Massachusetts · National Seashore trail

Red Maple Swamp Trail

in Massachusetts · centroid 68 mi from Boston

Length: 0.8 mile round trip, 30 minutes. Location: Enter this trail from the Fort Hill Trail or from Hemenway Landing in Eastham. Pets: Pets are not allowed on the Red Maple Swamp Trail. Features: Boardwalk sections of theis trail meander through the heart of the Red Maple Swamp.

This setting is the most colorful in the fall. Conditions: Moderate difficulty; seasonal restrooms near Hemenway Landing.

Trail type
National Seashore trail
Centroid nearest city
Boston, MA · 68 mi · ~2.0 hr drive
Centroid coords
41.8182°, -69.9618°

About Cape Cod National Seashore

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/red-maple-swamp.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

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 Red Maple Swamp Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

Affiliate · disclosed
Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Boston, MA — 68 miles away (~2.0 hr drive). See accommodation in Boston on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.

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Sources

Public data + curation

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.