Biking is the best way to go. You can see the sights as you cruise, peacefully and quietly, along the Cape. This is one of the most fun things to do on Cape Cod for any age. We offer a guide to rentals, the best places to bike near your vacation rental, and how to get the most out of it.
Bike Rentals
With hundreds of miles of rail-trails and park paths, you have a lot of choices as to where you’d like to go. But first, you need a bike that is sturdy and reliable to take you wherever you want to go and bring you back. The good news is, there are bike rental shops in every town here. In Brewster, you have Brewster Bike and Rail Trail Bike & Kayak. Buzzards Bay has Canal Cruisers Bicycles and Sailworld Cape Cod.
If you’re staying in Chatham you can rent either from Chatham Hood Bikes, Monomoy Sail & Cycle, or Wheelhouse Bike Co. Hyannis has two good shops, Bike Zone and Sea Sports Cape Cod.
In Orleans, you can rent a reliable bike either from Idle Times Bike Shop, Mike’s Bike Rentals, or Orleans Cycle.
Now that we got the bike rental covered. It’s time to find out where you’d like to go and which trails take you where. There are two types of trails for your bike ride. Either take paved trails or you can go off-road.
Paved Trails
Paved trails take you through the towns and give you a wonderful opportunity to explore the inner beauty of Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Canal Bikeway is 8 miles long and follows the canal through Bourne and Sagamore. Along the way, you see the boat traffic and the laidback shoreline scenery. This one is good for a family with children for its wide paths.
Cape Cod National Seashore is a lovely trail that is only 1.6 miles long. Despite that, the trail takes you through some of the historic areas in Cape Cod. Early settlers shared this area with the Nauset Indian tribe. The trail ends at Coast Guard Beach rewarding your ride with a magnificent view of the ocean.
Cape Cod Rail Trail starts at South Dennis and ends in Wellfleet in a ride that covers 25 miles of scenic land. But despite its relative length, the trail is flat most of the way which makes for an easy journey. The landscape changes a lot as you progress through the trail and you’ll enjoy some of the best natural views in the whole of Cape Cod.
Off-Road Trails
Have the best week ever with ambitious but exhilarating off-road trails on Cape Cod. Hathaway’s Pond Trail follows the shore of the pond it’s named after. It’s scenic, beautiful, and exhilarating. The whole trail is only 1.2 miles and is mostly hilly and uneven. So you’ll need to keep at least half an eye on the trail while you take in the scenery.
Old Jail Lane takes you through some lush vegetation that includes pitch pine, scrub oak, and white pine. The trails are wide enough though and the only risk you have is from the thorny vines. Make sure to have a spare tube with you.
Otis Atwood is a 1.6 miles long singletrack winding trail that is perfect for novice bikers. You can access it from Route 6 as it goes through a 73-acre wooded area. Plenty of oak and pine trees make this scenic trail a pleasure to cross.
Trail of Tears is a very popular spot that every biker has had the pleasure of riding through at one time or another. The singletrack twists and rolls for 21 miles of pure natural beauty.
Biking on Cape Cod is one of the most enjoyable family friendly activities on Cape Cod. With so many trails, you can bike right off the porch of your summer rental home.
