Nauset Marsh / Salt Pond Bay in Massachusetts

Trip Overview

Simply beautiful! This is a must see - between clear water, soft sand and wildlife.

We were able to enter the marsh without a permit at the Salt Pond Visitor center on the north west corner of Nauset Marsh in Eastham, Cape Cod. MA law states all boaters must wear a PDF - good!

If going during low tide, keep left when entering the marsh or you'll find yourself in 3 inches of water. If at high tide, go where ever you wish.

We paddled all the way to the ocean barrier by keeping left and then heading towards the man-made eagles nest till we saw the sand dunes. Then we headed straight for the dunes.

Once there, we went to shore just before the break into the ocean. AVOID this area - especially if the current is going out! I toyed with it, and it took everything I had to get to the side and NOT go out to sea. A local said kayakers are supposed to wear helmets in this area, but we were not up for an Atlantic Ocean adventure today.

Once on shore, we were alone. The only people we saw were on the other side of the break driving their 4X4's on the sand, so we got comfortable and cooked some canned soup on a Coleman stove.

In this area, we saw Tern's, Heron's, Cormorant's and a Seal. Even a friendly gull was getting close.

The only thing to watch out for here is low tide as some area's are only 3 inches deep.

Accommodations:

Visitors center - bathrooms, vending machines, water, picnicking, fishing.

Fees:

Free - launching requires no permit here or the dock 1 block south.

Directions:

Corner of route 6 and Nauset Rd.

http://maps.google.com