Bike Trails
Bike trails through dunes unspoiled and
naturally beautiful, yes, but Cape Cod is not
primitive. Although the villages along the way
cherish simplicity and their seafaring
heritage, they offer the bicycle traveler many
modern conveniences.
Cape Cod Bike Rentals
There are bike rental shops, lighthouse and
windmill museums, nature preserves, golf
courses, art and history museums, a winery,
art colonies, an airport with sightseeing flights,
and campgrounds all just a short walk or drive
from the Bike trails that run near the beach
where, in 1849, Thoreau walked.
There is no better way to experience this
freedom than on a bicycle. On the Outer
Cape (lower)you can spread on a little sun
block, pack a copy of Henry Beston’s, The
Outermost House, and peddle your way
between coast Guard beach, Highland Light
and the Province lands beaches.
Cape Cod Rail Trail
A former railroad bed now turned bicycle path,
and the Nauset Dune Trail, a system that
winds through Beach forest and high dunes,
together contain over fifty miles of off-road
bicycle and walking trails.
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a largely off-road
trail that travels for over 25 miles through
Brewster's Nickerson State Park and then
through Orleans’s Rock Harbor and on to
Eastham and The Cape Cod National Sea
Shore’s Salt Pond Visitors Center. At the
center, you can continue to the windward
Nauset Shore or to the north and reach the
end at Lecount Hollow in the town of
Wellfleet. At several places along the way,
there is ample parking, if one chooses not to
travel the entire 25 miles by bicycle.
Bike trails through dunes unspoiled and
naturally beautiful, yes, but Cape Cod is not
primitive. Although the villages along the way
cherish simplicity and their seafaring
heritage, they offer the bicycle traveler many
modern conveniences.
Cape Cod Bike Rentals
There are bike rental shops, lighthouse and
windmill museums, nature preserves, golf
courses, art and history museums, a winery,
art colonies, an airport with sightseeing flights,
and campgrounds all just a short walk or drive
from the Bike trails that run near the beach
where, in 1849, Thoreau walked.
There is no better way to experience this
freedom than on a bicycle. On the Outer
Cape (lower)you can spread on a little sun
block, pack a copy of Henry Beston’s, The
Outermost House, and peddle your way
between coast Guard beach, Highland Light
and the Province lands beaches.
Cape Cod Rail Trail
A former railroad bed now turned bicycle path,
and the Nauset Dune Trail, a system that
winds through Beach forest and high dunes,
together contain over fifty miles of off-road
bicycle and walking trails.
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a largely off-road
trail that travels for over 25 miles through
Brewster's Nickerson State Park and then
through Orleans’s Rock Harbor and on to
Eastham and The Cape Cod National Sea
Shore’s Salt Pond Visitors Center. At the
center, you can continue to the windward
Nauset Shore or to the north and reach the
end at Lecount Hollow in the town of
Wellfleet. At several places along the way,
there is ample parking, if one chooses not to
travel the entire 25 miles by bicycle.
From the end of the Bike Trail at Lecount
Hollow, a short drive towards Provincetown will
bring you to the Nauset Dunes bike trail system,
with its paved bicycle paths through the dunes
and along the beach at the very tip of Cape Cod.
Try some seafood on your journey at Rock
Harbor, the small port right on the bike trail on
The Cape Cod Bay side or inner crook of the
elbow of Cape Cod. Captain Cass’s Rock
Harbor Seafood Restaurant and Young’s Fish
Market, dine in or get local steamer clams and
fresh cooked Lobster to go.
Rock Harbor’s sport fishing fleet comes in twice
a day with catches of Striped Bass, Bluefish,
Mackerel, Tuna, Sharks, Flounder, Fluke and
Cod.
Hollow, a short drive towards Provincetown will
bring you to the Nauset Dunes bike trail system,
with its paved bicycle paths through the dunes
and along the beach at the very tip of Cape Cod.
Try some seafood on your journey at Rock
Harbor, the small port right on the bike trail on
The Cape Cod Bay side or inner crook of the
elbow of Cape Cod. Captain Cass’s Rock
Harbor Seafood Restaurant and Young’s Fish
Market, dine in or get local steamer clams and
fresh cooked Lobster to go.
Rock Harbor’s sport fishing fleet comes in twice
a day with catches of Striped Bass, Bluefish,
Mackerel, Tuna, Sharks, Flounder, Fluke and
Cod.
Writer and naturalist, Henry David Thoreau, passed
through the Cape in 1849, writing detailed
descriptions of treeless solitude. To this day, a
barren starkness prevails on the high Nauset dunes,
just as Thoreau described it in his journal, Cape
Cod. (Click Here for Text, Cape Cod) The
relentless sea has reclaimed several hundred feet of
the Nauset-side cliffs and dunes since Thoreau’s
time, but one can still walk as Thoreau did, on over
twenty-five miles of unobstructed beach, from
Eastham to far distant Provincetown’s Race Point.
