Lower Cape Cod
  • Orleans Seafood Dining
Before heading down the rail trail towards Eastham, a
nice stop for lunch on your bike trip would be seafood at
Rock Harbor in Orleans, the small port on The Cape
Cod Bay side or inner crook of what Thoreau called the
elbow of Cape Cod.    At Captain Cass’s Rock Harbor
Seafood Restaurant and Young’s Fish Market you can
get local steamer clams and fresh cooked Lobster to go
or have them in at Capt Cass.  The beach at the end of
the small parking lot makes a nice picnic spot.
  • Sightseeing
Rock Harbor’s sport fishing fleet comes in twice a day
with catches of Striped Bass, Bluefish, Mackerel, Tuna,
Sharks, Flounder, Fluke and Cod, that make fun
sightseeing.  
  • Warm Water Beach
Rock Harbor offers a warm water beach.  Not far by
bike find the Skaket Beach Road and another warm
water beach, actually just beside Rock Harbor but about
a mile and a half by bike.
  • Lower Cape Cod, Outer Cape Cod
Thoreau, passed through the Cape in 1849, writing
detailed  descriptions of the Lower Cape's 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 distant Provincetown’s
Race Point.
  • Coast Guard Beach
From the Salt Pond Visitors Center on the Rail
Trail find the bike and walking trail to Coast Guard
Beach.  Near this beach Thoreau started his beach
walk to Provincetown.
  • Eastham Windmill
Before reaching the Salt Pond Visitors Center
while on the Rail Trail  you will come to Eastham
where you can another 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.
On the same road in the other direction find the
Eastham Windmill.
  • Provincelands Trail, Outer Cape
From the end of the Rail Trail at Lecount Hollow, a
short drive towards Provincetown will bring you to
the Provincelands bike trail system, with its paved
bicycle paths through the dunes and along the
beach at the very tip of Cape Cod.  Find paid
parking at Herring Cove Beach and the entrance to
the Provincelands Trail.  This trail connects to the
Beech Forest Trail, a walking only trail.
Bike to Coast Guard
Beach from the Salt Pond
Visitors Center where
you find free parking
Bike Trails on Lower Cape Cod and Outer Cape
Cod, Rail Trails, Dune Trails
  • First Encounter Beach
First Encounter Beach is 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.  Bike from the Rail Trail, take a
left on  Samoset Road find First Encounter Beach at
the end of the road.  Bike to the end to see the wildlife
of the estuarine marsh.  
  • Eastham Windmill
To visit the Eastham Windmill follow Samoset Road
to the junction of Samoset and Route 6.
Herring Cove Beach
Ice cream stop Cape
Cod Bike Trail
Nauset Beach, Orleans
  • Herring Cove Beach, Cold Water Beach
Travel further north on the rail trail and then bike on
public roads or transport your bikes to the network of
bike trails that include Herring Cove Beach on the tip
of Cape Cod.  (paid parking)

  • Provincelands Trail to Outer Cape
Beaches
From the parking lot adjacent to Herring Cove Beach,
the bike trail extends into the Provinceland Dunes,
connecting with the Beach Forest Trail  (walking) and
The Race Point Bike Trail.  Both of these trailheads
have large public parking lots.  These trails run
adjacent to the cold water beaches where Thoreau
walked.
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 Lower and Outer Cape
Cod than on a bicycle.
Johnathan Young
Windmill, Orleans
Eastham
Windmill
Bicycle on Paved Bike Trails of Lower and Outer Cape Cod
Bike Trails on Lower and  Outer Cape Cod, Sightseeing, Beaches
Cape Cod Bike Trails
through the dunes to
First Encounter Beach
When traveling to cape Cod and its beaches and places of historic
interest why not make some photos that you can sell. Read this
article  and see if you might want to sell your travel photos
When traveling by air to Boston for a trip to Cape Cod, you can start saving on your air
fare by Parking your Car for Free after one night Lodging in Airport Hotels near your
home city and in 60 US cities and hundreds of others worldwide.
The early shuttle from the hotel to the airline terminal will allow you to book an early flight and save
money on the airfare. Two weeks of free parking offsets the cost of the hotel room and you do not
need to arrange for a limo from your home to the airport.  Some of the hotels in the program offer 24
hour shuttles to the airport.
rate for extra days. . Cruise passengers can take advantage of these deals also at some hotels.   See
Free Airport Parking link below for Park Sleep Fly, they have detailed information about the hotels
including photos
Renting a car in Boston or booking a hotel on Cape Cod  check Auto
Europe's selection and price. They broker the best deal and present it on a
website that makes it easy to shop and book on the web.
Fifteen large towns and many small villages make up the sandy moraine that juts into the Atlantic Ocean 60
miles south of Boston and was named by explorers in 1607 Cape Cod because of the abundant fish..

Upper Cape: Along the Cape Cod Canal, the towns of Bourne and Sandwich define the northern limit of
the upper Cape  
Mid Cape includes Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis. The mid Cap is where you will find Hyannis Airport
Lower Cape includes Brewster, Harwich , and Chatham.
Outer Cape starts in Orleans and includes Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.
Reaching Cape Cod: Boston is the nearest large city to Cape Cod.


Air service reaches Boston from other major hubs and cities.
  • Rental cars are available at the airport. From Boston take Route 93 to Route 3 and after 60
miles, cross the Cape Cod Canal. Continue on Route 6 for all locations on Cape Cod or go to Route 6A
for the slower scenic route through the villages. Routes 6 and 6A join in Orleans and go to the tip of
Cape Cod.

  • Commuter Air service
Several small commuter airlines serve Hyannis Airport and Provincetown Airport on Cape Cod from
Boston, Providence, and New Bedford.   Cape Air, US Airways Express, and Linear Air (Hanscom Field
Bedford Ma)

  • Bus Service
Bus service is available from Boston and from Logan Airport.  Plymouth and Brockton, Logan
Direct serves Hyannis
Bonanza Bus Lines serves Bourne, Falmouth, and the Wood's Hole Ferry from Logan Airport

  • Boats to Outer Cape Cod from Boston
Passenger Boats  leave daily from Boston to the tip of Cape Cod (May -September)   at Provincetown.
Bicycles can go aboard.
A fast cat boat  makes daily trips from Boston. Bicycles permitted

  • Boats to Lower Cape Cod from Plymouth, MA
A passenger boat makes a daily run from Plymouth, MA to Provincetown. Bikes allowed on board
Where  is Cape Cod
Custom Search
Bike Trails on Lower and Outer Cape Cod
include the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Wellfleet
and the Provincelands Dunes Trail in
Provincetown.  These off-road trails make
family biking a safe and fun way to
experience Cape Cod
type="text/javascript">
Take the Cape cod
Rail trail to Orleans
and then a side road
to Skaket Beach
Herring Cove Beach for  
the Provinceland Dunes
trail
Brewster's Drummer Boy
Park