Dune Shacks Trail, Provincetown

About this Location

Sand Dune Trail is a 2.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Provincetown, Massachusetts that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from March until October.

This trail is a trek over impressive sand dunes to the beach. Walking up and down the sandy dunes can be fairly challenging, especially on a hot day but you’ll be able to cool off with a swim once you reach the beach across the dunes. This is a great hike for kids to get an up-close view of the sand dune ecosystem on Cape Cod!

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.

Notable Trails

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike using the Dune Shacks Trail.

Features

  • Entrance fee

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Cape Cod National Seashore website and AllTrails webpage

Last updated March 6, 2024