Doane Trail, Eastham Length: .6 mile loop, 30 minutes.

Location: Doane Picnic area, one mile east of Salt 

Pond Visitor Center on Nauset Road (leading to 

Coast Guard beach). Look for brown signs. 

Features: This paved, wheelchair-accessible loop 

trail with interpretive text winds through an emerging pine and oak forest. A picnic area is adjacent to 

the parking area. 

Conditions: Easy; wheelchair accessible grade 

(also good for strollers); seasonal restrooms.

Two hour parking limit.

Length: 1.3 mile loop, plus spur to Coast Guard 

Beach, one hour.

Location: Adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center 

amphitheater, 50 Nauset Road, off Route 6.

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. 

Nauset Marsh Trail, 

Eastham

There are several spectacular vistas along the way. 

(A minimally-maintained trail extension leads 

to Doane Picnic Area and Coast Guard Beach. 

Extension is one mile each way.)

Conditions: Easy; some log steps; moderate grade; 

use caution when crossing the bike trail; restrooms 

at visitor center parking area. 

Sections may be submerged at highest tides. Check at 

visitor center for conditions.

= Self-guiding trail folders with information on specific features are 

available at some trailheads. 

= Flat-soled shoes (ie: sneakers) are recommended. 

= In hot weather it is advisable to carry drinking water, wear a hat, 

and use sunscreen and bug spray.

= Boardwalks can be slippery when wet.

= Pets are prohibited on self-guiding trails year-round except 

for the Woods Walk at the Highlands Center in Truro.

= Bicycles are prohibited on self-guiding trails year-round.

= Remain on trails to protect sensitive resources.

= Wildflowers and other plant material, including saltmarsh plants, 

may not be picked. Limited quantities of edibles may be picked 

within the seashore. Check at visitor centers about regulations.

= Natural and archeological features are protected by federal law 

and must remain undisturbed.

= Taking, feeding, or harassing wildlife is prohibited.

Remain on designated trails to prevent damage, and reduce exposure to 

disease-carrying insects, poison ivy, and other natural risks. Observe trail conditions while walking, and be aware of tree roots, stumps, and other naturallyoccurring hazards. 

Length: 1 mile loop, one hour.

Location: 70 Fort Hill Road. 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 loop trail crosses open fields, connects with the Red Maple Swamp Trail (see below), 

and offers spectacular vistas of Nauset Marsh area.

Conditions: Easy; solid surface; some log steps on 

slopes; seasonal restrooms near Hemenway Landing.

Fort Hill Trail

Eastham

kidfriendly 

trail

a boardwalk bridge, and traverses formerly 

cultivated areas. 

Conditions: Easy; some log steps on the 

second half of the trail; moderate grade; 

restrooms at visitor center. 

Length: .3 mile loop, 15 minutes. 

Location: Adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center amphitheater, 50 Nauset Road, off Route 6.

Features: This loop trail which includes guide rope, 

text in braille and large print, and interactive features great for kids, involves all the senses as it winds 

through forest, crosses over the Buttonbush Pond on

Buttonbush Trail, 

Eastham

Trail have been closed due to structural deterioration 

and safety concerns. A small section of boardwalk 

through a fine example of red maple swamp is open 

from the junction with the Fort Hill Trail. Check at Salt 

Pond Visitor Center for the current status of this trail, 

and for your safety, remain out of closed areas. 

Conditions: Moderate difficulty; seasonal restrooms near Hemenway Landing.

Length: .8 mile round trip, 30 minutes.

Location: Enter this trail from the Fort Hill Trail 

(see above.)

Features: Boardwalk sections of this trail meander 

through the heart of the Red Maple Swamp. This setting is most colorful in the fall. 

Sections of the boardwalk at the Red Maple Swamp 

Red Maple Swamp Trail

Eastham

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Cape Cod National Seashore

www.nps.gov/caco

Self-Guiding Trails

NPS/Mechling NPS/Keohan NPS/Keohan
Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6, Eastham, MA 02642

508 - 255 - 3421, open year round 

Province Lands Visitor Center, Race Point Road, Provincetown, MA 02657

508 - 487 - 1256, open May through October

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA

Length: 1.2 mile loop, one hour.

Location: 195 Marconi Station Road. At stop light, 

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 trail descends through a stunted oak 

and pine forest into a mature woodland, leads to a

boardwalk that winds through the picturesque 

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, and returns via the 

historic “Wireless Road” (a sand road) to the starting location. 

Conditions: Moderate difficulty; some steep stairs; 

return route is 1⁄2 mile in soft sand; swamp portion 

of this trail is boardwalk; seasonal restrooms.

