Hike Location: Cape Cod National Seashore
Geographic Location: south of Wellfleet, MA (41.91294, -69.97283)
Length: 1.3 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2019
Overview: A short loop through a white cedar swamp
culminating with dune-top views of the Atlantic Ocean at the historic Marconi
Site.
Seashore Information: https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=759519
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Cape Cod
National Seashore’s Marconi Site is located on the east side of US 6 7.9 miles
north of the US 6/SR 28 traffic circle in Orleans. There is a traffic light at the entrance to
the Marconi Site. Enter the Marconi
Site, then bear left on Marconi Station Road where the road to Marconi Beach
exits right. The trailhead parking lot
is 1 mile ahead at the end of Marconi Station Rd.
The hike: Forming
a giant hook that juts out from the southeast corner of Massachusetts, Cape Cod
is one of the most popular and famous summer vacation destinations in New
England. The cape took its current form
at the end of the last Ice Age: it represents a terminal moraine that marks the
southeastern-most extent of glaciers in New England. Nearby Long Island and Block Island have
similar origins. Today the cape is
bordered on the west by Cape Cod Bay and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.
Like most vacation spots, most of
Cape Cod has been developed by building resorts, restaurants, shops, and
vacation homes. Fortunately, in 1961
President John F. Kennedy, a Massachusetts native, created Cape Cod National
Seashore to protect over 43,000 acres of the cape. The protected areas allow visitors to explore
the cape in its natural state, and they include 6 beaches in addition to ponds
and woods.
In terms of trails, the National
Seashore offers several paved bike trails and numerous hiking trails. However, most of the hiking trails are less
than 1 mile in length, and very few trails lead to the Atlantic Ocean beaches
that make Cape Cod so popular. On point,
the park’s longest hiking trail, an 8 mile jaunt around Great Island, is
located on the bay side of the cape. The
Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail described here is one of the National
Seashore’s longer trails, and it starts/ends at the historically important Marconi
Site overlooking the ocean. Thus, this
hike packs some of the National Seashore’s best attractions into one small
package.
To save the best for last, I chose
to hike to the swamp before visiting the Marconi Site. To execute such a plan, start at the signed
trailhead for the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail, which is located at the
southwest corner of the parking area. Almost
immediately the trail forks to form its loop.
For no particular reason, I chose the left option here and used the right
option as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.
The white sandy-dirt trail descends
gradually on a westward course through a dense forest of low coastal oaks. The trees close to the ocean are stunted by
wind and lack of good soil, but as you get further inland some larger oaks and
pines appear. Interpretive signs help
you identify common plants in this forest.
 |
| Hiking toward the swamp |
At 0.4 miles, you cross an old road
just before you reach the start of the swamp boardwalk. Most of this “boardwalk” is actually made of
synthetic plastic-like planks, and it forms a winding loop around the white
cedar swamp. I hiked here on a cool
breezy afternoon after a small tornado had cut across the cape earlier that
morning, and I appreciated the additional traction the synthetic planks give
over real wood in wet conditions.
 |
| Boardwalk through white cedar swamp |
Where the boardwalk splits to form
its loop, stay left to hike the longer portion of the loop. Geologists believe this swamp was formed by a
chunk of melting ice at the end of the last ice age. The
swamp features plenty of water and white cedar trees, and the moisture from the
swamp allows the trees to grow taller here than in surrounding drier areas. The swamp also features plenty of mosquitoes,
so wear good bug spray in the warmer months.
At the next boardwalk intersection,
turn left to leave the boardwalk loop, then climb slightly to reach the end of
the boardwalk and a major trail intersection.
To get back to the trailhead, take a soft right to begin a wide gravel
trail. For reasons to be seen later,
this trail is called the Old Wireless Road.
The Old Wireless Road is dead straight for its entire distance, and it
climbs on a gradual to moderate grade.
The difference between maximum and minimum elevation on this hike is
only 90 feet, so the climb is very manageable.
 |
| Walking up to the Marconi Site |
At 1.1 miles, you return to the
parking area to complete the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail. To also see the Marconi Site, walk across the
parking area and walk up the asphalt switchbacking ADA-accessible ramp that
leads up to an observation platform. Near
this site, in 1903 Guglielmo Marconi completed the first two-way wireless communication
across the Atlantic from the United States to Europe. Marconi erected a large transmitting array on
four 210-foot wooden towers here, and the message was received by a similar
array constructed in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
The apparatus was shut down in 1917 partly due to World War I and partly
because the ocean had eroded the sand at the towers’ bases, thus making them
unstable. Interpretive signs tell you
about the site and the forces of nature that still shape this land today.
 |
| View south from observation platform |
The observation platform also offers
fantastic views down to the Atlantic Ocean.
When I came here on a seasonally cool and blustery afternoon, gusts of
wind blew me around, and waves pounding against the shore serenaded my
ears. Although you can see the ocean
some 90 feet below, there is no trail to take you down to the ocean. Thus, after exploring the Marconi Site you
will need to return to the parking lot to complete the hike. If you really want to stand beside as opposed
to above the ocean, the National Seashore’s Marconi Beach lies just south of
here, but an entrance fee is required to access the beach.
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