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.
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| Topographic map with GPS route overlay |
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| One-half of the parking lot |
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| Trailhead boardwalk |
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| Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) |
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| Typical trail conditions |
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| Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) |
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| Wide pathway |
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| American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
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| Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown |
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| White Oak (Quercus alba) |
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| White oak leaves |
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| An unmarked trail junction - the path to the left is a shortcut |
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| Boardwalk over a potentially muddy section of the trail |
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| Continuing to climb the ravine |
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| Barricade marks a turn without the need of a sign |
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| Fifty-two stairsteps to the top... |
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| ...just to descend forty-eight steps down the other side |
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| More stairs |
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| Path narrows |
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| A short but steep side path leads to the open dunes |
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| Dunes to the north |
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| Dunes to the south |
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| Forest and trail to the east |
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| Timbers used to stabilize the trail |
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| Meeting up with the shortcut |
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| Turning right at the unmarked junction |
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| Wide and easy pathway |
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| Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) |
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| Northern end of Blackwater Pond |
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| Fall colors reflected on the pond |
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| Ducks on Blackwater Pond |
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| More reflections on the pond |
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| A wide path again |
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| Leaves litter the path |
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| Side path to another pond southwest of the trail |
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| View from the side path |
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| Approaching the parking lot |
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| Restrooms |
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| 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.
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