Atlantic White Cedar 

Swamp Trail, Wellfleet

Small’s Swamp Trail, 

North Truro

Length: .6 mile loop, 30 minutes.

Location: Turn right off Route 6, 1.2 miles past the 

brown Head of the Meadow Beach sign, at the 

Pilgrim Heights area sign. Walk begins and ends at 

the covered shelter. 

Features: Chosen by Native People for living sites for 

thousands of years for water, protection, and food

sources, early-European settlers also sought to make 

a living on this landscape. Gradually, the soil gave 

out, farms were abandoned, and 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 area. 

Pilgrim Spring Trail, 

North Truro

Length: .7 mile loop, 30 minutes.

Location: Turn right off Route 6, 1.2 miles past the 

brown Head of the Meadow Beach sign on the 

right, at the Pilgrim Heights area sign. Walk begins 

at the covered shelter. Upon exiting the trail near 

restrooms, proceed ahead across the parking area to 

your vehicle.

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 parking area 

at end of trail.

Pamet Area Trails, 

North Truro

Length: .6 miles each way, plus extensions, 45 minutes. Adjacent fire roads offer additional miles of 

walking opportunities.

Location: 11 North Pamet Road. Take Truro Center/

Pamet Roads exit off Route 6 in Truro. Proceed 11⁄2 

miles on North Pamet Road to the end. Trail begins 

at the parking area adjacent to the Environmental 

Education Center (a hostel in summer). 

Features: The Bearberry Hill overlooks offer spectacular views of the Pamet landscape, with views 

of the Atlantic and the glacial terrain of the Pamet 

valley, and a former boghouse from the era of commercial cranberry harvesting. Outdoor exhibits and 

a folder keyed to trail markers describe the area. 

Conditions: Moderate difficulty; log steps; steep 

grade to overlook. No restrooms.

Woods Walk at 

Highlands Center, 

North Truro

Length: 1 mile, 30 minutes 

Location: 43 Old Dewline Road. Take Route 6 

to the Highland Light Exit in North Truro. Go 

East on Highland Road. Turn right onto South 

Highland Road. After 0.6 miles, turn left onto Old 

Dewline Road. The Highlands Center is at the end 

of the road.

Features: This trail winds through the back woods 

of the emerging Highlands Center for arts, science, 

and education. It offers a glimpse of the Cold War 

past amidst forest, heathlands, and dramatic ocean 

bluffs.

Conditions: Moderate difficulty; paved and unpaved roads; sections with fairly steep terrain. 

No restrooms. Leashed dogs are permitted.

Beech Forest Trail, 

Provincetown

Length: 1 mile loop, (pond loop 3⁄4 mile, extension 

loop 1⁄4 mile), one hour.

Location: 36 Race Point Road. Turn right off Route 6 

at traffic light onto Race Point Road. Proceed approximately 1⁄2 mile to the Beech Forest parking area 

on left.

Features: Journey into the heart of a picturesque 

beech forest, and enjoy great bird watching 

opportunities, especially in spring and fall. 

It skirts the shallow Beech Forest Pond. 

Conditions: Easy; extension loop has steep log 

steps; some soft sand; picnic area and seasonal 

restrooms at trailhead; Province Lands bicycle 

trail can be accessed from parking area. 

Follow Cape Cod 

National Seashore

www.nps.gov/caco

Great Island Trail,

Wellfleet

Length: 3.9 - 8.8 miles round trip (3.9 for tavern loop 

round trip to parking area; 8.8 for round trip to Jeremy 

Point overlook including tavern loop.)

Allow three to five hours to explore Great Island.

Location: Corner of Griffin Island and Chequessett 

Neck Road. 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 Chequessett Neck Road 

to the Great Island parking area. (Keep water view on 

left after leaving Route 6.)

Temporary detours and closures may be in effect during shorebird nesting periods. 

Features: This trail follows sandy stretches between the elevated heights of Great Island and 

Great Beach Hill. Its higher elevations punctuate 

spectacular vistas which emerge from an evenaged, pitch-pine forest. Part of this trail leads to a 

colonial-era tavern site (no remains visible). Other 

sections skirt salt marsh embayments. 

A picnic area is adjacent to parking area.

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 advised; portable toilets.

CAUTION: Trail options can 

be confusing. Check tide 

table. Do not attempt to 

walk to Jeremy Point if the 

tide is rising. 

* BEACH ACCESS VIA DESIGNATED TRAIL 

ONLY. Do not traverse dune to reach beach (enforced). Stay on designated trails to protect fragile resources.