Cape Cod National Seashore
Ocean beaches, kettle ponds, cedar swamp, lighthouses, dunes, and centuries of coastal life stretch along the Outer Cape.
Artwork inspired by Edward Hopper
Ocean beaches, kettle ponds, cedar swamp, lighthouses, dunes, and centuries of coastal life stretch along the Outer Cape. This is not one beach. Glacial landforms, eroding cliffs, maritime ecology, Wampanoag presence, lifesaving stations, radio history, and summer communities overlap across six towns.
Choose one beach and one inland or historic stop. Beach fees, shuttle patterns, stairs, surf, sharks, seals, and parking capacity vary sharply by season and location. Distances are longer than the map suggests and cellular service can be inconsistent. Never approach seals, and follow current shark-safety guidance. A second stop inland makes the Cape’s freshwater ecology impossible to miss.
- Shoreline
- About 40 miles
- Established
- 1961
- Landscape
- Dunes, ponds, marsh, forest
Quick guide
- Pick a coast
- Atlantic surf and bay water behave differently.
- Add one interior
- A pond or swamp reveals another Cape.
Know before you go
- Pick a coast
- Atlantic surf and bay water behave differently.
- Add one interior
- A pond or swamp reveals another Cape.
- Respect the bluff
- Erosion makes cliff edges unstable.
- Check beach status
- Surf, sharks, and parking change daily.
Good to know
Distances are longer than the map suggests and cellular service can be inconsistent. Never approach seals, and follow current shark-safety guidance.
Notice these
- Marconi Beach
- Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
- Highland Light