TravelOut

ON THE WATERFRONT
by Andrew Collins

There are plenty of good reasons to vacation by the shore, especially during the warmer months. Cool breezes often keep temperatures much lower than even a few miles inland. Opportunities for sailing, surfing, and volleyball keep athletic types busy. And cute women and men of all shapes, looks, and ages lie out on the sand for hours on end. It's no coincidence that most major lesbian and gay resort communities have developed near the sea. Pristine shorelines also provide the backdrop for several of the most scenic preserves in the national park system.

From New England and North Carolina's Outer Banks to the Gulf Coast and California's crashing surf, here is a primer on four national seashores abundant with undeveloped beaches, miles of groomed trails, beautifully situated campgrounds, and exotic wildlife (to say nothing of the many attractive human visitors). Some of these are miles from the nearest nightclub or resort, ideal if you-and perhaps your partner-are seeking a private audience with Mother Nature. But if you're the type who gets antsy when more than a 15-minute drive from the nearest happy hour or clothing-optional group hot tub, fear not: Two of the four parks can be visited easily as day trips from cities or towns with major gay scenes.

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

Proof that one can find miles of unspoiled shoreline within an afternoon drive of the densely populated New York-Boston corridor, Cape Cod National Seashore encompasses nearly 45,000 acres of marshland, tidal coves, windswept beaches, and bayberry thickets. Much of the seashore falls within a mile or two of Cape Cod's picturesque vacation communities, including the gay resort hub of Provincetown.

The P-town portion of the park includes the Old Harbor Life Saving Museum (which dates to the 19th century), Race Point Lighthouse, and the Province Lands Visitors Center. At the latter you can pick up trail maps and park information. From here you can also gain access to several fine hiking trails, and in nearby Truro you can scamper along a half-mile swamp path through what was a working cranberry bog eons ago.

You will also find more than 10 miles of well-maintained, two-way bike trails that include the 7.5-mile Province Lands Trail, which wends circuitously through one of New England's last remaining virgin coastal forests, as well as over towering sand dunes and beside freshwater ponds. Farther away from Provincetown-back in the direction of mainland Massachusetts -don't overlook several other engaging sites within the park. The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster offers naturalist-led guided tours, and the Marconi Wireless Station Site marks the spot where Guglielmo Marconi first sent Morse code radio messages across the Atlantic Ocean to Great Britain.

Sample driving distances: Provincetown, Massachusetts (2 miles), Boston, Massachusetts (100 miles), New York, New York (300 miles).

Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, North Carolina

An extremely narrow string of barrier islands that extends south in the shape of an elbow along more than 160 miles of North Carolina's scenic Atlantic shoreline, this pair of adjoining national seashores draws thousands of visitors all year round. Nearby towns like Manteo, Nags Head, Beaufort, and Oracoke are dotted with motels and historic B&Bs as well as several good restaurants.

You won't find any gay bars or gay-oriented establishments in these parts. Still, outdoors enthusiasts and couples seeking a romantic getaway will delight in the myriad activities and attractions the area offers. Cape Hatteras is the more commercially developed of the two parks and by far the most easily reached; it typically draws families and kids in high numbers all summer. A favorite activity is simply driving up and down the island along Route 12, from which there are numerous access points to the beach.

For a more peaceful and adult-oriented getaway, you and a friend might want to focus on Cape Lookout, which consists of three islands and can only be reached by regularly scheduled passenger ferry service. Once across the sound, you can stroll along the beach, go sea kayaking off Shackleford Banks, admire Cape Lookout Lighthouse, or investigate the ghost town of Portsmouth Village-a now-deserted colonial shipping community with a small museum that traces its history.

Sample driving distances: Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia (100 miles), Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina (200 miles), Washington, D.C. (300 miles).

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida/Mississippi

Comprising two districts-one off coastal Mississippi and the other off the Florida Panhandle-Gulf Islands National Seashore can seem unbelievably remote or surprisingly accessible, depending on which section you venture to and from where. But no matter your destination among these islands, you will find outstanding opportunities for camping, picnicking, beachcombing, photography, jet-skiing, fishing, and nature walks.

The Mississippi side consists of a few long and narrow islands, the most popular and accessible being Ship Island, which you can reach by a 75-minute ferry ride across Mississippi Sound from either Biloxi or Gulfport. Seeing dolphins swimming in the Gulf during the trip is not uncommon. Once there you will find a majestic seven-mile white sandy beach, a snack concession, the restored Civil War-era Fort Massachusetts, and some excellent fishing areas. If you are looking for a scenic break from New Orleans, this is an excellent day trip-and primitive camping is allowed on these islands, too. There is also a visitor center and alligator-inhabited salt marsh on the mainland at Davis Bayou, in Ocean Springs.

Far more accessible are the Florida components of the seashore, which include several beaches along Perdido Key, Fort Pickens, and a few additional areas, all of them reachable by car. You will find picnic facilities throughout, and there is overnight camping (tent and RV) at Fort Pickens, which is also the site of an excellent natural and military museum that traces the region's history. The Florida side of the park rubs shoulders with expansive beach resort areas and is consequently less mysterious and alluring than the Mississippi section, but it nevertheless contains excellent hiking trails and is close to the increasingly gay-popular city of Pensacola, which hosts major gay-circuit-party events every Memorial Day and Halloween.

Sample driving distances: Pensacola, Florida (20 miles from Florida side, 120 miles from Mississippi side), Mobile, Alabama (60 miles from Mississippi side, 75 miles from Florida side), New Orleans, Louisiana (90 miles from Mississippi side, 215 miles from Florida side).

Point Reyes National Seashore, California

One of the most memorable stops along California's spectacular Highway 1, Point Reyes National Seashore comprises about 110 square miles of rugged trails, towering seaside cliffs, surf-smashed beaches, and biologically diverse flora and fauna. Here, on a jagged peninsula, just a 75-minute scenic drive north of San Francisco, you will find lush meadows carpeted with wildflowers, and at various times of the year you could potentially see about half of North America's known bird species passing over and through the park. The real crowd-pleasers, though, are the park's legions of elephant seals, which should be admired from afar both for your safety and theirs. Playful sea lions and magnificent, horned tule elk also make for great photo opportunities.

On your first visit to Point Reyes, stop by the informative museum at the visitor center. Here, exhibits and dioramas describe the park's trails and expound on its ecology. From the visitor center, a 40-minute winding drive and a challenging trek down 300 cliff-hugging steps lead to a historic lighthouse. Just outside the park, the small and funky towns of Inverness and Point Reyes Station contain a handful of romantic inns and stellar restaurants, but Point Reyes can also be visited quite easily on a day trip from both San Francisco and the très gay Russian River region.

Sample driving distances: San Francisco, California (50 miles), Guerneville/Russian River, California (55 miles), Sacramento, California (115 miles).

Andrew Collins authored the recently updated and expanded Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and six regional gay guides for Fodor's.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Cape Cod National Seashore
99 Marconi Station Site Rd., Wellfleet, MA 02667, 508-349 3785 or 508-255-3421, www.nps.gov/caco.

Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores

Cape Hatteras, 1401 National Park Dr., Manteo, NC 27954, 252-473-2111 or 252-441-5711, www.nps.gov/cah; Cape Lookout, 131 Charles St., Harkers Island, NC 28531, 252-728-2250, www.nps.gov/calo.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

1801 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561, or 3500 Park Rd., Ocean Springs, MS 39564, 850-934-2600 or 228-875-9057, www.nps.gov/guis.

Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes, CA 94956, 415-464-5100, www.nps.gov/pore.