The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Chatham

Access to Chatham Lighthouse Beach is across from the Coast Guard Station and the lighthouse. The beach was formed in recent years and was shaped by wind and waves. As in other areas of Cape Cod, Chatham's coastline is changing. In 1958, Nauset Beach ran uninterrupted for miles along the coast from Monomoy Island in southern Cape Cod to Orleans/Eastham north of Chatham. Fishermen and boaters used the Southway to get to the sea from Chatham Harbor. Several storms have since fundamentally changed the coastline in this section. In January 1987, a strong northeast storm broke through the offshore beach barrier east of Chatham Light. The beach was formed in the years following this breach, when the northern tip of South Beach curved inward and connected to the mainland in 1994. In the meantime, this connection has disappeared again or is only partially accessible during low tide (2024). The popular beach in front of the lighthouse has been preserved. Read more at: https://capecodlife.com/changing-shape-cape-islands-chathams-monomoy-islands-stage-harbor/

The new Mitchell River Drawbridge was completed in 2016. The previous historic drawbridge was one of the wooden bridges that have spanned Mill Pond and its access to Stage Harbor and the bay to the sea for more than 150 years. The bridge is considered the last remaining wooden drawbridge in the United States and has been listed for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The town of Chatham is located on the southeastern tip of Cape Cod and was first settled by the English in 1664. The original name ‘Monomoit’ refers to the indigenous population in the region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham,_Massachusetts

The Chatham Lighthouse Station was built on Cape Cod in 1808. It is one of the few lighthouses in America that is still in operation 24 hours a day. The lighthouse is now maintained by the US Coast Guard. https://www.historic-chatham.org/lighthouse.html

The construction of 'The Occupy Chatham South Beach Shack' in 2015 is believed to be based on Henry Beston's book "The Outermost House", which he wrote in the mid-1920s when he lived in a cottage by the sea in the dunes of Cape Cod. The house at that time became a kind of shrine and the message lives on in the dune huts of Provincetown, the beach camps of Nauset Beach and Sandy Neck and in the hut on 'Lighthouse Beach' in Chatham. https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/cape-codder/2021/02/27/shanty-chathams-lighthouse-beach-known-occupy-chatham-south-beach-shack-which-celebrated-its-sixth-a/4439756001/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outermost_House

There is a nice view of Stage Harbor from this point. As you continue down Champlain road, you will be able to see lots of recreational boats and local fishing happening along the bay.

The Chatham Light and Chatham Light Beach are on the "elbow" of Cape Cod and are an iconic part of the area. The lighthouse is still in operation by the U.S. Coast Guard station, where Search and Rescue, maritime law enforcement, and Homeland Security missions are carried out from here. From the road you can see both the lighthouse and the beach, where there are often seals (and occasionally sharks!) swimming in the water.

Chatham is the quintessential Cape Cod seaside town. There are many cute shopping boutiques, local restaurants and bars, and coffee and candy shops. This is a great stop on the way to the beach!