The Cape Cod National Seashore protects 43,607 acres that include beaches, ponds, and forest. About one-third of that acreage is made of long stretches of sand dunes. Along the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown is an area of the Cape Cod National Seashore where dunes were formed soon after a glacial retreat and have created a landscape unlike any other you’ll find in the country. And around these vast dunes are 19 historic dune shacks. While you can take an arduous hike through long stretches of sand dunes and see the shacks on foot, it’s best to take a guided SUV tour with Art’s Dune Tours out of Provincetown.
Art’s Dune Tours of Provincetown offers a unique way to visit the vast sweeping dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Offering daily and sunset tours as well as a Dune and Water adventure tour, you’ll be able to sit comfortably in an SUV as it treks through the otherworldly landscape of the area.
Art’s Dune Tours/Facebook
The tour will take you through the rolling sand dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Along the way, your guide will talk about the history of the area along with facts about how the dunes and dune shacks came to be.
Michelle L/TripAdvisor
The dunes have almost a desert-like appearance and you may believe you’re in the middle of a desert until you see…
Art’s Dune Tours/Facebook
…the ocean! Part of the tour will take you along the breathtaking stretch of beach belonging to the National Seashore.
Management/TripAdvisor
Along the one-hour tour, you’ll also see a few of the 19 primitive dune shacks that were built here over 100 years ago. Today, they are part of the Peaked Hill Bars National Register Historic District of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Paree Roper/TripAdvisor
Now mostly owned by the National Seashore, these shacks were originally built to shelter shipwreck survivors. In time, artists and writers who were drawn to the area would stay and work in the remote shacks. Today, although they still have no electricity or plumbing, individuals can enter a lottery for a chance to stay in one of these historic structures.
Rahaal/TripAdvisor
Art’s Dune Tours have been going strong for 75 years and once you take a tour with them, it will be easy to see why! There’s nothing quite like the experience provided on one of their tours which is something you will have memories of for a lifetime.
Art’s Dune Tours/Facebook
Art’s Dune Tours/Facebook
Michelle L/TripAdvisor
Management/TripAdvisor
Paree Roper/TripAdvisor
Rahaal/TripAdvisor
Whether you live on Cape Cod or you’re just visiting, a trip with Art’s Dune Tours is a must. Are you ready to take a memorable tour through the sand dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore and get a glimpse of the dune shacks? To book your tour, head to Art’s Dune Tours website or call (508) 487-1950. You can also follow them on Facebook.
For another adventure, hop in the car and take our Lighthouse Road Trip along the Massachusetts coast.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: Historic District, 4 Standish St, Provincetown, MA 02657, USA
