Parking
Pilgrims' First Landing Park near the south end of Commercial Street; use the legal roadside spaces serving the dike approach. Parking is limited.
Overview
About Wood End Lighthouse Trail
Why go
- A distinctive lighthouse reached by a memorable coastal walk
- Open water views along the route
Heads up
- Uneven granite blocks and tide-sensitive low sections
- Soft sand and little shade.
Wood End Light stands on a low dune beside a small oil house. The station was established in 1864; the tower was built in 1872 and first lit in 1873, then automated in 1960. The reward is the exterior, the stretch of coast and the view across the water. Step back enough to include the oil house and a strip of water in the same frame.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe light is the payoffMap & 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 Wood End Lighthouse Trail, 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 Wood End Lighthouse Trail
Take the Wood End walkWood End Lighthouse Trail is an approximately 3-mile out-and-back from Pilgrims' First Landing…
Wood End Lighthouse Trail is an approximately 3-mile out-and-back from Pilgrims' First Landing Park to Wood End Light. It crosses the Long Point Dike, then follows open sand to the lighthouse. This is the shorter Wood End outing, not the longer peninsula route that continues to Long Point Light. Go for the isolated lighthouse and wide water views; the tower is not open for tours or entry, but you can see it from outside.
Get the dike crossing rightThe dike is a little over a mile each way, laid with uneven granite blocks.
The dike is a little over a mile each way, laid with uneven granite blocks. Its low points can be submerged at higher tides, so time the whole out-and-back for a safe crossing and check tide and park notices before setting out. Turn back rather than stepping into water or taking an off-route shortcut. A forecast does not guarantee safe footing once you are there.
Rock first, then sandExpect sloping stones and wide gaps across the dike, with water close on both sides.
Expect sloping stones and wide gaps across the dike, with water close on both sides. Beyond it, the route follows exposed sand with little shade. Allow about two to three hours for the walk and time at the light; rough footing and soft sand make it slower than the mileage suggests. Bring water and shoes you can walk steadily in, and make any food or restroom stop before leaving town.
Start and accessStart at Pilgrims' First Landing Park near the south end of Commercial Street.
Start at Pilgrims' First Landing Park near the south end of Commercial Street. Roadside parking serves the dike approach, but space is limited. Pets are not allowed on this route under the park's walking-trail rules. Stay on permitted beach paths, avoid cutting across foredune vegetation, and follow posted shorebird closures; boundaries can change by season.
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.
