Beech Forest Trail
in Massachusetts · centroid 49 mi from Boston
Length: 1 mile loop, (pond loop 0.75 mile, extension loop 0.25 mile), one hour. Location: 175 Race Point Road. Turn right off Route 6 at traffic light onto Race Point Road. Proceed approximately 0.5 mile to the Beech Forest parking area on left.
Features: Journey into the heart of a picturesque beech forest, and enjoy great bird watching opportunities, especially in spring and fall. It skirts the shallow Beech Forest Pond. Conditions: Easy; extension loop has steep log steps; some soft sand; picnic area and seasonal restrooms at trailhead; Province Lands bicycle trail can be accessed from parking area.
Please don't feed the wildlife, including the birds. This can damage the natural balance, and is against the law.
- States
- Massachusetts
- Trail type
- National Seashore trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Boston, MA · 49 mi · ~1.4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 42.0666°, -70.1941°
About Cape Cod National Seashore
This trail is inside Cape Cod National Seashore, a national seashore managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/beech-forest-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Beech Forest Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks at Beech Forest Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Province Lands Bike Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Head of the Meadow Bike Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Pilgrim Spring Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Small's Swamp Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Great Island Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.