Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod National Seashore
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
A circular logo depicting a sand dune topped with beach grass next to the ocean, with a white sea bird flying overhead.
Official logo
Beach at Cape Cod
LocationBarnstable County, Massachusetts, USA
Nearest cityBarnstable, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°50′14″N 69°58′22″W / 41.83722°N 69.97278°W / 41.83722; -69.97278
Area43,607.14 acres (176.4718 km2)[1]
EstablishedAugust 7, 1961
Visitors3,968,672 (in 2022)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteCape Cod National Seashore
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A photo of the Cape Cod National Seashore taken for the National Park Service's Mission 66 initiative, ca. 1966.

The Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) encompasses 43,607 acres (68.1 sq mi; 176.5 km2)[1] on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. CCNS was created on August 7, 1961, by President John F. Kennedy,[3][4] when he signed a bill enacting the legislation he first co-sponsored as a Senator a few years prior.[5] It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion. The CCNS includes nearly 40 miles (64 km) of seashore along the Atlantic-facing eastern shore of Cape Cod, in the towns of Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and Chatham. It is administered by the National Park Service.

  1. ^ a b "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2014" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-08-26. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  3. ^ "Bill signing - S. 857 Public Law 87-126, Cape Cod National Seashore Act, 11:47AM". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
  4. ^ "Cape Cod National Seashore Act - P.L. 87-126" (PDF). 75 Stat. 284 ~ Senate Bill 857. U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
  5. ^ Kennedy, John F. (1961). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Service. pp. 551-552.