AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Cape Cod Rail Trail 22, South Wellfleet MA.jpg
John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint–Duck Pond, 4 beaches

13.7 mi · ▲ 324 ft · 4 hr 44 min

Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint–Duck Pond, 4 beaches is a 13.7-mile out-and-back in Cape Cod National Seashore near Eastham, MA. The route passes Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint, Cape Cod National Seashore Beach and Great Pond Beach before reaching Duck Pond at the turnaround, 6.8 miles in. It climbs 324 ft. It scores 8/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi10 – 79 ft14.6 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Cape Cod Rail Trail 41.84376, -69.98222
Nearest town Eastham, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint–Duck Pond, 4 beaches

13.7 mi · ▲ 324 ft · 4 hr 44 min

Elevation 9–79 ft

Out & Back · Cape Cod National Seashore

Trailhead: Cape Cod Rail Trail · 41.84376, -69.98222

Weather Aug 4: Overcast, high 82°F / low 66° · precip 0% · wind 11 mph · sunrise 5:36 AM · sunset 7:57 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading N.
  2. 3.1 miBear right, heading NE.
  3. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  4. 50 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  5. 0.1 miPass Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint.
  6. 50 ftTurn left, heading N.
  7. 400 ftBear right, heading N.
  8. 100 ftBear left, heading N.
  9. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Old King's Highway, heading N.
  10. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
  11. 0.6 miBear left, heading N.
  12. 150 ftBear right onto Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading N.
  13. 0.4 miBear right, heading NW.
  14. 200 ftBear right, heading NW.
  15. 400 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  16. 0.4 miTurn left onto Bell Road, heading N.
  17. 350 ftBear right, heading NE.
  18. 0.2 miBear left, heading N.
  19. 150 ftPass Cape Cod National Seashore Beach.
  20. 250 ftTurn left, heading N.
  21. 250 ftSharp right, heading N.
  22. 0.2 miPass Great Pond Beach.
  23. 0.1 miTurn left, heading NE.
  24. 0.2 miPass Duck Pond.
  25. 350 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  26. 250 ftTurn right, heading N.
  27. 50 ftReach Cape Cod Rail Viewpoint, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  28. 50 ftTurn left, heading W.
  29. 250 ftTurn left, heading W.
  30. 0.3 miTurn right, heading SW.
  31. 0.3 miSharp left, heading E.
  32. 250 ftTurn right, heading E.
  33. 400 ftBear right, heading SE.
  34. 0.3 miTurn right, heading E.
  35. 0.4 miTurn right, heading S.
  36. 400 ftBear left, heading SE.
  37. 200 ftBear left onto Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading SW.
  38. 0.4 miBear left, heading S.
  39. 150 ftBear right, heading SE.
  40. 0.6 miTurn left onto Old King's Highway, heading SE.
  41. 0.9 miBear right, heading S.
  42. 150 ftBear left onto Cape Cod Rail Trail, heading S.
  43. 350 ftTurn left, heading S.
  44. 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
  45. 0.1 miTurn left, heading S.
  46. 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
  47. 50 ftBear left, heading S.
  48. 2.9 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/white-crest-beach-cape-cod-rail-viewpoint-out-back-20-km-a3a0

Trail surface

30% paved24% sand23% dirt23% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 82°F66°
Precip0%Wind11 mphUV8Humidity82%
Rained 0.4″ yesterday (0.6″ over the last week) · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
85°65°
Sunrise 5:36 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 7:57 PM
Wed 79°66°
Thu 86°72°
Fri 89°73°
Sat 87°71° 16%
Sun 87°72° 16%
Mon 92°74°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.1 mi in (~3 min). Leave by 7:34 PM for the 7:57 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:15 PM — 13 min before dark. Car visible from the viewpoint

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from Cape Cod Rail Trail Trailhead

Hikes near Eastham, Massachusetts