Further Information
For specific inquiries about the Seashore prior to or after a visit, write: Superintendent, Cape Cod National Seashore, 99 Marconi Site Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667; or telephone 508-349-3785. Call the Salt Pond Visitor Center at 508-255-3421, or the Province Lands Visitor Center (closed in winter) at 508-487-1256.
Water Activities
Coast Guard Beach
Surf casting at Race Point, Provincetown
Mussels Quohogs Softshell clam
The Cape’s recreational activities are mostly water-related, naturally. Its many beaches, harbors, and inlets offer endless opportunities whether you want to swim, surf, sail, fish, water-ski, use a motorboat, or just sunbathe.
Swimming
Within the National Seashore, lifeguard services, restrooms, changing areas, and related facilities are located at these beaches operated by the National Park Service from Eastham to Provincetown: Coast Guard, Nauset Light, Marconi, Head of the Meadow, Race Point, and Herring Cove (see map on [pages 88-89]). Several towns also have public beaches; all of them charge parking fees in the summer.
The water usually is quite cold—temperatures may be in the high 50s°F even in the summer—and the surf can be rough at times, so be especially careful. Some parents with young children prefer beaches on Cape Cod Bay to those on the Atlantic coast because the water is warmer and usually calmer and because the beaches slope more gradually into the water. See rip current warning, [page 108].