One of the finest biking or scenic driving routes on Cape Cod is the stretch of Old County Road that winds between Wellfleet and Truro, on the bay side of US-6. Topography is very varied, with hills and dunes, and traffic is minimal, so you can get a full sense of what the Cape is like beyond parking hassles and bijou restaurants. Like Wellfleet, Truro is well off the beaten track, and has very little commercial development. From the 1940s through the 1960s, Truro attracted a significant summer artists’ colony whose members included painter Edward Hopper. These days, Truro is perhaps best known for the Head of the Meadow beach, just north of the landmark Highland Lighthouse on the Atlantic side of the Cape.
The Truro area also has a pair of unique accommodation options. The HI Truro Hostel (late June–early Sept. only; 508/349-3889) is beautifully situated between cranberry bogs and ocean beach in a former Coast Guard station on N. Pamet Road. On the calmer bay side, the 1930s beachfront cabins at Days Cottages ($75–120; 508/487-1062), along Route 6A in North Truro, are photogenic and very welcoming.
