Box Turtle Woods Conservation Area and Trails

Area:  6.44 acres, surrounded by approximately 43.1 acres of intertidal marsh conservation land.  The trail distance is 0.4 miles.

Box Turtle Trail Guide showing a map and public walking trails. There is also a kayak drop point at the edge of the marsh directly west of the parking area.  See the map for the kayak drop symbol.

As the name suggests, this small trail system first goes through woodlands where the Box Turtles were once so noteworthy that the old mailing address for the old farmhouse was simply “BTH” for Box Turtle Hollow. It then skirts the shores of Loagy Bay Marsh and provides views of Mill Hill Island, Lieutenant Island and, on a clear day, looking beyond Mill Hill Island, a view of the brilliant sands of Great Island, the land mass that defines the western boundary of Wellfleet Harbor. The marsh, historically known as Harding’s Meadow, provides habitat for generations of Diamondback Terrapin as they make their way from Loagy Bay onto the shores of Mill Hill Island for their yearly nesting.

Location: 41.89785, -69.99703

Directions:   Turn west on Lieutenant Island Road, which is 0.3 miles south of the Marconi entrance and 1.5 miles north of the Wellfleet/ Eastham town line. Follow this road for approximately 0.6 miles and turn right on the first Compass Hill Rd. (a dirt road). After 0.1 miles turn right onto Box Turtle Lane. Proceed downhill to a T-intersection. Take a left and drive 0.1 miles to the parking area on your right.