Wellfleet Audobon Loop

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Swimming · Views

This loop makes for a leisurely stroll through the wildlife sanctuary that can be accessed year round on paths, trails, and boardwalks that have little to no elevation gain and are wide enough for small groups.

Try Island Trail and the Boardwalk can be submerged at high tide - plan accordingly.

Before this hike, make sure to check in at the Nature Center to learn about some of the local wildlife that you may encounter. In August, there was a display case with newly-hatched Diamondback terrapins, a protected species on the eastern seaboard.

From the Nature Center, head out on the All Persons Trail, quickly linking up with the Silver Spring Trail. This area around the Nature Center is great for smaller children as it has information placards and lots of small areas to explore not far from the center and its amenities.

Past the Silver Spring Trail, look for the start of the Goose Pond Trail. This wide path will bend to the west with a few spurs (Bird Blind Trail), before coming to the namesake Goose Pond and a boardwalk viewpoint. Continue west through the blueberry bushes, Oak trees, and the occasional patch of poison ivy to the intersection with the Try Island Trail.

Here, look for the high tide markers that show where the average high tide will reach as sea levels continue to rise. Needless to say, this is a simple and sobering demonstration of the real-life effects that climate change will have in this area.

Head north onto the Try Island Trail and be aware of the tides! This boardwalk will be submerged during high tide, so plan accordingly. That said, the boardwalk is still a welcome feature and nice to walk on even when it's underwater. A little further, the trail will fork with a sandy singletrack heading to the northeast. Head into the trees along this point of land with a nice look-out to spot great blue herons and snowy egrets from. Head back along the other side of the lollipop loop making a right onto the final section of boardwalk out to the beach.

Look for willets, whimbrels, and sanderlings through the marsh as they scour the shallow water for minnows and crabs.

Finally, head back along the western half of the Try Island Trail loop to the intersection with the Goose Pond Trail to retrace your steps to the Nature Center.

Oak, pine, bay leaf, poison ivy, blueberry. Heron, egret, gull, sandpiper, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Willet, ducks, horseshoe crabs, terrapins, turtles.