lia835

We are visiting family in Worcester, but plan to go to Cape Cod for about 3 days in mid-August (Monday through Wednesday, returning Worcester on Thurs possibly). I have a very rough itinerary so far from ready a travel guide, but I need to beef it up with your suggestions.

Day 1: visit husband's college ont he way to cape cod, go to Falmouth and do the Shining Sea Bikeway
Day 2: Chatham, Fort Hill Trail and other trails nearby, Salt Pond visitor center with short trails
Day 3: Truro, Provincetown (may do a whale watch tour, but I'm afraid of getting seasick).

We are currently living in Oahu, so I'm not sure how interested we will be with the beaches. If it wasn't for the parking fees, I would've like to drop by a few for a quick look. My husband likes to look at crabs and tidepools, so if anyone has any suggestions for a good beach to visit, that would be great.

I like photography, scenery, short hikes. We don't like particularly like museums or shopping.

Also, we want to camp in tents. Does anyone have any suggestions for good campgrounds, esp ones with views? Thanks!

MareW

You can buy a one day (or longer) pass to the beaches on the Cape Cod National Seashore. That way, you could visit several with only one parking fee. I think it would be a shame to go and miss the beaches. I'm sure they're very different from those in Oahu.

Also, the beaches all stop charging at a certain point late in the day, but it varies from beach to beach.

You might be able to get someone to tell you if they expect choppy seas on the day you're considering a Whale watch cruise. I've been on three, and only one left me feeling a bit ill.

yellowbyrd

National Seashore beaches are free after 5:30 in the evening. Rock Harbor in Orleans at low tide would be a perfect place to check out tidal pools. There is no fee at this Harbor. Or take a nice walk at the Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary on the Eastham/Wellfleet line for another Cape Cod Bay experience.

escargot

This website would be a good one for you to look through - some great spots - for views, hiking, etc

http://www.thetrustees.org/

Here was a recent article about local camping on the way to the Cape, and I am sure there is also a MA camping website with additional info -

and

www.massbike.org

lists some great biking tails

seafox

Are you planning staying one night in each town (Falmouth, Chatham, Ptown)? You may run into some challenges with single night reservations. Although your mid week itinerary will help. My advice is book now. In Ptown an option to the whale watch is Art's Dune tour. They take you four wheeling in a Suburban into the National Seashore where you learn about the whaling trade, the see rescue process(early Coast Guard) and you see the famous Dune Shacks. It's a pretty cool alternative way to see part of the park the public does not otherwise have easy access. Great for photos etc. After the tour you can then choose and area you may want to hike/walk. Ptown itself is sort of like a New England steroid version of Lahaina (30 years ago). Arts community, old whaling village, diversity, great eats lots of BYBs etc. all rolled together in a space 2 street wide and 2 miles long.

Sara

Although it's been a few years since I camped there, the North of Highland Campsites in Truro was a very nice campground, adjacent to the national seashore. It doesn't have a view of the water, but it's a short walk down the road to a nice beach. Their campsites are geared for tents. Depending on when you plan to go, there may be a minimum number of nights you have to stay. Here's their website:
http://www.capecodcamping.com/index.php

raineday

It's a long way from Falmouth to the Outer Cape. Instead of doing the trail in Falmouth why don't you do part of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, 26 miles long. The southern (western) end is the most scenic.
The Fort Hill hiking trail is pretty short but scenic.
You can park for free at Salt Pond and bike the Coast Guard Beach trail to the beach with free entry. Or you can take the Rail Trail across route 6 and bike to Orleans and beyond.
The bike trails at Nickerson State Park (exit 12)are nice but hilly. But you can also camp there for $20 a night. The campground is pretty full right now but you can drive up and see availability the day of.Go early, like 9 am for a site or try www.reserveamerica.com.
Two of the better tenting campgrounds that I tented at were Horton's in Truro and Dunes Edge in Provincetown. Horton's was very quiet and you can bike the backroads. Highland lighthouse and the beach are very very close by. Dunes Edge Campground is right before P-Town. You can bike to town, less than a mile. Both of these campgrounds (like most Cape Cod campgrounds) are no frills, no pools, no fires. The only campgrounds that allow open fires are Nickerson State Park in Brewster and Paine's in Wellfleet, unless you go way south.
The best bike trail on the Cape is the Provincelands part of the National Seashore right in P-Town. You can bike there from Dunes Edge. You can bike to two beaches with free entry..Race Point and Herring Cove. P-town is a great place to hang and bikes are a great way to get around.
So if I were you I would camp at Dunes Edge in P-Town and bike to town or the beaches.
Tide poll at low tide bayside P-Town. Or a nice place to find crabs is Mayo Beach in Wellfleet or Great Island up the road at low tide or at the Audubon Sanctuaries in Wellfleet or Chatham.
There is a jetty (breakwater) next to the Provincetown Inn that you can walk on for about a mile to Long Point the very tip of Cape Cod. It does not look like Hawaii at all.
For a whale watch take a pill for seasickness. One the night before one the morning of.

lia835

wow, thanks for everyone's help! Lots of information to digest and further research! To answer seafox's question, I was thinking of camping one night in the falmouth area and then 2 nights somewhere between chatham and provincetown. It sounds like the campgrounds get filled and it's better to have a reservation ahead of time?

escargot

While reservations are not always necessary, if you want to be sure of your place, as with anything, then I would try and make one -
the articles in local Massachusetts papers have been that camp grounds are filled this year because camping presents a far more affordable vacation alternative than flying, lengthy drives, etc, etc - so I think it might be advisable for you to do that.

escargot

Here is one recent local article
http://preview.tinyurl.com/65ghrb

seafox

Dunes Edge is a good suggestion. I must admit that while within a half mile of me house I've never checked it out I have heard that it it is a good experience. You must have reservations for August so plan now. Also, I believe the bike rental places in Ptown will reserve bikes. Do it now if Ptown is on your list. The town explodes in August. The good news is you will still get the feel of the very lovely place it is - despite the crowds. The National Seashore is a grand legacy of the Kennedy Administration. Had it not been designated a true treasure would be lost by now (A Hilton resort with an endless golf course by the sea....as a resident of HI, you know what can be lost....)

All said too, I would not rule out a B&B in Ptown. If you can not get a tent site, go for it......

lia835

Thank you for everyone's help. We made reservations for 3 nights at Dune's Edge b/c that was the minimum number of nights.