Fort Hill

Cape Cod


Don't miss the commanding view of expansive Nauset Marsh from Fort Hill. It's a favorite place to be at dawn, but the view is memorable any time of the day. And bring your walking shoes for the 2-mile Fort Hill Trail. It leads down scenic Fort Hill toward the coast and then skirts inland to meander along raised boardwalks over a unique red-maple swamp. It's one of the nicest walks in the National Seashore, especially in fall.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Cod attractions

1. Captain Penniman House

0.17 MILES

Near Fort Hill sits the striking Captain Penniman House, an 1868 sea captain’s house topped with mansard roof and an octagonal cupola overlooking both bay…

2. Eastham Windmill

1.08 MILES

Eastham’s landmark windmill is the oldest structure in town, although it was actually built in Plymouth (MA) in 1680. It sits in a pretty park by the side…

3. Salt Pond Visitor Center

1.43 MILES

The Salt Pond Visitor Center is the place to start exploring the National Seashore – and it has a great view to boot. Here you'll find exhibits and short…

4. Schoolhouse Museum

1.54 MILES

The kid-friendly Schoolhouse Museum, across from the Salt Pond Visitor Center, is housed in a sweet, one-room schoolhouse dating from 1869. It features a…

5. Coast Guard Beach

1.83 MILES

All roads lead to the National Seashore's Coast Guard Beach. The main road from the Salt Pond Visitor Center deposits you here, as do cycling and hiking…

6. First Encounter Beach

2.16 MILES

First Encounter Beach, where Samoset Rd meets Cape Cod Bay, is a fine place to watch the sunset. With its vast tidal flats and kid-friendly, calm, shallow…

7. Nauset Beach

2.45 MILES

Dune-backed and gloriously wide and sandy, this wild barrier beach extends for miles along the open Atlantic. Nauset is one of the Cape’s best beaches for…

8. French Cable Station Museum

2.48 MILES

The first cable connection between Europe and the US was established in 1879 by the French Telegraph Company on a windswept bluff in Eastham. When…