With the shortening daylight and turning of the leaves I’ve been experiencing flashbacks to life on Cape Cod during this time of the year. I’d argue they are the best months - at least for a resident.

Getting around is less of a hassle and life is generally quieter. The lakes and ponds show blotches of fall foliage color - but the most memorable aspect are the beaches. Parking at the National Seashore beaches is free and you can get a spot even at midday!

The air is clear and crisp and made for walking. From Nauset Beach in Orleans to the Province lands dunes in Provincetown you can trek an unbroken stretch of beach - tides permitting - along the Great Beach of Cape Cod.

The fall and winter months is prime time for getaways to cape cod and you’re less likely to bump into high-energy families and long lines at restaurants. People are visiting out of season to experience a more relaxing and less frantic Cape and again, no place better can you find this than at destinations like Coastguard Beach in Eastham, or Marconi Beach in Wellfleet - all part of the Cape Cod National Seashore Park.

A personal favorite beach of mine is Nauset Light Beach in Eastham with its much-photographed, but still inspiring lighthouse. On the Cape it seems great beaches and lighthouse are joined at the hip - a combination left over from the days when shipwrecks were common place along these shores, and indeed provided a livelihood for “wreckers” who gathered what was washed up on shore and sold to others.

Autumn officially ends on December 20^th in our Gregorian calendar, yet for many it ends with the last of the leaves falling in early November - and that’s a shame because I’m here to tell you that on the Cape it doesn’t. Autumn lingers beyond leaf peeping season.

November and much of December still have temperate days when the Cape Cod Rail Trail from Dennis to Wellfleet and Falmouth’s Shining Sea bike paths are still vibrant, and provide exhilarating weekend excursions.

If beach walking isn’t your scene then also within the bounds of the seashore are superb nature walks at the Fort Hill area in Eastham along the Red Maple Swamp Boardwalk Loop, and the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail near the Marconi area in Wellfleet. And on the Bay side in Wellfleet is the Great Island walk - one of my personal favorites anytime of year.

Outside the National Seashore area other walking trails include those at the popular Taylor-Bray Farm in Yarmouthport where there are picnic tables and paths that culminate in scenic views of the Black Flats tidal marsh.

Avid bird watchers can take in Chatham’s South Beach and the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge where you can take guided tours.

The towns and villages are less busy in autumn and seem to have more time for visitors, and picking up that special memento or gift is less harried. It’s true many Cape shops and roadside places are seasonal and shut-up shop after Labor Day, but I’ve found Orleans, Chatham and Harwich have large year-round communities and thriving specialty merchants that stay open.

If you’re new to the Cape get off the main highway of Route 6 and cruise along the Old King’s Highway on Route 6A from Sandwich to Orleans. It winds through the towns passing close to ocean and main street stores that invite browsing.

The Cape Cod in Autumn I remember is about the ocean - and when the last of my autumns is complete the ocean will still be there. And when the last Cape Cod autumn has been washed away - the ocean will still remain.

Go and enjoy the Cape Cod Ocean this weekend and make your own autumn memories - there’s time enough later for stacking wood and building fires.

For more suggestions on things to see and places to stay check out my Cape Cod destinations page here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
New England Travel Online Magazine

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