Race Point North

About this Location

Race Point Beach, one of Provincetown's Cape Cod National Seashore beaches, has a wide swath of sand stretching far off into the distance around the point and Coast Guard station. Behind the beach are dunes. Bike trails lead off the parking lot. Some boats are in view. Surfing is allowed past protected areas. Bugs were exceptionally annoying. 

Race Point Beach is known for its rougher waters and beautiful landscape. A strong undertow makes it more difficult for swimmers, so inexperienced swimmers should stay in shallow areas. This is also a spectacular beach for sunbathers due to its northern location – the sun shines directly on the sand all day. If feeling athletic after lounging on the beach all morning, the Province Lands Bike Trail nearby leads to another seashore beach, Herring Cove.

About Cape Cod National Seashore

See all hotspots at Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod is a large peninsula extending 60 miles into the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of Massachusetts. Located on the outer portion of the Cape, Cape Cod National Seashore’s 44,600 acres encompass a rich mosaic of marine, estuarine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. These systems and their associated habitats reflect the Cape’s glacial origin, dynamic natural processes, and at least 9,000 years of human activity. Geomorphic shoreline change, groundwater fluctuations, tidal dynamics including rising sea level, and atmospheric deposition are among the many physical processes that continue to shape the Seashore’s ecosystems. Marine and estuarine systems include beaches, sand spits, tidal flats, salt marshes, and soft-bottom benthos. Freshwater ecosystems include kettle ponds, vernal pools, sphagnum bogs, and swamps. Terrestrial systems include pitch pine and scrub oak forests, heathlands, dunes, and sandplain grasslands. Many of these habitats are globally uncommon and the species that occupy them are correspondingly rare.

Features

  • Entrance fee

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Cape Cod National Seashore website

Last updated March 18, 2024