This $8 Cape Cod hike at Mass Audubon has five miles of trails and million-dollar views

Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times
·5 min read

SOUTH WELLFLEET — I was slicing into the first cantaloupe I had ever grown, when I noticed a small slip of paper in the seed cavity, kind of like a fortune cookie. I quickly deduced that my lucky numbers were two, six and nine, and then was surprised by the following message:

"I know you are a legendary Cape pinchpenny, reluctant to part with a buck in almost every circumstance. But have you ever considered spending $8 to walk the trails at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary?"

Preposterous! Spend money on a hike? I crumpled up the message and tossed it into the compost pile. I assured my concerned wallet that it wouldn't be cracked open until our annual candy corn expenditure at Halloween. We buy the factory seconds, oddly shaped but still delicious.

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Boardwalk to the bay at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Boardwalk to the bay at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

A journey to Mass Audubon sanctuary

Then, I began to think of all the reporting adventures I have had at Wellfleet Bay and the cool people who have been so helpful for stories. All those turtle strandings, with the heroic Bob Prescott keeping things calm and organized. And the wily and wicked funny science coordinator, Mark Faherty, half-man and half-bird, who cheerfully answers all my goofball avian queries.

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I looked up the Mass Audubon mission statement: "to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife." Even a cheapskate like me can support that. So I headed down into my subterranean vault, greeted the wizened guard (who asked me what year it was on the surface), and withdrew eight crisp dollar bills.

I whistled for the Curious Prius and we set a southerly course, roughly aiming for the Wellfleet Drive-In. Noting that "Grease" was playing, I sang "Hopelessly Devoted To You" as we pulled down the long Audubon driveway. I love that car!

The marsh at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
The marsh at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Here's what I now know about the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary: it covers 1,183 acres and has five miles of trails. According to Audubon, "if you were here 150 years ago, you’d be in the middle of asparagus and turnip farms, open fields and salt hay meadows."

A birders' spot since the 1920s

The turn toward making this enormous and beautiful place a nature reserve really got going when ornithologist Dr. Oliver Austin arrived in Wellfleet in 1929. "The Austin Ornithological Research Station became one of the largest private bird-banding stations in the world," states the Audubon's natural history of Wellfleet Bay.

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According to information from The Oliver L. Austin Photographic Collection at Florida State University: "Dr. Austin served as the private physician of New York elites in Westchester County. In the summers, he migrated with his clientele to his Cape Cod estate in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Illustrious visitors, including songwriter Jerome Kern, were commandeered into banding terns during the summer months. He later donated the house, the Austin Ornithological Research Station, to the Audubon Society."

The vista along the Bay View Trail at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
The vista along the Bay View Trail at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

"Celebrity Bird Banding" would make a great TV show, but that would have to wait. I had hiking to do! I popped into the awesome Nature Center, plopped down $8 and looked at the cool exhibits, including the fish tanks and an excellent birdfeeder observation area. The place is like a ski lodge for nature nuts.

There are different prices for admission, depending on age, and also annual individual and family membership opportunities with nice benefits that would run about $50 for me, but only $25 for those under the age of 30.

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I headed out on the trails and what a treat. Incredible marsh views everywhere. And the trails were wide and well-maintained, unlike the tick-freaky bushwhacking I am accustomed to. A fellow could get used to this.

There were clever bridges and boardwalks and I had meaningful interludes with an egret and a painted turtle. I saw the world from a bird blind, a good spot to sing the Jerome Kern classic "A Fine Romance" to encourage procreation.

The Try Island Trail at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Try Island Trail at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Follow the boardwalk to Try Island

The highlight was strolling out to Try Island, which may have been the location of a tryworks during whaling days, where oil was rendered from whale blubber. Today, oohs and ahhs are rendered from hikers, a happier process. A final set of boardwalks leads out to Cape Cod Bay and the wow factor is through the roof.

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I had a lot to think about as I watched the tide recede out there. Maybe I needed to relax my tightwad ways and support these fine places and their good work. I could get a membership and it would be like joining a swanky nature country club. I could say things like "I'll be at the club," and impress my friends. With the possible exception of that six pack of Narragansett pounders, this was the best $8 I've spent in a long time.

What do you want to know about Cape Cod? To ask a Curious Cape Cod question, email me at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. I'll do my best to figure things out!

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Take a hike through Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary