Chatham: Trails, Wildlife and History

Explore Chatham through its specific destinations: nature trails cross varied landscapes, and there are opportunities for wildlife watching, museums with a range of historical focuses, and the fishing fleet at Chatham Fish Pier. As you plan your trip, consider whether you want to focus on a walk, a clearly defined trail destination or a particular historical subject.

Trails, Landscapes and Wildlife Watching

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is located in Chatham, Massachusetts, and includes the Morris Island mainland unit. The Morris Island Trail passes through beaches, woodlands, dunes, salt marshes and tidal flats. Along the trails in the Morris Island unit, you can spot songbirds, shorebirds, horseshoe crabs and occasionally seals. The Morris Island Trail offers a self-guided walk with interpretive signs and a trail map. If you want to combine landscape and wildlife watching in one outing, Morris Island brings both together at a single destination.

The trails in the Morris Island unit are accessible year-round from the parking lot at 30 Wikis Way in Chatham. Check the seasonal visitor rules before your visit, as they may change.

Marconi–RCA Conservation Area offers two different trail experiences. The Marconi–RCA Conservation Trail passes through restored coastal woodlands; there is also a short, easy loop along the shore of Ryders Cove. You can choose between a walk through coastal woodlands and a short, easy loop by the water.

The Antenna Field Walking Trail behind the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center leads to the first of the original Marconi antennas and takes ten minutes. Its stated duration and clearly defined destination set this route apart from walks focused on coastal scenery or wildlife watching.

Museums and Waterfront Insights

The museums also have distinct focuses. Chatham Railroad Museum is housed in a restored railroad depot dating from 1887 and features hundreds of exhibits. Atwood House & Museum preserves a house built around 1752 as a historic house museum. It explores Cape Cod life, art and culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. At Railroad Museum, the depot and exhibits are the focus, while Atwood House uses a historic home to explore regional life and culture.

At Chatham Fish Pier, you can watch the fishing fleet unload its daily catch. In Captain Hardings Conservation Area, a small trail runs along the shore of Bearse’s Pond, where you can watch frogs, birds and other wildlife foraging. The locations also offer different perspectives: at Fish Pier, the focus is on the work of the fishing fleet; at the pond, it is on animals’ behavior along the shore.

Discover more destinations: Bourne, Wellfleet, Orleans, Eastham, Barnstable, Truro, Harwich, Sandwich

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