Parking is not permitted on the inner route at the Race Point Lighthouse (north beach). All vehicles and boat trailers must be parked without obstructing traffic. Parking is permitted only on the open portion of the ORV corridor.

Driving through inner dune routes, posted shorebird nesting areas and lifeguard-protected beaches is prohibited. Foreshore and foredune areas are off limits to ORVs EXCEPT travel in the foreshore area when passing a beach cut where no backshore portion of the beach exists. All applicable federal and state laws and regulations apply and are enforceable. Travel may be restricted at the discretion of park rangers because of changing beach conditions and/or shorebird nesting activity.įor enjoyment of Cape Cod National Seashore's off-road route today and in future years, every operator must know, understand and abide by all seashore regulations.Īll ORV traffic is limited to the backshore area of the beach, a marked corridor defined by a 10 foot offset from the spring high tide line to the berm crest at the normal high tide line. See designated off-road routes and definitions on the maps and diagrams. Coast Guard Beach to Longnook Beach in Truro is open for night fishing only. The captain, who died several days later from the effects of exposure, is buried in Truro.The Off-Road Corridor includes the beach route from Race Point Lighthouse in Provincetown to Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro. United States Life Saving Service men dragged a whaleboat from the bay across the Cape to the outer beach and rescued all aboard. Although officially all goods on such a ship belonged to the colony, plunder occurred.įrom the Head of the Meadow Beach at North Truro, the wreck of the Frances, which sank in a December gale in 1872, may still be seen at low tide. Certainly, this was their theory when the famous pirate, Samuel Bellamy, and his ship, the Whydah, went down off Wellfleet in the spring of 1717. Sometimes owners of the wreck paid the local people to salvage their cargo often the local people simply went on the theory that finders were keepers. After a wreck, townspeople would come out with their carts and horses and haul away the spoils: wine, coffee, nutmeg, cotton, tobacco, and whatever else the ship had been carrying. (The ribs of the ship are now on display in Plymouth at Pilgrim Hall.)īut if the passengers and crew of these early ships couldn’t be saved, the cargo often was. So the ocean takes and gives back and takes again. In 1863, after storms had shifted the sands again, the skeleton of the Sparrowhawk reappeared briefly. But, before it could set sail, the ship was sunk by another storm and wasn’t seen for over two hundred years.

The people aboard were able to get ashore safely, and the ship was repaired. The first recorded wreck was the Sparrowhawk which ran aground at Orleans in 1626. By the time the storm was over, there was usually no one to rescue. When a storm struck the Cape in the early days, no one was surprised to hear the alarm: Ship ashore! All hands perishing! The townspeople would turn out on the beach, but usually the surf was too high for them to attempt a rescue. So many ships have piled up on the hidden sand bars off the coast between Chatham and Provincetown that those forty miles of sea have been called an 'ocean graveyard.' Indeed, between Truro and Wellfleet alone, there have been more than 1,000 wrecks. Follow posted advisories regarding pet or pedestrian closures. Nesting Birds: From late spring through fall, shorebirds nest on this beach. Safety: Use caution when turning on and off Route 6 onto side roads in these locations. Other areas of interest nearby include Pilgrim Heights (one mile further north on Route 6) and High Head (.5 mile further north beyond Pilgrim Heights). Turn right and proceed two miles to the beach and bike trail head. Look for the brown and white Head of the Meadow Beach sign on the right. 25 mile north from Cape Cod Light/Highland Road exit. Lifeguards are typically on duty from late summer to Labor Day.ĭirections: Traveling north on Route 6, proceed. Particulars: Limited restroom facilities are available at Head of the Meadow Beach in summer only.

National seashore beaches in cape cod