Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod National Seashore Review

The Cape's most expansive national treasure, the Cape Cod National Seashore was established in 1961 under the administration of President John F. Kennedy, for whom Cape Cod was home and haven. The 27,000-acre seashore, extending from Chatham to Provincetown, encompasses and protects 30 mi of superb ocean beaches; great rolling dunes; swamps, marshes, and wetlands; pitch-pine and scrub-oak forest; all kinds of wildlife; and a number of historic structures. Self-guided nature trails, as well as biking and horse trails, lace through these landscapes. Hiking trails lead to a red-maple swamp, Nauset Marsh, and to Salt Pond, in which breeding shellfish are suspended from floating "nurseries"; their offspring will later be used to seed the flats. Also in the seashore is the Buttonbush Trail, a nature path for people with vision impairments. A hike or bike ride to Coast Guard Beach leads to a turnout looking out over marsh and sea. A section of the cliff here was washed away in 1990, revealing the remains of a prehistoric dwelling.