually engulfing parts of the forest.
Conditions: Easy; extension loops has steep log steps; mostly soft sand; picnic area and seasonal restrooms at trailhead; access to Province Lands bicycle trail from parking lot.

Park Headquarters, Marconi Station

Route 6, Wellfleet
508 349-3785

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail
Length: One and one-fourth miles. Allow one hour to walk this trail.
Location: At stoplight, turn east off Route 6 into the Marconi Station Area, South Wellfleet. Follow brown signs to the Marconi Site and White Cedar Swamp.
Features: This award winning trail descends through a stunted oak and pine forest into a mature woodland, leads to a boardwalk that loops through the picturesque Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, and returns via historic 7Wireless Road" (a sand road) to the starting location.
Conditions: Moderate difficulty; some steep stairs; return route is one-half mile in soft sand; swamp portion of this trail is boardwalk; seasonal restrooms.

Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail

Truro Center/Pamet Road exit off Route 6 in Truro

Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail
Length: One mile roundtrip. Additional overlook spur one-quarter mile.
Location: Take Truro Center/Pamet Road exit off Route 6 in Truro. Proceed one and one-half miles on North Pamet Road to the end. Trail begins at the parking lot adjacent to the environmental Education Center (a Youth Hostel in summer).
Features: This area was once a commercial cranberry bog that was abandoned about 1960. The area still retains many characteristics of cranberry cultivation which can be seen along the pathway that leads through a former bog. No cranberries remain.
Conditions: Moderate; many log steps; overlook spur has steep grade; one-eighth mile boardwalk section.

Great Island

Chequesett Rd, Wellfleet

Great Island Trail
Length: Three miles, one way, to Jeremy Point overlook (eight mile loop via Tavern Site). Allow three to five hours to explore Great Island.
Location: From Route 6, follow green signs to Wellfleet Center; turn left onto East Commercial Street (follow signs to Wellfleet Harbor); continue along the shoreline from town pier via Chequesset Neck Road to the Great Island parking lot. (Keep water view on your left after leaving Route 6.)
Features: This trail rambles along sandy stretches between the elevated heights of Great Island and Great Beach Hill. Its higher elevations punctuate spectacular vistas which peak out from an emerging, even-aged, pitch-pine forest. Part of this trail leads to a colonial-era tavern site (no remains visible). Other sections skirt salt marsh embayment. A picnic area is adjacent to parking lot.
Conditions: The park's most difficult trail; mostly soft sand; some log steps; portions are submerged at high tide; hats, sturdy footgear and drinking water are advisable; seasonal restrooms.

MassAudubon

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary - MassAudubon
291 Route 6, South Wellfleet
508 349-2615

Web Site: www.wellfleetbay.org or http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Wellfleet/index.php

The Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary has 1,100 acres of salt marsh, sandy beach, pine woodland, freshwater pond, and rare heathland with five miles of trails that traverse these habitats. The Nature Center has wonderful educational exhibits as well as a butterfly and hummingbird garden. The Sanctuary sponsors a number of walks, excursions and workshops so be sure to check their web site for place and time. They also have a campground.

Hours: NatureCenter: Memorial Day to Columbus Day: Daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Columbus Day to Memorial Day: Tuesday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails: Open every day, 8 a.m. to dusk (8 p.m. in the summer).

Hiking around the Kettle Ponds

Inside the boundary of the Cape Cod National Seashore there are many established fire roads, pond-side trails, and ancient ways which provided access across Wellfleet from the bay to the ocean. See if you can find your way into these trail systems by first accessing one of the kettle ponds. Be very careful to stay off the fragile faces of the kettle ponds. You may want to bring a compass, a fishing rod, and a bathing suit. The Ponds have secrets.

Kettle Ponds Hiking Trail Map

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