Parking
Use the causeway entrance on Province Lands Road opposite Pilgrim’s First Landing Park. Roadside parking is limited (about two dozen spaces are reported); check the posted signs for current restrictions.
Overview
About Provincetown Causeway
Why go
- An unusual walk across the harbor on a granite dike
- Open views of Provincetown, beaches and water
Heads up
- Irregular granite blocks demand constant attention
- Low sections can flood, and the route has no shade
Provincetown Causeway is a 2.3-mile out-and-back across Long Point Dike: about 1.13 miles of granite wall from the West End to the beach at Long Point, then back the same way. This is the causeway-only outing; continuing on to both lighthouses makes a separate, much longer peninsula hike. Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours to cross carefully and pause at the far end. Come for the unusual walk out across the harbor; skip it if large, uneven rocks are a poor fit.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the walk for you?Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Cape Cod alert
- CautionSharks active in park waters through OctoberSharks are active in park waters through October; heed beach guidelines and signage before entering the water.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cape Cod Tour Guide
Your drive to Provincetown Causeway, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cape Cod National Seashore. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Long Point Dike and the Lighthouse Walks0:00 / 0:24
“Up ahead is Long Point Dike, an unusual walk across Provincetown Harbor on rough granite blocks. Allow an hour and a half to two hours for the causeway-only round trip, with gaps and sloping stones underfoot.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cape Cod Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Herring Cove Beach
- Houses That Crossed the Harbor
- Hatches Harbor Trail to Race Point Light
- Beech Forest
- 56 audio storiesacross Cape Cod’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Gray Seal, Coyote, Red Fox, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 32 trails, 55 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Provincetown Causeway
The crossingStart by the causeway entrance opposite Pilgrim's First Landing Park.
Start by the causeway entrance opposite Pilgrim's First Landing Park. The dike runs out over Provincetown Harbor, with the town behind and the low beaches and dunes ahead. Its granite gets less even toward Long Point, where gaps, sloping faces and occasional drops make every step matter. The rocks meet open beach at the far end; turn around there for this route. From low on the dike, the blocks lead the eye across the water and make the crossing's scale clear.
Watch the water and your footingThis is not a packed path.
This is not a packed path. Wear supportive shoes with grip and keep your attention on the next step, especially on the far half. Low sections can be covered near high tide, and waves can leave the stones wet. Check tide and wind before setting out and leave enough margin for the return. The crossing has no shade, so you are exposed the whole way.
A harbor wall with a storyThe dike was proposed in the 1880s and construction began in 1910, using granite quarried in…
The dike was proposed in the 1880s and construction began in 1910, using granite quarried in Quincy. Its first bend is near the former site of House Point Island, which has disappeared beneath the changing harbor. Some blocks still show drilled blast holes. When low tide exposes the rocks, small pools can reveal hermit crabs and starfish; look from secure footing rather than stepping onto wet stones.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cape Cod
459 sightingsGray SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
84 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
297 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
49 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
263 sightingsHorseshoe CrabMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
73 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cape Cod. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
