Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail - Cape Cod National Seashore

The parking lot for the Marconi Station Site also serves as the trailhead for the one-mile loop of the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Cape Cod National Seashore. The loop is designed to be hiked in a clockwise direction, so that is what we did. The trail descends about 75 feet from the parking lot elevation to the boardwalk, but along the way it climbs a set of steps made of concrete beams to top a small hill before descending via another set of steps. From the end of the boardwalk, the trail climbs at a steady 3.5% grade back up to the parking area. Combining the stairs on the way down and the sand on the way back gives the trail a moderate rating. We hiked the trail during our October 2021 visit to the seashore.

Topographic map with GPS route overlay

Trailhead timbers encourage clockwise hiking the loop

A small sign helps keep us on the right path

The understory gets more substantial...

...and then thins out again

Watch for hazard trees

Timber steps help with the climb up a hill

Timber steps descending the other side

The trail widens

Another sign to keep us on the correct path instead of the shortcut

First view of the swamp

Boardwalk

Atlantic White Cedar

One of several benches on the boardwalk

Without a sign, we chose to explore the right fork

We found another bench...

...and the fork continues

One more bench

The two forks merge back together and continue to the right

Back on solid ground

Typical trail conditions

The trail joins the old Wireless Road and follows it to the right without any signs

A sign points the way as the shortcut rejoins the main trail

The steady climb of the Wireless Road

More of the Wireless Road

Gravel on the Wireless Road

Back to the trailhead

Cape Cod National Seashore beach entrance fees are collected daily from late June through Labor Day, and on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to the middle of September at select beaches. The six national seashore beaches where fees are collected are Coast Guard and Nauset Light in Eastham, Marconi in Wellfleet, Head of the Meadow in Truro, and Race Point and Herring Cove in Provincetown.

When an entry fee is collected, a fee of $25 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for the same day at Cape Cod National Seashore. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Cape Cod National Seashore Annual Pass for $60.

The Cape Cod National Seashore website is https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm.