Adventure Cycling Association

We will meet everyone in mid-afternoon in bustling Provincetown, at the northern tip of Cape Cod, where we'll inspect our bikes and prepare for the relatively short bike ride to tonight's campground. We will start at a convenient location that is an easy walk from the pier where the ferry might have dropped you and your family off from Boston or Plymouth, and near a bus stop and several long-term parking lots for those families arriving by other means. Nearby are bike shops with fleets of rental bikes for those who prefer the convenience of renting. We'll ride along the shore of Cape Cod Bay before turning toward the ocean for a ride on the newly paved Head of the Meadow Trail that will lead us to the Highland Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod that is still operating. Just down the road is the entrance to tonight's campground, where we will set up our tents and enjoy a deliciously prepared dinner.

After a great breakfast, we'll get a chance to practice some gentle hill climbing on the backroads to Truro, and then onward to Wellfleet, where we may be rewarded with a visit to the ice cream shop (or to any of a number of other cute shops) along the quaint Main Street. From Wellfleet, we head toward the ocean and ride on a nicely paved road that parallels the sandy dunes of Cahoon Hollow Beach, White Crest Beach, and Le Count Hollow Beach. This is quite close to the site of the original Marconi Wireless Station, where the famed inventor made the first transatlantic wireless communication between the U.S. and Europe. We will hop on the popular Cape Cod Rail Trail at its northernmost trailhead and follow it nearly all the way to tonight's campground. Along the way, we will take a short diversion to visit the beautifully restored Nauset Lighthouse. Have some extra energy? Enjoy the climb up to the top of the lighthouse with its views of the Atlantic Ocean and much of the Cape Cod seashore. Not into climbing stairs? How about some bird-watching or a short hike around the pond at the Cape Cod National Seashore Salt Pond Visitor Center? After the Visitor Center, we rejoin the rail trail that will lead us to the piney woodlands of tonight's campground.

No need to pack up our tents and gear as we will be spending two nights at the same campground. Today we will do an out-and-back ride to nearby Upper Mill Pond for several family-friendly water sports activities including stand-up paddleboard (SUP) lessons, swimming, and SUP games and challenges. Or, if you're not into water sports, we will provide a long ride option to South Dennis and Chatham along a mix of paved trails and roads, for a total of up to 42 miles.

A final hearty breakfast at our campsite before we retrace our path back to Provincetown on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, this time following it without any deviations, to its northern terminus in South Wellfleet. We will hug the sandy dunes and the shoreline on the road past White Crest Beach, and then onward to Wellfleet, with the option to stop at one of the cute shops or perhaps the historical museum. We will join the Head of the Meadow Trail just before our final stretch of riding alongside Cape Cod Bay as we reenter Provincetown in the early or mid-afternoon. We'll then bid our newfound friends goodbye after spending an action-packed and adventurous four days on beautiful Cape Cod.