At the very tip of the Cape, just miles from downtown Provincetown, Herring Cove Beach is part of the National Seashore. Though extremely gorgeous, with a spectacular view, this beach is slightly marred because, like other seashore beaches, the parking area is not hidden by its dunes. This hasn’t stopped it from being named one of America’s Best All-Time Beaches by Region courtesy of the Travel Channel. If you’re feeling athletic after a morning of lounging on the beach, take your bike for a spin on the nearby bike path.

• Beach as far as can see.
• The sunsets are stunning.
• Only part of the beach is lifeguard protected.
• Two parking areas to the beach: one on the right is closer to the beach and best for vehicles loaded with kids and beach stuff. The one on the left is larger.
• Hot-dog stand, showers, and restrooms.
• Lots of rocks, very pretty.
• The water is not too cold.
• Big parking lot.
• Access is available on a shuttle.

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.