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Saturday, March 12, 2022

Beech Forest Trail - Cape Cod National Seashore


Our first hike during our October 2021 trip to Cape Cod National Seashore was the Beech Forest Trail. The trailhead is located on Race Point Road ½-mile north of US 6 in Provincetown. The paved parking lot has spaces for over ninety vehicles including four designated handicap spots. There is no parking for RVs, buses, or trailers. Seasonally open restrooms are located near the northern end of the parking area as well as several picnic tables with views of Blackwater Pond.

This loop trail is posted as one mile in length, although with the side paths that we also explored we hiked about 1.2 miles. We hiked the longer loop and did not explore the shortcut path. We hiked in a counter-clockwise direction. Beyond the shortcut, the trail has a couple of hills that are surmounted by dozens of steps to ascend forty feet before dropping down and ascending a further thirty feet. Most of the trail is wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The surface is mostly sand and dirt with some boardwalks to cross the potentially wet areas. The parking lot and the trail were mostly deserted when we visited on a fall weekday. Overall, it was a nice, easy, enjoyable hike.

Topographic map with GPS route overlay

One-half of the parking lot

Trailhead boardwalk

Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

Typical trail conditions

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

Wide pathway

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown

White Oak (Quercus alba)

White oak leaves

An unmarked trail junction - the path to the left is a shortcut

Boardwalk over a potentially muddy section of the trail

Continuing to climb the ravine

Barricade marks a turn without the need of a sign

Fifty-two stairsteps to the top...

...just to descend forty-eight steps down the other side

More stairs

Path narrows

A short but steep side path leads to the open dunes

Dunes to the north

Dunes to the south

Forest and trail to the east

Timbers used to stabilize the trail

Meeting up with the shortcut

Turning right at the unmarked junction

Wide and easy pathway

Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)

Northern end of Blackwater Pond

Fall colors reflected on the pond

Ducks on Blackwater Pond

More reflections on the pond

A wide path again

Leaves litter the path

Side path to another pond southwest of the trail

View from the side path

Approaching the parking lot

Restrooms

Blackwater Pond from the end of the trail

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.

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