For those that want a return to the leisurely childhood
beach days of warm water and small waves, two
quiet beaches are a little more than a mile from the
Rail Trail. Follow Skaket Beach Road in Orleans to
the end and find a quarter-mile granular sand beach
bordered by rose dunes and American Beach Grass
with a carpet of Eelgrass at the tide line. To the
right, as you face the ocean, you can find privacy in
the grass and dune area near the stream outlet.
The water is shallow for a half mile, with the flats
totally uncovering at low tide. These sand flats
produce the delicious white steamer clams found at
Young’s Fish Market in Rock Harbor.
Further North along the Rail Trail you will come to
Eastham and find another secluded beach, this one
named for the less than cordial first meeting in 1620,
between the Pilgrims of Miles Standish and the
resident native population: First Encounter Beach.
Coast Guard Beach
Highland Light
| From the paved trail you can climb a high dune and get a view of spouting whales as you ride your bike in the natural landscapes of Cape Cod |
| Cape Cod Bike Trails Vacation |
On a mile or so of low dune Marsh Grass and beach
with the outlet of Herring Brook at the end, Plovers,
Herons, Terns, Red Tailed Hawk and many other
shore and marsh birds soar and flit over the Heather
and Beach Grass. Tidal pools are alive with the
drama of Hermit Crabs, snails, Fiddler Crabs, and
tiny fish scurrying through their daily routine. Finding a
private place to read, write, or just plain snooze
should be no problem here even on a summer
weekend.
with the outlet of Herring Brook at the end, Plovers,
Herons, Terns, Red Tailed Hawk and many other
shore and marsh birds soar and flit over the Heather
and Beach Grass. Tidal pools are alive with the
drama of Hermit Crabs, snails, Fiddler Crabs, and
tiny fish scurrying through their daily routine. Finding a
private place to read, write, or just plain snooze
should be no problem here even on a summer
weekend.
Herring Cove Beach
Eastham Windmill
Herring Cove Beach
Ice cream stop Cape Cod
Bike Trail
Bike Trail
Nauset Beach, Orleans
SoftSeatTravel
The network of bike trails includes Herring Cove Beach
on the tip of Cape Cod. Many folks snooze in beach
chairs while lazily surf fishing for the lunker Striped
Bass that feed along the shore. From the parking lot
adjacent to the beach, the bike and walking trail
extends into the Provinceland Dunes, connecting with
the Beach Forest Trail and The Race Point Trail. Both
of these trailheads have large public parking lots.
This unspoiled land changes with the winds that
restlessly rearrange the hummocks and tufts as if
preparing each day for special guests. The elemental
forces of nature in this raw land are never far from view.
No better way to see all than on a bike.
on the tip of Cape Cod. Many folks snooze in beach
chairs while lazily surf fishing for the lunker Striped
Bass that feed along the shore. From the parking lot
adjacent to the beach, the bike and walking trail
extends into the Provinceland Dunes, connecting with
the Beach Forest Trail and The Race Point Trail. Both
of these trailheads have large public parking lots.
This unspoiled land changes with the winds that
restlessly rearrange the hummocks and tufts as if
preparing each day for special guests. The elemental
forces of nature in this raw land are never far from view.
No better way to see all than on a bike.
Johnathan Young
Windmill, Orleans
Windmill, Orleans
Eastham Windmill
| Paved Bike Trails through The Cape Cod Dunes |
Lower Cape Cod Bike Trails
Bike Trails on Cape Cod |
| Bicycle on Paved Bike Trails to the Beaches of Cape Cod |
| Cape Cod Bike Trails Vacation |
Mountain Bike or Trail Bike, Bike Tour or
Self Guided, Bicycling on Cape Cod Rail
Trails is safe and fun
Self Guided, Bicycling on Cape Cod Rail
Trails is safe and fun
Paved Bike Trails
through The Cape
Cod Dunes
through The Cape
Cod Dunes
Copyright SoftSeatTravel
david@SoftseatTravel.com
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Inns of Newport
http://www.legendaryinnsofnewport.com/
Adele Turner Inn http://www.adeleturnerinn.
com/
Cliffside Inn http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
Best of Newport http://www.bestofnewport.
