Trail Directions
| Trail Map
| Off the Trail
|
Trail History
The Cape Cod Rail Trail follows a former
railroad right-of-way for 22 miles through the towns of Dennis, Harwich,
Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. Its paved surface, few hills,
and well-marked automobile crossings make it ideal for cyclists. The trail
has a wide unpaved shoulder on one side to accommodate horseback riding,
walkers, and runners.
Trail Directions
(Top)
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is located in the mid-Cape area, in southeastern
Massachusetts.
Free parking for trail users is available at:
Mike's Bike trail Rentals (Free Parking)
• The trailhead at Route 134 in South Dennis
• Headwaters Drive in Harwich
• Route 137 in Brewster
• Nickerson State Park in Brewster
• Orleans Center
• Cape Cod National Seashore at the Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham,
one-half mile from the Locust Road intersection with the trail
• National Seashore at Marconi Area
• The trailhead at LeCount Hollow Road in South Wellfleet
Off the Trail
(Top)
Information Coming Soon ....
Trail Map:
(Top)
Trail History:
(Top)
Before the first railroad tracks were laid, the Cape was a
relatively isolated area, accessible only by packet boat or stagecoach. By
1848, the Old Colony Railroad Company laid tracks that connected Boston
and Sandwich. Railroad track extensions continued and by 1873, Old Colony
had linked Boston with Cape Cod’s outermost point of Provincetown,
offering a miraculously short, five-hour journey. As the Cape’s popularity
as a summer resort increased, the railroad was heavily used to transport
visitors from New York and Connecticut, as well as other parts of
Massachusetts. With the growing number of visitors came train-loads of
food and other provisions needed to meet their needs. But the railroad’s
importance was soon surpassed by the automobile. Bridges to carry cars
over Cape Cod Canal were opened in 1935, and in 1937 passenger service to
the towns east of Dennis ended. Trains continued to haul freight until the
mid-1960’s, but then the tracks were torn up and the station-houses were
razed or vandalized. If you look carefully as you ride along the trail,
you can still see occasional relics of the Cape’s rail days.
