CITY GUIDE
Beaches
If we can’t be in the Lowcountry, the
Cape’s beaches are among the finest in
the world. Because Chatham is located
on the “elbow” of the Cape, the vast
white sand beaches offer a diversity of
choices, including saltwater and fresh-
water beaches.
Cycling Along the Cape Cod Rail Trail
The paved rail-trail rolls 22 miles
through Massachusetts’ southeast-
ern peninsula and into the Cape Cod
National Seashore, connecting half a
dozen New England towns full of 17th-
century charm. All along the trail there
are bicycle rental shops, places to stop
for food and ice cream, swimming holes,
and the beaches of the national seashore.
The Cape Cod National Seashore
“A man may stand there and put all
America behind him.” (Henry David
Thoreau)
The great Outer Beach described by
Thoreau in the 1800s is protected
within the national seashore. President
John F. Kennedy signed a bill in 1961
creating the Cape Cod national sea-
shore. These 40 miles of pristine sandy
beach, marshes, ponds, wild cranberry
bogs, and uplands support diverse
species. This stretch of seashore is also
home to five lighthouses.
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