Cape Cod National Seashore
Managed by National Park Service
4,371 acres15.2 mi of trail
Nauset Marsh TrailFort Hill TrailRed Maple Swamp TrailButtonbush Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Fort Hill Rural Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Eastham
36% of Eastham’s land is conserved: 3,240 acres
2,758 acres are parks and preserves, 475 per 1,000 residents. 28 miles of mapped trail cross Eastham, 2.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cape Cod National Seashore (15.2 mi), Wiley Park (1.3 mi), Nickerson Property (1 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #102 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
36%
3,240 acres · of 14.0 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,758 ac
475 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
7.5 mi paths
Highest peak
26 ft
Fort Hill
Lakes & rivers
15
33 beaches · 11 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Eastham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Eastham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Eastham is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #102 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Eastham’s overall grade.
Conserved land36% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land475 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,758 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home81% of residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 64%
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Eastham’s 36% is ahead of 85% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% of them.
Water is 46% of Eastham’s area (12 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cape Cod National Seashore, with 15.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wiley Park
Park
47 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Bridge Pond Trailhead Parking
Nickerson Property
Nature preserve
31 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Nickerson Property Trailhead Parking
Upper Boat Meadow & South Eastham Conservation Area
Nature preserve
45 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Sandy Meadow Open Space
Nature preserve
47 acres0.8 mi of trail
Sandy Meadow Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sandy Meadow Trailhead parking
Cottontail Acres Conservation Area
Nature preserve
18 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Cottontail Trailhead Parking
All 23 parks & preserves
Cape Cod National Seashore4,371 acres · 15.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsWiley Park47 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNickerson Property31 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsUpper Boat Meadow & South Eastham Conservation Area45 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSandy Meadow Open Space47 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCottontail Acres Conservation Area18 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCape Cod Rail Trail54 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
DirectionsMass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary51 acres · Mass Audubon
DirectionsNorth Sunken Meadow39 acres
Capowack Land Trust20 acres
Mill Field6 acres
Weiler Land4 acres
Cooks Brook Beach3 acres
DirectionsHeller Land3 acres
Snow Property2 acres
Eastham Salt Marsh2 acres
DirectionsWindmill Green1 acres
DirectionsDeacon Paine1 acres
Turtle Cove1 acres · Eastham Conservation Foundation
Herring Brook Road Site1 acres
DirectionsThree Sisters of Nauset1 acres
DirectionsYonce Swamp1 acres
Mather Property1 acres
Who protects it
3,240 conserved acres
36% of Eastham’s land. Water is left out: Eastham has 14.0 square miles of land and 11.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Eastham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service2,372 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits281 ac
Town or city49 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land18 ac
Not recorded610 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 2,354 acState Conservation Area · 412 acPrivate Conservation · 200 acConservation Easement · 192 acLocal Other or Unknown · 66 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 99 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 25 of 124 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Cod National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 2,354 | Open |
| Boat Meadow/Herring River Marsh Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Restricted |
| Cape Cod Rail Trail State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 53 | Open |
| Eastham Conservation Foundation State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 48 | Unknown |
| Wiley Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 46 | Open |
| Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
| North Sunken Meadow State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 32 | Unknown |
| First Encounter Beach State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 32 | Open |
| Peters Property State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 30 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
65 places to go in Eastham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Eastham
Campground Beach
DirectionsCoast Guard BeachIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsCooks Brook BeachIn Cooks Brook Beach
DirectionsCooks Brook Beach
DirectionsFirst Encounter Beach
DirectionsHerring Brook Beach
DirectionsHerring Pond Beach
DirectionsNauset Light BeachIn Cape Cod National Seashore
Directions3 more beaches
33 beaches are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Playgrounds in Eastham
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Eastham
Hemenway LandingIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsKayak Launch
DirectionsSalt Pond LandingIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Eastham
Jemima Pond
DirectionsScenic views in Eastham
OverlookIn Sandy Meadow Open Space
DirectionsSkiff HillIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsSkiff Hill OverlookIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsPlus 11 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Eastham
Fort Hill26 ft elevation · In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsPicnic areas in Eastham
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.7 miHorses · 1.8 miUnpaved · 21.7 mi
Nauset Marsh Trail1.1 mi
Fort Hill Trail0.6 mi
Sandy Meadow Loop0.6 mi
Red Maple Swamp Trail0.6 mi
Old King's Highway0.3 mi
Buttonbush Trail0.3 mi
Fort Hill Walk0.2 mi
Biking & sports
7.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Tennis
6Baseball
4Pickleball
3Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
French Cable HutBuilding · listed 1976
About itEdward Penniman House and BarnBuilding · listed 1976
About itBeacon, TheStructure · listed 1987
About itNauset Beach LightStructure · listed 1987
About itThree Sisters of Nauset (Twin Lights)Structure · listed 1987
About itCove Burying GroundSite · listed 1999
About itEastham Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999
About itCollins Cottages Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999
About itBridge Road CemeterySite · listed 1999
About itOld Town Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itFort Hill Rural Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Eastham: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 39 | 44 | 53 | 62 | 70 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 61 | 52 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (2.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Eastham →
Next door
Eastham and its neighbors
Eastham has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastham | 36% | 2.0 | 475 | 81% | A+ |
| Wellfleet | 60% | 5.0 | 1,262 | 99%+ | A+ |
| North Eastham | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Orleans | 32% | 1.7 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Eastham
Where can I hike in Eastham?
The longest trail networks: Cape Cod National Seashore, 15.2 miles; Wiley Park, 1.3 miles; Nickerson Property, 1 miles; Upper Boat Meadow & South Eastham Conservation Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Eastham is conserved land?
36% of its land, against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Eastham’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Upper Boat Meadow & South Eastham Conservation Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Eastham?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Eastham?
23,136 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Eastham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,812 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Eastham have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #102 of 283 in Massachusetts. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Eastham neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →