Cape Cod: Paradise a pedal away

The Cape Cod Trail offers cyclists a sense of isolation, and the mostly flat paths are ideal for children. Photo / Supplied

Cape Cod defies stereotypes as an enclave for the rich by offering spectacular cycle and hiking trails for adventurous families, writes Jenni Quilter.

There are those travel destinations that, for whatever reason, you tend to write off without even realising it, the vaguest of stereotypes masquerading as grounds for dismissal.

I had dimly thought of Cape Cod, on the northeastern coast of the United States, as a place where the rich go to relax, an enclave of well-manicured houses, seafood trattorias, organic food stores and golf courses. To the south of the peninsula is Martha's Vineyard, the island featured in Jaws.

To the more frugal traveller who enjoys hiking, biking and walking, who measures a prospective travel destination by how many campgrounds and national parks might be accessed without a car of one's own, Cape Cod never seemed a likely candidate until chance and circumstance led me to cycle the peninsula's length, from north to south, in five days.

It turns out that Cape Cod is much more than the sum of its stereotypes. It's the perfect recession-proof holiday for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, offering accommodation to suit any budget and endless beaches, ponds and forests in which to lose oneself.

For the most part, Cape Cod wears its wealth with noblesse oblige, its cedar-clad beach houses discreetly tucked away behind trees and down shaded lanes. The natural beauty of the Cape is clearly considered paramount by almost all of its residents. If you're putting together a grand tour of the US, it might just be a welcome antidote to the cultural overload of New York City.

Cape Cod is great for anyone who wants a gentle introduction to cycle touring but it's particularly good for families for a number of reasons.

It's safe: road cycling is well-established on the Cape, and that means that drivers are generally respectful. There are frequent signs reminding drivers to share the road, a sight for sore eyes to anyone who cycles in elsewhere in the US. Most significantly, there are a number of paved bike trails, the best of which is the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 35km path that runs down the Cape from South Wellfleet to South Dennis, and which can account for half of your cycling tour.

The Cape Cod Rail Trail offers a sense of natural isolation while passing through towns and offering easy access to icecream and fried seafood. On these flat trails, children can become accustomed to pedalling long distances. And along with specialty trails come bike stores and bike mechanics. If anything breaks, chances are there will be someone who can fix it only a short distance away.

The natural beauty of the Cape also disguises the fact that distances are short. Within the space of one hour, you could swim in the protected and warm inlets on the western side of the Cape, the stiff surf of the Atlantic on the eastern side, or in a warm and sand-lined kettle pond in between. One can choose to pedal 10km or 25km, knowing that either way there will be somewhere to stay and eat. This makes for a flexible holiday: kids get to experience the thrill of a multi-day cycling expedition in a risk-free, and sundae-filled, environment.

I travelled to Cape Cod from New York City, first catching a bus from Manhattan to Boston for US$40 and then catching a ferry from Boston to Provincetown, at the northernmost tip of the peninsula. All in all, this journey took a full morning and cost less than US$50 one way.

Provincetown is famous for its freedoms. It has been a popular city with artists for more than 200 years, and is now well-known as a LGBT-friendly community. When I arrived there was a Pride Parade in full-throttle down the main street. I bought the first of many bowls of clam chowder and enjoyed the spectacle.

The northernmost tip of Cape Cod contains substantial tracts of National Seashore land, so it's worth spending the first day in or near Provincetown so that you can relax, swim, test the bikes and enjoy the trails (biking and hiking) in the area.

On the second day, continue to cycle south along Highway 6a, which shadows the main highway. The road hugs the western coast and there are many opportunities for swimming in the sea. Closer to Truro, the road winds inland and the first hills start to appear.

You can join Highway 6 for a few kilometres, as this far north the road is relatively quiet and there is a wide shoulder. Either stay the night in Truro or further south in Wellfleet, but either way there is a concentration of ponds on the eastern side of the peninsula that should be visited, particularly Long Pond. On the third day, you will begin the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

Notable detours off the trail include the peaceful, reed-lined beaches of Lieutenant Island, the wild surf of Marconi Beach, and the Three Sisters Lighthouse and a number of museums and guided walks (the Salt Pond Visitor Center, Tool Museum and Old Schoolhouse Museum).

The third night, stay in Orleans or, if you're camping, try beautiful Nickerson State Park. (Cliff Pond, inside the park, is one of the best ponds in the Cape.) On the fourth day, continue to follow the rail trail. Again, there are a number of ponds in which to spend some happy hours: (another) Long Pond, Seymour Pond and Hinckley's Pond are all good.

The trail continues south then turns westward, towards South Dennis, where it ends. One can stay the night here or continue on to Hyannis by following minor roads, and this is probably the only place in the trip where a good road map is necessary. The major roads from South Dennis to Hyannis (particularly Route 128) are extremely busy and lack a wide shoulder in which to cycle. I wouldn't recommend Route 128 to people unused to cycling in heavy traffic.

Cape Cod is for happy families; in five days I didn't witness one temper tantrum and I must have passed a hundred families on cycle paths and roads, the children lined up behind their parents like ducklings.

Cycling the Cape doesn't feel hard at all. It's the perfect introduction to American small-town pleasures, a taste of a slower, light-filled life.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Air New Zealand flies twice daily to Los Angeles from Auckland, increasing to three daily services from December-March. From there, US domestic carriers continue to Cape Cod.

Further information: See DiscoverAmerica.com for more on visiting Cape Cod.