Head of the Meadow Beach and Bike Trail Loop

This assembled 4.5-mile loop starts at Head of the Meadow Beach parking, follows the beach north for about two miles, cuts inland on a sandy ORV access corridor, and returns on the two-mile paved Head of the Meadow Bike Trail, with a short road link back to the lot. The mapped line is 4.53 miles; route descriptions range from 4.3 to 5 miles. Allow about two to three hours. The route is mostly level, but soft sand slows the beach leg. This is a beach-and-bike-trail itinerary, not an NPS-designated hiking trail. Its sandy corridor is the link to check before setting out.

Use the beach access from the lot, then walk north on open sand beneath the dunes. This stretch is broad and exposed, with the ocean beside you and loose sand underfoot. One route account describes a large group of gray seals resting on a low-tide sandbar and moving into a nearshore pool as the tide turned; seeing seals is a possibility, not a promise.

At the inland access, follow the established sandy corridor across the Provincelands for roughly half a mile, then head south on the paved bike trail. The path is mostly level and runs past berry bushes and trees; cyclists share it, and some surfaces can be bumpy. The ORV corridor's access status can change, and posted shorebird closures may close beach sections. Check current NPS conditions and follow posted signs. Leashed dogs are permitted on the beach and bike trail in normal conditions, but check the corridor's pet access before relying on the loop with a dog. If you want firmer footing, the two-mile bike trail can be walked out and back as a separate, mostly paved option.

More than a thousand vessels have wrecked along the coast between Truro and Wellfleet. From Head of the Meadow Beach, the remains of the Frances, lost in a December gale in 1872, may still be visible at low tide.