Cape Cod Rail Trail

You may wonder how does a rail trail become worthy of 5 stars? If you do you haven’t been to this trail.
One of the best experiences you’ll have on the Cape.
The trail is massive, clean and really gives you a sense of the cape. There’s plenty of fun places to stop and eat or even go in for a quick swim.
So many great restaurants to try too.
It can get crowded later in the day with kids and families but it is very manageable. Signs clearly mark the trail (even for the stretch where you ride on the road). Highly recommended.

CCRT is a great way to explore Cape Cod, without endangering your life riding on Route 6. The trail is asphalt paved, and is wide enough to allow four riders to ride side-​by-​side, though I would not recommend that due to two-​way traffic.
Users range from families with small kids, to avid cyclists, to runners, walkers and inline skaters. Due to multiple pedestrian and car crossings, as well as the varying speed of bicycle traffic, I would recommend wearing a helmet. When approaching a crossing, make sure to stop and get waved on by drivers approaching the intersection. I was told to avoid the «Massholes», but I never really experienced anything but cautious drivers.
We took CCRT from Eastham to Wellfleet and to Orleans. It runs much further, but we didn’t make it as far South as we could have ridden. This is a great way to explore without a car. There is great beach access, as well as access to the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor’s Center.

Rail trail was a great experience for a family to get some exercise and bike through almost all flat beautiful countryside. Lots of butterflies along the trail abd everything is well marked and safe for street crossings. Lots of small lakes and streams and mostly woods to ride through.

Amazing bike path but one star off for the several hairy road crossings. Love that it is long, has beautiful views and offers several places to utilize the facilities or grab a snack along the way. After your ride from Dennis to Wellfleet, make sure that you peddle your way an extra .6 miles to the beach. It is well worth it. We were hoping to grab a quick swim before lunch but the water was freeeeezing. We did get to see a bunch of seals swimming out in the ocean, which was really cool. CCRT is one of the main reasons I come to the Cape every year. You get a great 44 mile ride in, which you can easily expand if you want to ride on the street to the beaches.

I love Cape Cod, so I’m biased already.
I’m only reviewing from mile 10.5 at Nickerson S.P., to the extreme end, mile 22.8 AT LeCount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet.
Short and sweet: if you’re looking for a scenic ride, this ride ‘ain’t for you.’ Unless you like power lines… lots of those, and not much else.
If you’re up for the last half, park just off Route 6A. Heading from Route 6, pass by the main entrance to Nickerson, and take the next left into the free rail trail parking area.
If you’re up for the .06 mile trek from the end of the trail to the beach, go to the end of the parking lot, and take a right… follow the road to the very end. This is the best part of the journey… the beach!
FYI: Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth… WAY better… lots of scenic areas. =)

Simply a joy. Loads of ways to plan a day out along the CCRT. Accessibility to Welfleet Flea Market, Ben & Jerry’s, Arnold’s, Olreans Center and keeps you out of the much more unpleasant road traffic.

Why I haven’t reviewed this trail before — avid, scratch that, rabid cyclist that I am – comes as a surprise. Many previous reviewers hit all the nuances, but here’s my summary as someone who rides it frequently:
Pros
— Diverse landscape, from hardwood forest to pine barrens to sand dunes
— Well-​maintained
— Great signage
— Patrolled by the police (notably in Orleans, my favorite town on the Cape)
— Several «side trip» options. My favorites are Rock Harbor in Orleans, Salt Pond Visitor Center/​bike path to Coast Guard Beach in Eastham (back to trail via Ocean View Rd. and Nauset Light Beach), the Marconi National Historic Site in Wellfleet, and a ride to White Crest Beach in Wellfleet after the Lower Cape terminus. I am not a fan of the Chatham spur
Cons
— Can get very busy in summer; go early or late when it’s cooler and less crowded
— Many busy road crossing along the western quarter of the trail beginning in South Dennis. This makes it tough with little ones and hard to build momentum
— Limited parking in South Dennis
— Amenities limited throughout the same Upper Cape stretch
Tips
— Bring your bathing suit. There are many, many swimming holes and beaches along the route
— Spend a little time in Orleans. The Hot Chocolate Sparrow is a good place for ice cream, coffee and candy
— Sandwiches at Sam Bracket’s Deli on the Eastham/​South Wellfleet line
— Be polite and friendly. Your good vibe will be returned
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Started in Dennis rode to Wellfleet and back to Dennis. 44 miles round trip. Beautiful relaxing ride. Easy to do. Slight inclines nothing steep. Must do!

Best place ever to ride a bike!
This trail is once of the best I have ever had the pleasure to ride on.
Started in Dennis, and biked to Chatham (Downtown), had a nice lunch, and rode back.
A fun way to explore the cape and recreate and get away from all the crowds.
Mostly flat, but a few small hills, which everyone can handle.
If you enjoy biking, this is a must do if you are on the Cape.

This rail trail is all paved. it’s beautiful and kept up well. it’s a great stroll to take with family

I grew up riding this rail trail and always thought it was a lot of fun. I’m not a giant bike enthusiast but when it’s summer and it’s warm, it’s a great way to spend some time.
Now, I’ve moved to London for work and had the opportunity to ride bikes there and in Hamburg and in Amsterdam and all over the world. Again, just as a casual kind of thing. And I can tell you, without a doubt, that this train is one of the best in existence.
We always start near my grandmother’s house in South Dennis but it goes all the way to South Wellfleet (about 44 miles round trip.) The roads are flat and paved well, people mostly follow bike etiquette and there’s amazing sites to see along the way (bridges and cranberry bogs and beautiful lakes and quaint brides.) So fantastic.
The path is even marked with painted mile markers so you know how far you’ve gone.
My only complaint isn’t even a complaint any more. Near the start of the South Dennis side, you used to have to get off the trail, onto the side of a highway, do a U and then get back on the trail. Not the safest or least terrifying thing when you’re 7 and riding your bike.
I just did it again, now much older, and found that portion of the ride is gone. They build a bridge and connected it so you drive right over the highway. Amazing! Well done rail trail, five stars without a doubt.

I’m no bike trail pro but this was very enjoyable, especially on a nice + sunny, but not too hot day on the Cape.
I thought 40+ miles would be tough for me on a hybrid (and my super cool basket) but it wasn’t bad at all and the bike shorts helped a lot (highly recommend you get a pair). The trails were nicely paved and flat with very gradual inclines in some places. They even graffitti the cracks on the path so you know to stand and not hurt your rear!
My only qualm would be the numerous streets you have to cross, but I guess that’s how it is.
Oh yeah, there’s a bike rotary! That was super neat.
And it wasn’t too crowded and 99.9% had bike etiquette. There’s always a rebel somewhere.

Very nicely paved bike path. Intersections are clearly marked with points of interest like food, beaches, and bike repair. Path is fairly level and wide.

I CONCUR! HOW COULD YOU NOT GIVE THIS TRAIL 5 STARS?
Perfectly smooth to use our road bikes, not overly crowded, many areas that it was only my boyfriend and I.
Ended starting at the start (or end of the trail depending on how you look at it) and going all the way down to the town of Chatham and then all the way back equaling out to about 54 miles.
Plenty of food stops of the way, was on the trail long enough to stop for lunch and then even for dinner.
The rail trail made a perfect last day in Cape Cod.

How can you not give this bike train 5 stars??? I mean really how can’t you?
I don’t think I can really add much more to all of the reviews that have already been written, but this bike trail is pretty much the king or queen or all bike trails. I live in Boston and we have the minuteman trail which is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but there is something about this bike trail here on cape cod that just makes it so much more fun. It is so scenic, biking past huge marshes, oceans, sand dunes, forests… the list goes on and on. I feel like I could bike forever biking on this bike trail which is something I don’t feel often! Biking 20 miles on it seemed like one of the easiest bike rides probably because they mapped out this trail so it is mainly flat for easy riding but partially I think because they have so many beautiful sites to see along the trail that is distracted me from all of the work my muscles were doing!
5 stars and 5 cheers for the Cape Cod Rail Trail! If only it were in Boston!!!

I have been going down to the Cape for more than 10 years. I go almost every month except in the winter. And each time I try to get on the CCRT. The entire CCRT has been overhauled gradually in the past few years and is outstanding to be on today.
Towards the Wellfleet area, you get more hills but also some great beach/​ocean views. Towards and after Orleans, the bike trail is almost always flat and you ride by spectacular brush, kettle ponds & marsh lands as well as right through busy town centers.
There are several ice cream shops and restaurants right by the CCRT. There are a couple of bike shops close to it as well.
My best moments on the CCRT have always been bicycling by moonlight in the off-​season!

Flat
fast
fun
and
fantastic
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is an absolute gem. A great 22 mile old railroad bed that starts (or ends) in South Wellfleet, goes through the quaint villages of Harwich, Brewster, Orleans and Eastham and then ends (or starts) in South Dennis. If you do the round trip that’s about 44 miles but you can easily add more mileage by taking side trips down to the several National Seashore Beaches.
The road is all paved and extremely smooth and flat. None of the holes, bumps or frost heaves that infest other bike paths, you can cover the miles quickly and easily. The flatness can be a bit tedious for some but for novice or casual bikers it definitely makes the miles less painful. There is a lot of traffic with other bikes, skaters and walkers so reasonable care must be used but this is definitely a place to go warp nine if you go at a time when the traffic is light.
One possible danger is the numerous road crossings. Most cars stop at the crosswalks but some seem to enjoy blasting through without even a perfunctory glance. It’s up the the cyclist to make sure the way is clear and that the cars are really going to stop.
Lots of nice scenery along the way with salt marches, woods and small ponds with nice beaches to take a dip to cool off. It unfortunately doesn’t go near the open ocean but short side roads do led to the beaches.
Even though a lot of the trail is through woods and isolated marches, many restaurants, ice cream shops and even bike shops are scattered along the path so you are never far from help or food and drink.
Cool looking mile markers are placed at every mile and even half mile markers are obvious so you know exactly how far you have to go. The state has plans to connect several other sections so eventually a ride form the canal all the way up to P-​town might be possible. This is a great way to see the cape and for a biker just doesn’t get any better.

Great trail with nice patchy spots for the long rides.
Sections are more beautiful than others, in my opinion, namely the more southern part of the trail.
There are ocassionally cool cafes or rest areas off the trail.
I wish there were more mile markers on the trail and more maps of where you are. There were multiple times when my fiancé and I had to use my GPS to figure out where we were. All of a sudden we had biked 30 miles!!!

The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a great way to make your way up and down the cape. I picked up the trail in Chatham. At the bike rotary in Harwich, I headed North. From the trail you are able to see several cranberry bogs; you can watch them harvest if you visit in the fall. After passing through Nickerson State Park, and Orleans center, catch the Nauset Bike Trail which takes you out to Coast Guard Beach. This is about 45 miles, round trip.
The scenery along the trail is great, and there are lots of little shops, cafes, and rest areas when you need a break.

We were only on the Cape Cod Rail Trail for the last 9 mile leg, but I enjoyed it immensely despite being under-​dressed for a day of biking in 60 degree weather that ended up raining on us.
The trail was well marked and smooth. The fellow travellers of the road were on the whole happy and considerate. The trail took us through a variety of scenes including treey areas, backyards, past water and bogs, over bridge and into tunnel. The inclines weren’t too tough, neither for this once a year bicyclist nor for a child on a single speed bike.