Dan and Hannah Hike the Nauset Marsh Trail at the Cape Cod National Seashore (2023)

Sleeping well, for 75-year-olds that is, at the Skaket Beach Motel in Orleans, Hannah and I wake before dawn to walk into town and back by way of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, just minutes away.  Homemade blueberry and cranberry (what else on the Cape!) muffins set us for a morning of hiking before we return home to Maine.

Arriving at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, we have two miles of trails out on the Nauset Marsh Trail to the Coast Guard Station on the Atlantic.

We start at the Salt Pond Visitor Center and wind our way to the Coast Guard Beach.

Pictures will show you what turns out to be our favorite hike at the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Almost immediately below the Visitor Center, the trail passes by the Salt Pond, referred to as a kettle pond. Originally this was a fresh water pond, but overtime the ocean broke through and this marsh tidal pond is enriched twice a day from the Atlantic.

The Salt Pond on a late October morning.

Soon we are hiking on a clearly marked woodland trail heading to the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking through the Nauset Marsh out to the Atlantic. Nausets were the original indigenous people in the area. As you might imagine, this Salt Pond is an important habitat for shorebirds, wading birds, migratory waterfowl, and senior hikers from Maine.

As we approach the ocean, just beyond the distant trees, we have a soft-on-our-feet trail. We think a good vacation day has coffee and muffins, hiking trails that are well-marked trails, a glass of wine, and a comfy bed at night.

The boardwalk takes us to the barrier island where the Coast Guard Station lies.

My fascination with shots into the sun knows no bounds.

Two miles later we arrive at the Coast Guard Station. As you can see from the Strava map below, one can drive all the way to the parking lot at this majestic building.