Cape Cod Trails Conference Home Page
Long Walks on Cape Cod
Copyright 1996 Cape Cod Trails Conference
Province Lands
USGS Maps: Provincetown
Trailhead:
Province Lands Visitors Center on Race
Point Road, north of Route 6 in Provincetown.
Guide:
Park at the Visitors
Center, and take in the view from the
observation deck. It is spectacular. Ask the person
at the desk
for the brochure entitled "bicycle trails." For this walk,
you
will be partly on the Province Lands bicycle trail, and the little
map in the brochure will be helpful, in addition to the topograph-
ical map. Also ask for the brochure entitled "Beech Forest
Trail."
You will be on that trail soon. The center is open from April
through
November.
From the Visitors Center,
walk down the entrance road to the
parking lot and you will see the paved bike trail to the left of
Race
Point Road. Walk southeast on the bike trail for about
one mile
until it crosses Race Point Road and then crosses the parking lot
for
the Beech Forest Trail.
Walk to the north end
of the parking lot on the edge of the pond
and then follow the signs to the trail. You will be walking
counter-
clockwise for a little over one mile on this trail. The brochure
will tell you all about this area. Ignore the crossover trail
and
continue to the north end of the trail.
At the section of rail
fence, turn left and ascend the log stair-
way over the ridge and then down to the trail leading south back
to the
parking lot. You are in a unique, wooded environment, as
the brochure
tells you. When you get back to the parking lot, walk to
the south
end and pick up the bicycle trail heading southwest.
The bike trail meanders
for about one mile and one-half until
it reaches a trail junction with signs indicating various directions
and destinations. Just to the east of the junction, a foot
path goes
off into the woods due south. It is a well-worn path, easily
followed.
In about one-quarter
mile, you will reach a T intersection with
a pronounced woods road. Turn right and walk west on this
track as it
meanders along the edge of the swamp above Clapps Pond, for about
one
mile. Suddenly, the road will make a sharp horseshoe turn
to the
southeast, and the Pilgrim Memorial Tower will appear to your left.
You will immediately come to another woods road going east and
west.
Turn right, heading west.
In 100 yards you will
come out on Province Lands Road. Turn
left, heading southwest. You will see the bicycle trail coming
in
on your right. Walk the trail to the parking lot for Herring
Cove
Beach, just ahead of you. Walk out to the beach, and you
will see
Race Point Lighthouse to your right, off to the northwest.
Walk
toward it.
From Herring Cove Beach,
it looks as though you could walk
straight to the lighthouse on the beach. But you can't.
An inlet
to the tidal flat that is "Hatches Harbor" prevents your reaching
the spit that is Race Point. So walk along the beach for
about
one-half mile, where the tidal flat comes into view.
Now turn right and walk
up over the dunes and head overland
at a compass direction of 50 degrees. Don't worry about precision.
On this trek, you will be able to see landmarks all around you
and
can simply follow a sight line. Race Point Light is now to
your
left. The Pilgrim Memorial Tower is to your right.
Dead ahead,
sitting at the highest point on a hill, is the Visitors Center.
To the northeast, you
will see the Coast Guard Station, painted
white, with an orange-red roof. Further to the right of that
is
a weathered old building with a tower on top. That is the
old
lifesaving station that is now used to reenact the work of the
U.S. Lifesaving Service, the predecessor of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Also, do not be concerned
about trampling on vegetation.
There is ample open space along the trek. People walk all
over
here, as you can see from the foot tracks going everywhere.
Climb
up on the high points every now and then to enjoy the view, and
confirm your direction.
After about one mile
of bushwhacking in what the topographical
map calls "Snake Hills," you should see the bike path and road
merging toward you. If you are a little off to the right,
you will
walk onto the bike trail. If you are a little off to the
left, you
will come to a wide road in the sand. That is the track that
could
take you to Race Point, which will be the subject of the long walk
entitled "Race Point." Turn right on the track, and you will
inter-
sect the bike trail just before it goes into the tunnel under the
road.
Either way, go through
the tunnel and stop at the junction of
bike trails, with signs all around you. You could have spent
the
whole walk on the bike path. It's too bad that the park service
chose to pave the best walking route in the area. Bicyclists
are
not as likely to stop and admire the scenery and views as you have.
You have left the bike
trail at various points to explore
environments that only walkers can enjoy. So finish up the
hike by
bushwhacking to the Visitors Center on the east side of Province
Lands Road, and you will get a brief feel of the wilderness that
the Pilgrims encountered when they dropped anchor in the harbor.
This walk is eight to
nine
miles, depending on how much
wandering you have done. Allow four and one-half hours for
a small
group. If this adventure seems a little tame, try walking
down
Commercial Street in Provincetown on a Saturday night during the
height of the season!