Great Island Trail

We visited on a Tuesday morning in mid-June 2025. It was a large parking lot at the trail head. There were 2 other cars there when we arrived around 7:30AM. There were a number of trail head signs and 2 porta johns in the parking lot. It's a short walk out of the forest and to the water. There were tons of mosquitos on this trail but once you got out to the water area the numbers dropped and that may have been also because of the breeze without the trees. Make sure you have the right shoes for the hike as it gets really sandy and can get quite wet depending on tide and weather. It was an overcast day for us and it started to sprinkle a bit when we were coming back in. We decided it was too risky with the weather to do the entire hike out to the point so we only hiked to the beach and then walked all the way down until the first point we could cut left back to the sound side. Most the area was roped off for nesting birds but clear markers. The opening we saw wasn't until we got to the actual great island. This is where we went over and were greeted by a GIANT hill. I'm not sure if my pictures do it justice. I've never seen a sand dune quite like it before. I'm not even sure if it's a sand dune. It was made mostly of sand. We decided to climb up to the top to take a picture. This was a feat but totally worth it. After a few pictures we hiked back down and crossed on the more marshy sound side to get back to the parking lot. It would've been cool to go all the way but we were glad we turned around as it started to sprinkle on our way back and we picked up speed. We would most definitely come back to try this trail again if we visited Cape Cod National Seashore. We thought of this a a sneak peak or trail hike. Didn't see any really cool wildlife really but we saw seal warning signs.

If you like impressionists masterpiece, you should probably take a hike here (too) - very likely I have made that assertion already, for somewhere else that I have visited, but still I must reiterate. I have visited here twice, one in early March (definitely winter), and one in late May (I would say spring). Within couple few months of time, everything all the sudden has been tainted with greenness - including the grasses and the sand dunes. It's fun to see how things have changed (except for the landscape, AND the wind). Landscape aside, I simply feel it is a very interesting experience, driving along that one-lane bridge when close to the trail lot. Anyway, I'm putting some spring photos that I took just now, yet I'd like to leave you some room to imagine a (much) harsher trip I did earlier, when it was still winter.

Great trails and beautiful area. Dog owners beware, there were a lot of dead birds on the west beach/side at the end of 2024 (birdflu?). But I love visiting this area a lot! The best time to go/start hiking is about an hour before low tide, although a lot of the area is still accessible during high tide

In May: It's amazing. I had the place to myself. Went all the way to Jeremy Point. The only bad thing is all of the ticks in the off-beach areas. SO. MANY. TICKS. They're everywhere! You can see them hanging out at the top of blades of grass.

One of The Cape’s true gems. Great Island is absolutely breathtaking. A beautiful quiet and serene getaway with many spectacular vistas of both the harbor and the bay. I usually take my time and hike the entire trail from the shore through the woods making my way to Jeremy Point and making my way back along the glorious beach. This trail can also be done entirely along the shore where you can enjoy the marine life while also looking up at the majestic cliffs. Wildlife is abundant and you never know what you might see. I’m 74 years old and I do this trail several times a year. Each time results in a new experience. If you love the outside give it a shot.

Nice trails with lots of sand. You don't need to do the whole trail if you don't want to. It is a very beautiful area! Depending on where you want to go, you may get a bit wet in certain sections.

Fantastic hike to a deserted beach. Once we got past the one mile marker, we only saw a half-dozen people on the 5 mile hike.

This trail is a slog across to an island with great views of the ocean on a good day.