A Tale of Two Lighthouses - Cape Cod National Seashore, MA September 10-12, 2024

 

Highland (Cape Cod) Lighthouse

Outer Cape Cod is beautiful.  The narrow outermost end of this 60-mile-long, curved peninsula is lined with mountainous sand dunes, in some places covered with trees, that fringe wide sand beaches along the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Cape Cod Bay on the other. 

 

Cape Cod has an iconic fish hook shape.  "Outer Cape" is what they call the curved pointy end of the hook.  It, and other areas further down the Cape, are the home of the Cape Cod National Seashore.  The Cape's close geologic and historic connection to the sea is best described by the many lighthouses that protect mariners along its coast.  We visited two of the four on the Outer Cape.

Highland Lighthouse from the rear 

 

The Highland Lighthouse is less than a mile from where we are camping in the town of North Truro. It is sometimes referred to as the Cape Cod Light because it is often the first light seen by mariners approaching Cape Cod from Europe. 

 

The view from the top

Highland Lighthouse was built at the top of a 125-foot clay cliff.  This part of Cape Cod erodes at a rate of 2-3 feet a year, and the 1831 brick structure eventually became perilously close to the edge.  So, in 1996 it was moved back 450 yards from the edge.

 

The lighthouse and part of the lighthouse keepers’ home are open to the public.  We climbed the 66 stairs up the 60-foot-tall structure to enjoy the beautiful view. 

 

Highland Light stairs

Near the lighthouse is Highland House, an old tourist guest house that is now a museum, and the historic Highland Golf Links 9-hole golf course.  It was interesting to approach the lighthouse with golfers playing on both sides of the path.

 

Race Point Lighthouse

While you can drive your car on roads to the Highland Lighthouse, you must use a 4-wheel drive vehicle or hike out to reach the Race Point Lighthouse.  Race Point is located at the furthest most point of the “fish hook” before it curves back on itself.  It is named for the strong tidal currents or “races” that make navigation around the tip of Cape Cod so treacherous.

 

The start of the walk

You time our hike at low tide, because that allows you to cut across an area of tidal wetland that is drained when the tide goes out.  It is about 1.5 miles each way.  At high tide, the walk is much longer.  The tides are 7 feet here.

 

Beautiful marshes as the tide recedes

The walk starts at the tiny Hatches Harbor parking lot.  The trail takes you through the woods, then along an elevated dike across much of the wetlands.  This part of the hike is lovely and scenic.  Most of this section of the walk is through loose sand, so it is slow and strenuous going.

 

Climbing the dunes

Then you slide down the side of the dike and traipse across the emptied wetland.  At the other side, you scramble back up over the dunes (more loose sand) to arrive at the lighthouse.

 

So pretty, so isolated

The lighthouse was not open when we were there, though it is open for tours 2 Saturday’s a month.  The lighthouse keepers house operates as an inn.  If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you can stay out there at the edge of the world.  We heard from someone that guests at the inn have seen whales swim by from their windows.  Imagine!

 

We continued along the 4-wheel drive road (more loose sand) to a lovely beach hosting a few beach goers and fishermen who found their way there by truck.