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    Cape Cod National Seashore

    4.7 (44 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

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    Mr F G And Mrs M S.

    We were here during the spring so it was too cold to enjoy the beach. The views were great. Love the lighthouse. Great place to enjoy the day.

    Three Sisters Lighthouses
    Genevieve B.

    What a stunning landmark and location! My husband and I made the drive out to the seashore on Memorial Day weekend, and we absolutely did not regret it! We beat the traffic by arriving before 10:30am on Sunday morning. We popped into the welcome center and gift shop before viewing the Three Sisters lighthouses and ultimately, the famous Nauset Light (bring your bag of Cape Cod chips with you for a photo op!) We ended up paying the $25 to park our car in the lot so we could walk to the Nauset light and the beach. Overall, definitely worth it for the memorable views. We will definitely be back when the weather gets warmer as well to enjoy the beach more!

    Getting There
    Mercedes C.

    If you love the sea in all it's grandeur like I do AND still enjoy the 'woodsy' nature, Cape Cod National Seashore gives you both- because it's so much more than just a picnic at the beach. Don't expect to walk on the countless paved or sandy paths or even walk on the beach in a day or two- because you won't- because there's to much land to cover. Hubs and I couldn't leave Ptown and the surrounding towns like Wellfleet without inhaling the ocean scent and walking on the beach. The National Seashore is vast- and even though we came here on our own without a tour guide, we still went ahead to explore the marsh. There are too many loops and turns and way too many path entrances to even count or tell you about. Hubs actually parked by the side of the road several times when it was possible and trekked to nearby paths. Plus some of the paths even have direct access to the shoreline making it a double-feature.

    Joe P.

    This glorious strand of scenic coastline, stretching the 40-mile length of Cape Cod's eastern shore, is one of America's most accessible national parks -- a vast wonderland of unspoiled beaches, historic lighthouses and towering cliffs with spectacular views of the Atlantic. Like most of the great parks in the NPS system, there are far more activities to enjoy than a single trip will allow, so you'll have to narrow down your options to fit the length of your visit. Our family spent about 5 hours exploring just a small section of the National Seashore, starting at the Salt Pond Visitor Center near Eastham, then driving a short distance north to the famous Nauset Light, before finishing at the breathtaking Marconi Beach, the site of the first transatlantic wireless transmission between the United States and Europe, in 1903. While these stops represent just a small portion of the Seashore's vast geography, they provide a superb overview of what makes this place special. The Salt Pond Visitor Center, right off U.S. 6 near Eastham, is a great place to learn about the history and ecosystem of the Cape Cod Seashore, and also to get some valuable Ranger tips about how to best spend your time there. The Visitor Center provides a wonderful view of the adjacent Salt Pond and the Bay just beyond, as well as family-friendly nature trails through the surrounding marsh. If you have limited time at the Seashore (as we did), Nauset Beach and the Nauset Light should be your top priority. Accessed down a short trail from a spacious parking lot with modern restrooms (there's a small fee that lets you park anywhere in the Seashore), the beach is one of the best ways to experience the Cape's majestic coastline up close. We saw seal pups playing in the surf, and whale sightings are not uncommon. But if you're looking for a place to jump into the ocean yourself, this might not be the spot -- sharks are another frequent visitor to the Seashore, and the rough water can be frigid even in the early summer months. The Nauset Light, just opposite the beach parking lot, is another essential stop. Cape Cod's iconic lighthouse (it's the one on specialty license plates and the famous potato chip bags), Nauset dates to 1923, but has been relocated several times from its original location because of erosion. It's one of the Cape's quintessential photo spots and one of New England's most popular sights. Afterward, take the short walk inland to see the Three Sisters -- a trio of small lighthouses from the 1830s that were relocated here after being decommissioned in the early 1900s. The last stop, Marconi Beach, offers a perspective of the Cape Cod coastline that's like no other. A short walk from the parking lot to the observation platform will reward you with dramatic ocean views from the cliffs that tower 40' over the surf below, as well as a visit to the spot where the Marconi Wireless Tower stood between 1901 and 1920, when erosion required it to be dismantled. There's so much more to experience at the Cape Cod National Seashore, but this brief itinerary will provide an amazing way to spend an afternoon if your time is limited. We're already planning a return visit to finish the drive north to Provincetown, where some of the Cape's other notable lighthouses are located. But even if you only have a few hours to spend here, you'll leave with a new appreciation for this breathtaking coastline and it's indelible place in American history.

