Looking for a walk somewhere on Cape Cod to help digest Thanksgiving dinner?
Cape Cod is full of hiking trails of varying difficulty and length, and the scenery is gorgeous year-round. So, if you’re looking for ways to get out in the shrinking daylight this holiday season, especially after a big Thanksgiving meal, look no further.
We’ve put together a list of five hiking trails on the Cape you and your family can enjoy.
Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail
A front row seat along the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail boardwalk in Wellfleet.
The Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Wellfleet is a short and unique loop hike that even kids like. The big attraction at this Cape Cod National Seashore spot is a boardwalk that winds through ancient cedar trees and coppery-green water.
The 1.2-mile trail descends from the Marconi Station Area, and takes about an hour. While you are there, make some time for checking out the Marconi Station Area, which offers spectacular vistas of the Atlantic Ocean and rolling dunes. The parking lot at 195 Marconi Station Road in Wellfleet offers access to both areas.
Bell’s Neck Conservation Lands
HARWICH — Marsh-mellow scene along Bell’s Neck Road.
Bell’s Neck Conservation Lands in Harwich has it all — 2.75 miles of trails, spots to launch kayaks and canoes and lots of wildlife. It’s one of the best foliage spots on the Cape with deciduous trees and salt marshes working the colors into a symphony.
You can find parking on the right by following Bell’s Neck Road south for a quarter-mile from Great Western Road.
Cliff Pond Trail
Tower pines hover over a path along the Cliff Pond trail in Nickerson State Park.
The Cliff Pond Loop trail at Nickerson State Park in Brewster is a quick 3.1 mile walk that will get you moving. The scenery along the trail is beautiful, including kettle pond views, sandy beaches and quiet woodland passages.
Unlike in the summer, this time of year parking is free. You can find parking at the end of Flax Pond Road, Brewster.
Great Island Trail
The ruins of an old hunting camp off the Great Island trail in Wellfleet.
If you’re looking for a bit of a longer effort, try the Great Island Trail in Wellfleet: you can go on a 3.9 mile loop to check out a colonial era tavern site, or as far as 8.8 miles to make it all the way out to Jeremy Point and explore all the loops. Located in the Cape Cod National Seashore, the trail follows sandy stretches, pitch-pine forests and salt marshes. There are also “spectacular” views from the tops of Great Island and Great Beach Hill.
You should allow three to five hours to explore the island. Parking is located at the end of Chequessett Neck Road.
Red Maple Swamp and Fort Hill Trails
Again located in the Cape Cod National Seashore, these trails in Eastham provide epic vistas and especially colorful trees in the fall. You can choose to embark on the 0.8 mile out and back, which takes you on a boardwalk trail through the heart of Red Maple Swamp, or you can make it into an almost two-mile loop with Fort Hill trail for views of the salt marsh, outer beach and ocean. This is also a great place for bird-watching, according to NPS.
Parking is available near the Penniman House, at the end of Fort Hill Road or at the Hemenway Landing entrance.
Past Cape Cod Times reporting contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Five great Cape Cod hikes to check out Thanksgiving weekend