Join naturalist and artist Mark Adams for an immersive guided walk through the ever-shifting landscapes of the Provincetown Dunes. Presented by the Provincetown Conservation Trust and Provincetown Business Guild, this Welltown Community Hike blends ecology, art, and local history into a singular Cape Cod experience.
Participants will journey through sweeping dunescapes shaped by wind and time, pausing along the way to observe the subtle beauty of dune vegetation, wildlife, and the interplay of light and texture that has inspired artists for generations. The walk will pass near the iconic dune shacks—weathered outposts steeped in history and creativity—before reaching the expansive shoreline of Race Point Beach at the Peaked Hill Bars Dune Shack Historic District. Along the route, Mark will share insights from both a naturalist’s and artist’s perspective, inviting participants to see the dunes not just as a landscape, but as a living canvas. The hike concludes with a return through this remarkable terrain, offering new perspectives on the way back. Perfect for nature lovers, artists, and anyone seeking a deeper connection to Provincetown’s wild beauty.
IMPORTANT: This hike will be 2.5 miles over and around dune hills through soft sand and will start and end at the Snail Road parking area. Walkers should be in excellent physical condition to join this hike.
Mark Adams is a painter, printmaker, and a cartographer with the National Park Service and has been based on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard since 1987.
Adams has taught at the Provincetown Art Association, Castle Hill Center for the Arts (Truro MA), and the Provincetown School Academy program and as a guest in the MFA program of the Fine Arts Work Center/Massachusetts College of Art. He has studied ecology, landscape architecture, printmaking and photography at University of California, Berkeley, California College of Arts and Crafts and studied with artists at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. He also worked as a wildlife field biologist, scientific illustrator, forest fire fighter, gymnastics coach. His current interests include geologic time, taxonomies, coordinate systems and layering of information in maps.
