Exploring
Cape Cod Dunes
No matter how many times you have strolled our beaches, you haven't truly gotten sand in your shoes until you have visited Cape Cod's dune country, the land of shifting sands.
Dune country is distributed among a half dozen locations along both shores. High Head in Provincetown leads southward to the awesome heights of Truro's Pilgrim Lake area. From there, the flatter hills of Nauset in Orleans and Monomoy in Chatham grace the coastline. In Barnstable, north of the Great marshes, the breathtaking dunes of Sandy Neck create a stunning landscape. Then, intermittent spots along the coasts of Sandwich and Falmouth unveil smaller, but ever intriguing, drifts.
How Dunes Are Formed
Dunes
are created when strong coastal winds sweep grains of sand inland. Beach grass,
driftwood, plants and anything in the wind's path trap the sand, which
gradually mounds and begins to take shape: a gentle slope on the windward side
can go to heights of one hundred feet, with a hard drop on the lee. As if never
content with its creation, the wind continuously sculpts and shifts the sand,
creating an every-changing maze of hummocks and intervening valleys.
Nature On The Dunes
The
ecology of dunes are a naturalist's paradise. Beach plum, saltspray roses,
bayberry, and beach heather flourish. Blueberries and wild cranberry bogs bear
fruit. Cattails and prickly pears, beach grass and beach pea,
jack-in-the-pulpit and seaside asters appear around every corner.
The dunes are also host to hundreds of resident and migratory birds and fox, deer and rabbits also leave their imprints in the sand of this peaceful part of Cape Cod.
This natural piece of Cape Cod is only accessable two ways: oversand vehicle or on foot. A permit is required for oversand vehicles and knowledge of access points, restrictions and regulations are also needed (a lot of work for what should be a carefree excursion).
Take A Guided Tour...
Dune Buggy Style
For this reason, we recommend those venturing
to Dune Country enlist a guide. Art's Dune Tours of Provincetown is an
excellent guide. This is the only buggy tour permitted in the inner dunes of
the Province Lands and it's a bargain. The business has been owned and operated
by Art Costa since 1946. This 1-1/2 hour journey by oversand vehicle is nothing
short of spectacular. While the views along the Atlantic are spellbinding, the
tour of the inner dunes is the show-stealer.
The guides at Art's Dune Tours will take you climbing, dipping, twisting and turning through the shifting sands. The tour is also packed with historical tidbits about early lifesaving techniques and the dunes' role as a lookout point for German U-Boats during the war. Tours depart daily from 10 a.m. to sunset. Call (508) 487-1950 for more information.
Sandy Neck Adventure
Those
seeking a solo excursion into Dune Country might opt for the Sandy Neck
in Barnstable. The dunes, ranging from bumps to mountains stretch across 6
miles, bordering the largest salt marsh system on the Northeast Coast.
Explorers will find three trails near the Ranger Station of Sandy Neck Road,
north of Route 6A (near the Barnstable/Sandwich line). You can explore segments
or cover the entire distance.
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