Race Point Beach, Massachusetts
In the far northern reaches of the Cape Cod peninsula stands an inviting stretch of wide beaches that have changed little since the early 1600s when the Mayflower dropped anchor in nearby Provincetown. Despite the flood of tourists who flock to the Cape from May through September, remote Race Point Beach — part of the federally managed Cape Cod National Seashore — remains surprisingly free of crowds, even in peak season.
Race Point lies about two miles north of Provincetown, with an east-west orientation of the shoreline that makes this one of the few spots in North America where it's possible to see the sun rise and set over the ocean. On the way to the beach stop at the Province Lands Visitor Center, perched atop a high dune, for a 360-degree view of Provincetown and the Upper Cape.
Beach parking is available at the end of Race Point Road, with a fee collected from late June through early November. Lifeguards patrol the area during the summer months, but if you enter the water at this exposed stretch of coastline beware of potentially hazardous surf and currents.
Information
Cape Cod National Seashore, 508-349-3785
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