Massachusetts: Cape Cod Rail Trails Bike Tour
6 Day Massachusetts Cape Cod Inn Trip
Tour Information
We can’t wait to show you some of the diversity of Cape Cod. Its gorgeous bike paths take us by salt marshes and cranberry bogs, windmills and lighthouses, sand dunes, and fishing villages. It’s fascinating to see the weathered, rickety lobster boats docked beside the slick, white fast ferries. Or the family-run Portuguese bakery beside the store selling logo’d hoodies. It’s a summer retreat for fast-paced financiers of Boston, and a year-round home for writers and painters seeking a quieter pace. We hope, like us, you’ll want to go back every year.
5% Discount
The first 6 women to sign up receive 5% discounts.
Leisurely
Mostly flat terrain on traffic-free, paved bike paths, with a couple of short, gently rolling sections. Leisurely to moderate cycling level.
5 nights lodging, 5 breakfasts, 4 picnic and sack lunches, 4 dinners, snacks, guided kayaking tour, van support, digital maps & GPS cues, and trained guides.
$195 for Cannondale Quick 3 hybrid or Cannondale Topstone 2 adventure road bike. $350 for Gazelle T10 Ultimate low-step e-bike.
W Quick 3
Topstone
Gazelle T10 Ultimate
Fly or take the train in and out of Boston. Then take a bus to Woods Hole. Or drive and leave your car in nearby Falmouth. At the end of the tour, take a ferry back to Boston or fly out of Provincetown. We will provide a complimentary shuttle at the end of the tour back to the Falmouth parking lot by 3:00 pm.
How do I sign up?
You can Register / Sign-up for a Tour online. . You'll need a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card or a check for the deposit. If you sign up within 30 days of the start of the tour, we require payment in full. Then, we’ll send you a tour confirmation packet with many more details about your trip, including travel arrangements, a packing list, and an optional training schedule. Most of our tours fill completely and have waiting lists, so don’t wait too long before deciding to join us!
Can I bring my own bike?
About half of our guests bring their own bicycles. Cross-country cyclists must ride their own bikes. Upon signing up for a tour, you will receive information for packing, shipping and flying with your bike.
What if I have to cancel a tour within the USA?
We understand that personal circumstances sometimes force women to cancel their travel plans. Therefore, we have tried to be as generous as possible with the following domestic tour cancellation policy for our regular tours:
- 75+ days before tour departure: forfeit $150 of your deposit.
- 50 - 74 days before tour departure: forfeit 25% of the complete tour price.
- 30 - 49 days before tour departure: forfeit 65% of the complete tour price
- 15 - 29 days before tour departure: forfeit 85% of the complete tour price.
- 0 - 14 days before tour departure: forfeit 100% of the complete tour price.
- No refunds are possible after the tour begins.
In addition, you may transfer $350 to another trip up to 75 days before departure. On domestic US trips (excluding Alaska,) you may also transfer 50% of the trip price, less $50 up to 30 days before departure. WomanTours will hold any “transfer funds” on account through December 31 of the following year. Any money left on account beyond this deadline will be forfeited.
Please note that our cross-country and epic tours have their own cancellation policies, depending on the tour's payment schedule. The $300 registration fee for these tours is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
"This was a beautiful area to ride in and explore. I enjoyed riding on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Even though the weather the first two days wasn’t the best, it was still fun and the rest of the days were gorgeous. "
Cape Cod Bike Tour Itinerary
DAY 1: We begin our tour in Woods Hole on Cape Cod. If you arrive early, consider visiting the Woods Hole Oceanic Institute, the Marine Biological Laboratory, or the shops and galleries in downtown. We meet at 3:00 pm for a rental bike fitting at 5:00 pm for an orientation and will then have our first group dinner at 6:30 pm. 0 miles.
DAY 2: After a hearty breakfast at a favorite Woods Hole eatery, we’ll launch our adventure with a ride that shows off the wonderful Shining Sea Bike Path and surroundings. This well-loved paved path offers stunning coastal views and takes us through peaceful marshes and a cranberry bog. Don’t be surprised to find ospreys, turtles, great blue herons, and other wildlife along the way. The ride also weaves in and out of quiet roads for several miles, giving you access to swimming beaches, coffee shops, and eateries along the way. A picnic lunch awaits you at the hotel at the end of the ride. 28 miles, ±1206’.
DAY 3: Right after breakfast, we will shuttle to Yarmouth, where we hop on the fully paved Cape Cod Rail Trail to Eastham. Along the way, we’ll pass by salt marshes and cranberry bogs and take a pleasant detour through Nickerson State Park, known for its fresh-water ponds with alluring sandy beaches.
We’ll settle in Eastham for the next two nights, where some of the original Pilgrims settled in 1644. Eastham is also home to the Cape's oldest windmill, dating back to the 1680s. 35 miles ±1266'.
DAY 4: In Cape Cod, it’s essential to get out on the water. We’ll spend the morning exploring the Nauset Marsh via a guided kayak tour, learning about the lush ecosystem of the Outer Cape. After a picnic lunch, we’ll set out for a short bike ride through the Cape Cod National Seashore, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Along the way, we’ll stop at the Nauset Lighthouse, built in 1877, and the Salt Pond Visitor Center to learn about the Cape’s glacial history. Dinner is on your own. 6.3 miles, ±227’.
DAY 5: We get back on the flat Cape Cod Rail Trail this morning and take it until it ends in the art gallery-filled town of Wellfleet. Then we’re on some quiet back roads to cycle the dunes along a narrow stretch of the Cape. At the top of a short hill, we’ll be able to see Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown off in the distance. It commemorates the first landfall of the Pilgrims in 1620.
Our ride will flatten out again as we bike past tiny roadside cottages lining the vast, narrow beach in Truro. We’ll reach our destination of Provincetown in time for lunch on our own in one of the plentiful cafes that line the bay. You’ll have plenty of time to window shop along Commercial Street or relax by the water. After a group dinner together, you can choose to sample some of the colorful nightlife of Provincetown, such as stand-up comedy, a drag show, or a club. 28 miles, ±1325'.
DAY 6: Our last day of cycling takes us to pristine Herring Cove Beach and the dunes of Province Lands on another paved bike trail. We’ll cycle through a shady beech forest and to Race Point for a stop at another lighthouse. We’ll return to our hotel for a last picnic lunch together.
Then we’ll say our good-byes and shuttle back to Falmouth by 3:00 pm. If you are returning to Boston, you can take the ferry or fly from Provincetown at your leisure. 16 miles, ±880’.