    Tiffany Y.

    Gorgeous, with miles of undisturbed beaches. You can likely find a pretty secluded spot at any time of the day. I saw lots of different wildlife (especially seals swimming close to shore!). There are signs to be aware for sharks which can also swim in the shallow waters, so know that ahead of time. Several sections are dog-friendly depending on the time of year as well -- but in the summer when many other beaches are closed to dogs, check the NPS website for the sections of beach where dogs are allowed. The visitor centers are helpful and great places to start for your visit. Love it here!

    Cynthia V.

    Beautiful!! You can't go wrong visiting our numerous national park service sites and CCNS is no different. Take time to enjoy the lighthouses and undulating coastline. We did a quick drive through on our way to Provincetown and I wish we had more time - just an excuse to come back! The visitor center has several neat exhibits to enjoy as well.

    near Nauset Light and beach
    Jana C.

    I'll boil it down to pure dum luck: we were spoiled by warm, blue skies on April 9, and we were so incredibly fortunate for it... enhanced the whole experience of traveling what Thoreau called the arm and fist of MA from Eastham up to Ptown! Stop off points included the Visitor's Center whereby I learned that the cliffs erode at an ave. rate of 3 feet per year! Then onto Nauset and Highland lighthouses, the Marconi Site where the first transatlantic signal stretched via cables from Europe to the US, Atlantic white cedar swamp hiking trail (only 1+ mile RT), and the shore view from the western end of the arm in Wellfleet, and traveling clear up to Provincetown, the former workingman's Portuguese fishing village. I was really pleasantly surprised by Ptown, as it holds loads of charm and character. Though the twilight hours when we arrived saw a petering out of folks, some stores were still open for perusing, and both the plethora of galleries as well as liberal raunch was definitely notable. The PIlgrim's monument is located here, in honor of the Pilgrims actually first landing here for a month before sailing over to Plymouth. Beautiful strolling along Commerical Ave before we headed over to the beach to join the cast of others who were all parked along to witness the glorious view over the Atlantic.

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    4 years ago

    I've only had breakfasts here, but they are very good. Love Uncle Tim's biscuit breakfast and the Jerusalem Bagel with smoked salmon.

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    9 years ago

    Definitely worth stopping and taking the walk down the stairs to the beach. There are endless beautiful rocks to collect along the water.

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    5 years ago

    Amazing. The water is chilly but the views and beach and hiking trails make up for it.

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    14 years ago

    The water is ice cold, and the trek down to the beach is a haul, but IMHO the National Seashore is the best beach on the east coast.

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    13 years ago

    If I lived here, I would live here. Beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. Love Marconi best of all. Dunes, waves, miles of beach. Heaven.

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    Ask the Community - Cape Cod National Seashore

    Review Highlights - Cape Cod National Seashore

    enhanced the whole experience of traveling what Thoreau called the arm and fist of MA from Eastham up to Ptown!

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    Nauset Light

    Nauset Light

    (6 reviews)

    Alright. So,…read moreyou're into Pharology and you find yourself in the mid-Cape Cod region. Where are you going? Here, of course. Let's keep this tight and brief. If you come you've got a decent sized parking lot with maybe 100-ish spaces. I would imagine in season on summer weekends, no comment on how diabolical it must be to get a space. For our visit, no such issues. Mid-April weekend with maybe ten other cars. To me, there are three things to do here: 1. You're going out the southeast corner of the parking lot and down the path to the beach. 2. You're taking the walk down Cable Road to see what's left of the Three Sisters Lighthouses. Yes, there is a very small "lot" there that you can drive to but it's also very walkable although at least to me, the sisters aren't much to look at considering what's left of them. 3. The actual lighthouse itself. www.google.com/maps/place/Nauset+Lighthouse/@41.8597353,-69.9516991,596m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89fb65fd06b8316b:0xbf5c17f8a7fb30c9!8m2!3d41.8601357!4d-69.9529498!16zL20vMGR5MGdt?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D If you're looking to climb here's the '26 schedule: static1.squarespace.com/static/58d3b9d8e6f2e19c40afa7d6/t/69d85ec2e179236def9f0375/1775787714973/2026+hours-8x11.pdf Historical context: www.nausetlight.org/history Pay a pretty penny to stay in the Keeper's House next door: www.nausetlight.org/stay And yes, of course, blah, blah, blah, Cape Cod Potato Chip bag lighthouse, blah, blah, blah. Beautiful setting and well worth the hour spent. Maybe on the next visit we can be here for when Nauset is open and the 44 steps to the top can be tackled. Either way, yep, it's worth a visit.

    Had a free day to burn so I took a drive towards the coast. I saw this was one of the coastal…read moreattractions. It is awesome to see and read about the history of this lighthouse. Unfortunately everything in the area is shutdown so no tours are available. None the less, it was nice to see, and I enjoyed a great view !!!

    Captain Penniman House

    Captain Penniman House

    (6 reviews)

    Great house tour by national seashore docent. And u can walk around the grounds. Granted there are…read morelots o bugs so be prepped w bug spray!

    This is a fine example of 19th century European architecture where you'd least expect to find it:…read moreon Cape Cod. The home of a New Bedford whaling captain built in the mid 1800s, the Penniman House has been preserved as a National Historic site on the Cape Code National Seashore, and the house is just beautiful. We couldn't find info on hours or tours on the website, so we headed out to the Cape hoping that we'd get lucky, but apparently the house is only open T-Th from 1-4, with guided tours on Saturdays. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating visit. The grounds are tiny, though, so don't go expecting some vast tract of land and giant house a la Tory Row in Boston. This was very minimalist as far as European style was concerned, but for a house on the Cape, it's pretty amazing. All of the original details on the moldings are still intact, and peering through the windows, we saw that the old floors and wallpaper had been also preserved. There is also a beautiful carriage house. The most awesome thing about this house has to be the whale jawbone entry gate when you first walk up to it from the parking lot. It's a real sperm whale jawbone painted white and affixed to posts of wood to act as an archway. Minus one star for the weird hours plus scant information on the weird hours online. The Cape Code National Seashore site is confusing as it is; I really think they should maybe look at redesigning their site to make it more accessible. But I definitely recommend the Penniman House as a short stop if you're on Route 6 on your way up the Cape. It's a nice 15 minute break and a great photo op.

    Town of Wellfleet

    Town of Wellfleet

    (4 reviews)

    Go back in…read moretime I love Wellfleet, it's my favorite part of the Cape. We have been coming here for years, owned property here and still have friends we frequently visit. Surprisingly it really hasn't changed that much over the years. Sure the traffic on Rt. 6 is still hellish during the summer but then it was always pretty bad. Most of it is heading toward P-Town and just going through Wellfleet. The town does get crowded during the summer but you can still find quiet places to get away. The center of town is about as quaint and New England as it gets. A few little stores, a couple of restaurants and a beautiful church. What really makes Wellfleet special is that most of it was left undeveloped.. Just one lovely place after another that was left pristine and wild. Most of the entire east side is dunes and beach. Wellfleet is a great place for walking along a lonely beach, biking on the trails or kayaking in the harbor. If you want some excitement P-Town is only a short drove to the north. If you want to go out to the islands Hyannis and the ferries aren't too far away, although in the summer it might take a while to actually get there. Like most of the Cape Wellfleet is the nicest in the off season when it becomes quiet, lonely and very, very special.

    I love Wellfleet and September is one of my favorite months to go. The crowds have died down and…read morewe can drive here with ease. During the summer we only come by boat so road rage doesn't set in but then we're faced with the hordes of tourists in town. It's still a terrific place to be but the fall is something extra special. It was a gorgeous, sunny and warm day for a walk around the picture-perfect New England center of town, with plenty of time and space to wander into some of the shops and galleries. We are boaters so we like checking out the harbor and looking around at other people's boats. There were still plenty of them to see down at the town pier. The beach is beautiful and ideal now for a peaceful walk with the incredible dunes behind you. The pace was really relaxing, unhurried and with comfortable temperatures. This is a great town for walking and biking. It's so worth a trip down this time of year. Go if you can.

    Cape Cod National Seashore - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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