Cape Cod has more accessible trails than most people realize. If you use a wheelchair or have mobility limitations, there are paved and boardwalk trails through marsh, dune and forest landscapes that give you a real experience of the Cape, not just a parking lot view.
In This Article
Accessible Trails
The Cape Cod National Seashore has several accessible trails. The Buttonbush Trail at Salt Pond Visitor Center is a short paved loop with interpretive panels and a guide rope for blind visitors. The Fort Hill trail has a paved section with views over Nauset Marsh. Province Lands Beech Forest Trail has a flat, paved loop through a beech forest.
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved bike path that runs 22 miles from Dennis to Wellfleet. Flat, smooth and wide enough for wheelchairs — though the full distance is obviously not a casual roll. The section from Nickerson State Park to the National Seashore is the most scenic.
Beach Access
Some National Seashore beaches have beach wheelchair programs — you can borrow a wheelchair with large, sand-capable wheels for free at Coast Guard Beach and other locations. Call ahead to reserve.
Getting There
Cape Cod is about 70 miles southeast of Boston. The Sagamore and Bourne bridges connect the Cape to the mainland. Summer traffic on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings is brutal — plan around it. The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority runs buses between the main towns.