com/
Artisanal Cheese Makers
Shy Brothers, Westport
www.shybrothersfarm.com
Great Hill Blue, Marion
www.greathillblue.com
Museums and Sightseeing
New Bedford Whaling Museum
www.whalingmuseum.org
New Bedford Whaling National Park
www.nps.gov/nebe/
Schooner Ernestina
www.ernestina.org
Battleship Massachusetts, Battleship Cove
www.battleshipcove.org
Plimoth Plantation and Mayflower II
www.plimoth.org
Edaville Railroad and Cranberry World
www.edaville.com
King Richard’s Medieval Faire
www.kingrichardsfaire.net
Lloyd Center of the Environment (Nature
center, Trails)
www.thelloydcenter.org
Roche Jones Duff House Museum
www.rjdmuseum.org
Buttonwood Park Zoo
www.bpzoo.org
Lizzie Borden B&B/Museum
www.lizzie-borden.com
http://www.legendaryinnsofnewport.com/
Adele Turner Inn http://www.adeleturnerinn.
com/
Cliffside Inn http://www.cliffsideinn.com/
Best of Newport http://www.bestofnewport.
com/
Artisanal Cheese Makers
Shy Brothers, Westport
www.shybrothersfarm.com
Great Hill Blue, Marion
www.greathillblue.com
Museums and Sightseeing
New Bedford Whaling Museum
www.whalingmuseum.org
New Bedford Whaling National Park
www.nps.gov/nebe/
Schooner Ernestina
www.ernestina.org
Battleship Massachusetts, Battleship Cove
www.battleshipcove.org
Plimoth Plantation and Mayflower II
www.plimoth.org
Edaville Railroad and Cranberry World
www.edaville.com
King Richard’s Medieval Faire
www.kingrichardsfaire.net
Lloyd Center of the Environment (Nature
center, Trails)
www.thelloydcenter.org
Roche Jones Duff House Museum
www.rjdmuseum.org
Buttonwood Park Zoo
www.bpzoo.org
Lizzie Borden B&B/Museum
www.lizzie-borden.com
Music & Theatre
The Zeiterion
www.zeiterion.org
The Narrows
www.ncfta.org
The Tweeter Center
www.tweetercenter.com
New Bedford Symphony
www.nbsymphony.org
Festivals On The South Coast
New Bedford SummerFest
www.newbedfordsummerfest.com
Fall River Celebrates America
www.fallrivercelebrates.com
International Institute of Culinary Arts
www.iicaculinary.com
Outdoor Activities
Osprey Sea Kayak
www.ospreyseakayak.com
New Bedford ½ Marathon
www.newbedfordhalfmarathon.com
Art Galleries
The Art Complex
www.artcomplex.org
New Bedford Art Museum
www.newbedfordartmuseum.org
Artworks
www.artworksforyou.org
Narrows Center for the Arts
http://www.ncfta.org/
Concerts, galleries the local art scene on the
South Coast.
Restaurants, Food & Drink
The Back Eddy
www.thebackeddy.com
Freestones City Bar & Grill
www.freestones.com
Lodging, B&Bs
www.paquachuck.com
www.harborinnwestport.com
www.mass.gov/dcr/southeast.htm
www.destinationnewbedford.org
The Zeiterion
www.zeiterion.org
The Narrows
www.ncfta.org
The Tweeter Center
www.tweetercenter.com
New Bedford Symphony
www.nbsymphony.org
Festivals On The South Coast
New Bedford SummerFest
www.newbedfordsummerfest.com
Fall River Celebrates America
www.fallrivercelebrates.com
International Institute of Culinary Arts
www.iicaculinary.com
Outdoor Activities
Osprey Sea Kayak
www.ospreyseakayak.com
New Bedford ½ Marathon
www.newbedfordhalfmarathon.com
Art Galleries
The Art Complex
www.artcomplex.org
New Bedford Art Museum
www.newbedfordartmuseum.org
Artworks
www.artworksforyou.org
Narrows Center for the Arts
http://www.ncfta.org/
Concerts, galleries the local art scene on the
South Coast.
Restaurants, Food & Drink
The Back Eddy
www.thebackeddy.com
Freestones City Bar & Grill
www.freestones.com
Lodging, B&Bs
www.paquachuck.com
www.harborinnwestport.com
www.mass.gov/dcr/southeast.htm
www.destinationnewbedford.org
Wine Tours, Agricultural tours
Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery
1-800-993-9695 Westport MA.
Buzzards Bay Brewing
http://www.buzzardsbrew.com/
Coastal Wineries
http://www.coastalwinetrail.com
Vines to Wines Tours
http://www.vinestowinestours.com
B&B will arrange transportation
from their Inn to the area's wineries.
Northeast Wineries
www.NortheastWineries.com
Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery
1-800-993-9695 Westport MA.
Buzzards Bay Brewing
http://www.buzzardsbrew.com/
Coastal Wineries
http://www.coastalwinetrail.com
Vines to Wines Tours
http://www.vinestowinestours.com
B&B will arrange transportation
from their Inn to the area's wineries.
Northeast Wineries
www.NortheastWineries.com
Events and Attractions Within A Days Drive