Cape Cod National Seashore

The entire Atlantic Ocean coastline of Cape Cod was preserved as a National Park (CCNS) by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

The National Seashore offers several gateways to some of the most valuable real estate in America which can be accessed with an Entrance Pass purchased at booth at beach entrances.

Herring Cove Beach between Wood End and Race Point Lighthouses has ample parking and a beach facility which includes toilets, showers and take away food for the complete ‘day at the beach.’ Herring Cove parking on the Race Point end also offers access to a bike/walking trail that goes through the most rugged dunes and offers vistas of the salt marshes surrounding Hatches Harbor.

Another jump-off point for walking or biking the dunes is the Park’s Visitor Center on Race Road, again with ample free parking and rest rooms. And Beech Forest, further along Race Road back into town, has free parking and rest rooms, and self-guided walks to kettle ponds and bike/walking trails deep into the woods.

Maps and information for all of this are available at the National Seashore Visitors Center on Race Road. For more information please visit their website at NPS.gov/caco.

Cape Cod National Seashore, Race Point Beach

Be Shark Smart

Cape Cod’s waters are part of a natural and wild marine ecosystem with a rich diversity of sea life, including sharks and seals. Seals are the major prey species for the great white shark. Sharks often feed on seals close to shore, and they’ve been observed near swimming beaches.

While it is rare for a great white shark to bite a human, since 2012, sharks have bitten people three times in the waters off Truro and Wellfleet. One bite, in 2018, resulted in a fatality. With coastline topography changes and sharks and seals in the ocean, any level of activity in the water, whether wading, swimming, or surfing, will pose a different degree of risk.

Everyone going into the ocean should exercise caution and be willing to assume the level of risk associated with their behavior prior to entering the water.

If you decide to venture into the waters off Cape Cod, learn how to be Shark Smart.

Llearn how to be Shark Smart.

Do Not Feed or Touch Wildlife

Wildlife accustomed to being fed will become aggressive to obtain food. This includes coyote and fox. There have been serious incidents involving bites to people and pets. Report injured or deceased wildlife to park staff. Never touch injured wildlife.

Seashore, Beech Forest Walking Trail