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kfp673's avatar
kfp673
Explorer II
Jun 07, 2017

Cape Cod Suggestions

Hello All,

Looking for some feedback. Last week in July we will be spending a week on Martha's Vineyard. Had to sell our first born to get the truck and trailer over there but what the heck... ;) Just prior to that however we have a Friday to Tuesday slot of time open that we were looking to stay on the cape itself. It has been since I was a kid that I was up there so I need some thoughts.

My first thought was to stay in an area toward the beginning of the cape which seems to be more commercial just as a contrast to the vineyard, but typically those are not usually areas we look for. We are from PA and generally camp in state parks and national parks with a few private campgrounds mixed in. That said, we do want full hookups and are not against the commercial areas for that portion if you guys think it is worth it. Or do we venture all the way out the cape to the very end, in the middle, ??? National seashore area looks great?

If you have a minute, please share your thoughts as well as share good campground suggestions. We do have 9yr old twin daughters so pools and beaches are always a good thing, but they also enjoy biking, kayaks, as well as visiting small towns and shopping. Last year we did Acadia NP which was great. Girls loved it! Perfect mix of rustic and town when we visited Bar Harbor.

Final thought... We are also open to staying somewhere along the way from PA to the Cape if there is an area worth while of 4 nights.

Thanks all!
  • We stay at Cape Cod Camp Resort every year in June. We are actually heading there in 5 days. Great campground that fits our needs.
  • Heading to Scusset Beach late July. It is one of my favorite places.
  • We live on the cape we camp at Bourne scenic park. Why would you even think about fighting the traffic to go down cape then back to get ferry to Martha's vineyard
  • jplante4 wrote:
    I'm here year round and I can tell you that if you're going to Woods Hole to catch the Vineyard ferry, there's no reason to go any further east than Rt 28. Take a right at the rotary and don't look back. 19 years here now and the last 2 were horrendous traffic. It starts on Thursday afternoon and goes continually until Monday morning, unless it rains on Saturday, then the entire Cape backs up to the exit you take to get to Sweetwater.


    Thanks all. We would be arriving on Friday so traffic is an issue.

    Regarding the quote above, are you saying we should spend the 4 days near Rt28? To clarify, we are arriving in the area on Friday and then the following Tuesday we have a 2pm Ferry over to the Vineyard. If we turned right on 28 as you say there is cape cod camp resort and a few others in that area. Are they nice? Worth staying a few days? We were leaning more towards Atlantic Oaks or others out that way. We were even talking about one of the campgrounds all the way out like Dunes Edge or Costal acres, but I feel like we are asking for trouble with the traffic.Thoughts?

    Thanks everyone. Getting excited for the trip.
  • I'm here year round and I can tell you that if you're going to Woods Hole to catch the Vineyard ferry, there's no reason to go any further east than Rt 28. Take a right at the rotary and don't look back. 19 years here now and the last 2 were horrendous traffic. It starts on Thursday afternoon and goes continually until Monday morning, unless it rains on Saturday, then the entire Cape backs up to the exit you take to get to Sweetwater.
  • We've been to the Cape a few times and have always stayed at Sweetwater Forest in Brewster.
    Yes, traffic is horrendous in the summer, especially going all the way to Provincetown (P-town.)
    Do bring your bikes, the Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved multi-use trail following an old railroad bed. The busiest road crossings have an over- or underpass for the crossing. We've also parked at the Salt Marsh visitor center and biked to the beach.
    If you have a 4X4, proper size tires, and a few other odds and ends you can get a permit ($50 / week) to drive on the beach. We'd head out, pack the cabana and lunch, pull up a piece of sand, and spend the day.
    If you're interested in whaling history, the private museum on Nantucket is better than the NPS one in New Bedford IMHO.
    You should visit the Brewster General Store and have some ice cream next door.
    We've done several whale watching trips, interesting the first few times but now it's gotten old for us.
  • We have our RV guests stay at Atlantic Oaks. It will hold any size RV and is easy to get to right on US 6 in Eastham. It is pretty well centered for "Cape" activities. Sweet water Forest in Brewster has that real camping atmosphere, with lots of trees and twisty hilly roads, but it won't hold 40'ers.

    Make sure you d a Whale Watch!
  • No hookups at the state parks on the cape, Scusset Beach SP has hookups, just before the canal, but it's always full.

    Atlantic Oaks in Eastham is probably the most popular commercial campground, I've not stayed there so can't give you a review.

    Traffic on the cape is really bad in the summer, give yourself plenty of time to get to the ferry.

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