Cape Cod Bike Trails

Cape Cod has eight main off-road bike paths. The longest is the 25 to 26-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail from Yarmouth to Wellfleet; the others are the Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth, the Old Colony Rail Trail to Chatham, the Nickerson State Park paths, the two Cape Cod Canal service roads, and three National Park Service trails: Province Lands, Head of the Meadow and Nauset.

Each is run by a different public body: the state's DCR, the towns of Falmouth and Chatham, the Army Corps of Engineers, or the National Park Service. That's why there's no single official map of all of them, and why rules on dogs and e-bikes change from one trail to the next.

Which Cape Cod Bike Trail Is Best?

It depends on what you want from the ride. A quick guide:

• Longest ride, most towns to stop in: the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
• Ocean views the whole way: the Shining Sea Bikeway, which Falmouth calls the only Cape bikeway beside the sea.
• Dunes and a workout: the Province Lands Bike Trail in Provincetown.
• Flattest and easiest with small kids: the Cape Cod Canal service roads or the Old Colony Rail Trail.
• A beach at the end: the Nauset Bike Trail to Coast Guard Beach.
• Woods and kettle ponds: the paths in Nickerson State Park.

Upper Cape: Falmouth, Bourne and Sandwich

The Shining Sea Bikeway runs 10.7 miles from Woods Hole to North Falmouth on an old railroad bed. The Cape Cod Canal has paved service roads on both banks: 7 miles on the north side and 6.5 on the south.

Mid and Lower Cape: The Rail Trail and Its Branches

The Cape Cod Rail Trail starts in South Yarmouth and runs through Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans and Eastham to South Wellfleet. Two branches leave it: the 8-mile Old Colony Rail Trail to Chatham, at the Harwich bike rotary, and about 8 miles of paths in Nickerson State Park in Brewster.

Outer Cape: The National Seashore Trails

The Cape Cod National Seashore has three bike trails of its own. The 1.6-mile Nauset trail in Eastham runs from the Salt Pond Visitor Center to Coast Guard Beach, about half a mile off the rail trail. The 5.45-mile Province Lands loop in Provincetown is the hardest by the Park Service's rating, with spurs to Race Point and Herring Cove beaches.

Head of the Meadow Bike Trail, Truro

The Head of the Meadow trail is 2 miles one way (4 out and back), from the dirt lot on High Head Road to Head of the Meadow Beach, with a 0.8-mile connector to Coast Guard Road. The Park Service rates it easy but warns of bumpy, loose pavement in places, and mosquitoes or deerflies depending on the season. High Head Road has a 2-hour parking limit; the beach charges seasonal fees and has seasonal restrooms.

It's the only National Seashore bike trail where leashed dogs are allowed year-round. On Nauset and Province Lands, pets are allowed only from November 1 to April 30.

The Claire Saltonstall Bikeway

You may see signs for the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway. It's a long regional bike route, mostly on roads, and DCR's map shows it as an on-road route. The Cape Cod Rail Trail is part of it. It isn't a separate off-road path to look for.

Dogs and E-Bikes, Trail by Trail

• Cape Cod Rail Trail: DCR lists dogs as allowed. E-bike rules are on our rules page.
• National Seashore trails: e-bikes with working pedals and a motor under 750 watts are allowed, but not riding on the motor alone. Dogs on Head of the Meadow all year, on Nauset and Province Lands only Nov 1 to Apr 30.
• Cape Cod Canal: the Army Corps posts its own list of allowed motorized vehicles.
• Shining Sea and Old Colony: the towns post their own etiquette and rules.

Renting a Bike

Most rental shops are on the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster and Orleans. Our bike rentals page lists them by town.