Salt Pond Visitor Center - Cape Cod National Seashore

Salt Pond Visitor Center is one of two visitor centers at Cape Cod National Seashore. Located just east of US 6 in Eastham, Massachusetts, it is open year-round providing information to visitors. It houses the usual National Park Service (NPS) visitor center amenities including restrooms, a theater, bookstore and gift shop, and museum. There are over 150 paved parking spots for standard passenger vehicles. In addition, there is angled parking for six RVs or buses and 6 spots for handicap placarded vehicles. Ten additional spots are reserved for NPS vehicles and trailers.

When we visited in October 2021, access to the visitor center was extremely limited due to the Covid-19 protocols then in effect. A maximum of 6 visitors were allowed inside the store at a time. The information desk was recreated in the entrance vestibule and allowed for one visitor at a time to request information. The restrooms were also open but the museum and theater were closed. However, the 2018 fourteen-minute park orientation film Standing Bold can be seen online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQUojx9oj5M&t=607s. As is usual for NPS films, it does a great job of interpreting the seashore for visitors with excellent cinematography, editing, and production. 

Visitor Center from the parking lot

Makeshift information desk just inside the front door

Amphitheater

1850-era hay barge

Salt Pond

Shirts, books, and bags

Stationery, post cards, and puzzles

Patches, jackets, snacks, and toys

Lobby

Information desk

"Find Your Park" picture frame

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.