Cape Cod National Seashore is located in the state of Massachusetts and includes parts of the towns of Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and Chatham. It covers over 44,600 miles of varies terrain from ponds, and woods to dunes and seashore. Cape Cod is a peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean 60 miles from the Massachusetts coast.

Cape Cod National Seashore has an abundant and continuously changing variety of marine, estuarine, fresh water, and terrestrial ecosystems. Broken down these ecosystems, some of which are uncommon in the world, include: Marine and estuarine - beaches, sand spits, tidal flats, salt marshes, and soft-bottom benthos. Freshwater - kettle ponds, vernal pools, sphagnum bogs, and swamps. Terrestrial - pitch pine and scrub oak forests, heathlands, dunes, and sandplain grasslands.

There are over 450 species of animals in the park some of which are exclusive to the Cape Cod National Seashore. Some are year-round residents while others come and go with the seasons. Thirty-two of the species are rare or endangered in the state of Massachusetts.

Temperatures at Cape Cod range from below 0 Fahrenheit in the winter to the 80's Fahrenheit in the summer. However, the weather can change quickly so it is best to be prepared for a variety of temperatures for any season.http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/index.htm http://wikitravel.org/en/Cape_Cod_National_Seashore

Salt Pond Visitor Center - Open daily 9 am to 4:30 pm most of the year, more hours in the summer. Indoor theater with 5 different short films that rotate throughout the day, bookstore, museum & restroom. In addition, beautiful views can be seen of Nauset Marsh and the Atlantic. The Nauset Marsh and Buttonbush trail-heads are near here. Phone: (508) 255 - 3421

Province Lands Visitor Center- Open daily from May 1 through October 31st from 9 am to 5 pm. Indoor theater with 5 different short films that rotate throughout the day, bookstore and exhibits. Observation deck has a 360 degree view of Province Lands dunes, the Outer Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Phone: (508) 487 - 1256

Beaches: Fees $15/day vehicle fee, $3/day pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles, $45 calendar year season. You may also use your America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Land Recreational Lands Pass.

• Coast Guard Beach Eastham - Prime swimming beach in the summer. Items of interest: The Great Beach, Nauset Marsh, nesting plovers and terns and seals in the winter months.

• Nauset Light Beach - Restrooms and bathhouse open seasonally. Items of interest: Trail to Three Sisters Lighthouse and piping plovers nesting early spring to early summer.

• Marconi Beach - Restrooms and bathhouse open seasonally. Observation platform offers a nice overview of the Outer Cape, including both ocean and bay. Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail.

• Head of the Meadow Beach - Lifeguard beach. Limited restroom facilities available in summer only.

• Providence Town also has Race Point Beach, & Herring Cove Beach http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/index.htm