Beech Forest Trail

The Beech Forest Trail follows the edges of a freshwater pond, then rambles through a beech forest mixed with native pitch pine and scrub oak. Thriving forests once blanketed the northernmost tip of Cape Cod, but early settlers showed little concern for natural resources. Clear cutting, overgrazing, and forest fires obliterated the native landscape. By the 1800s, shifting dunes threatened to destroy the Province Lands settlements. Strict conservation controls began and beach grass was planted, stabilizing the dunes’ movements. Now, parts of this vast land have been reforested and fresh water has collected in low spots. Visit the small pond on the return portion of the loop by using short spur trails. Approach quietly to be greeted with the bulging eyes and croaking voices of frogs. Many species of ducks and wading birds call the ponds home and you might catch a glimpse of a turtle. The salt spray rose, or rosa rugosa, thrives in the sandy soil: look for the delicate magenta or white blossoms. In the spring, thick yellow lilies cover the pond’s surface.