The following outlines essential information about your stay in your dune shack, including caretaker information, parking, provisions and transportation protocols.

Your Peaked Hill Trust volunteer caretaker's contact information, shack, dates, and user fees are detailed in your PHT acceptance email.

Before your visit, you must speak with your caretaker. They will provide ground transportation. You must speak to them by Wednesday of the week before your stay (even if this is "old hat").

Before your trip, the caretaker will contact you to reconfirm your pick-up time. If you do not connect with them or arrive on time at the designated pick-up location, your stay will be open to someone on the waiting list.

On your arrival day, your caretaker will meet you and the guests at the other shacks at the head of Snail Road at Route 6. Note: PHT guests can park on Snail Road at their own risk. You can also park at Rod's Service Station at 42 Conwell Street (behind the Sunoco station) for about $45/week (508-487-1539). Call them to make arrangements for parking before you come into town. Do not park on Commercial Street in Provincetown, as you will be towed.

Please do not ask your caretaker to make a special trip for you. Most PHT caretakers have packed schedules and take guests to the cottages at set times. The caretaker's job is to introduce arriving guests to the shack and survey any damage or shortages brought to their attention by the departing guest. If you need a ride at a time other than when offered, you can speak to the dune taxi in Provincetown - Art’s Dune Tours (508-487-1950). There is a fee for this service.

Please Note: Your caretaker must still give you a shack orientation, so they must know your schedule. Please inform your driver if you are securing your own transportation, walking out, or if you plan to leave early.

Caretakers expect to drive the same guests in and out of the shacks.

Remember that your volunteer caretaker is not a porter and that guests carry their belongings and provisions into the shack. At the end of the week, it's also your responsibility to carry your belongings and trash out.

Click here to read about each dune shack.

The largest shack is 10 x 15, the smallest is 9 x 12. Every shack has a small fridge, pump for water, burner for cooking, kerosene lamps, dishes, dish soap, disinfectants, hand wipes, garbage bags, paper goods (paper towels and TP), first aid kit and an outhouse. We supply salt and pepper but not sugar. The cottages are provisioned with necessities though we request that you bring your own sheets and towels. Blankets and pillows are provided.

Please plan on conserving the amount of food/clothing you bring. Only bring what you are willing and able to transfer from your car to the truck and the shack by yourself. You will share the truck with another guest, their supplies, and shack supplies (gas tanks, etc). Some of your gear will have to be left behind if your gear doesn't fit. Of course, you are welcome to return and carry it in but note that you are less than a mile over sand from the pavement. Walking is not recommended at midday, especially without socks and a hat.

Food for a week (no leftovers please)

Pillows, mattress covers and blankets are supplied.

Towels for bathing and the beach, kitchen towels and potholders

Toothpaste, soap and shampoo

Light clothes to protect you from the sun, sunscreen

Something warm for night

Sky charts and/or binoculars (whales sometimes spout offshore)

A bathing suit (Seashore policy forbids nudity)

Socks for walking on the hot sand

Organic insect spray

Wood if spring or fall (for Zara’s, Euphoria, Ray’s—no longer than 14 inches)

Rain gear

Lots of perishable foods. The refrigerators are very small and sometimes breakdown.

Chairs – sand chairs are provided

Stereos, large musical instruments

Heavy cases of liquid refreshment

Large quantities of clothing, etc.

Pets are not welcome. We realize that this is a hardship for pet owners; however, it is a National Seashore policy. The Seashore does not want dogs near bird nesting areas during nesting season. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions.

You may not bring your own vehicle into the dunes to stay at a PHT shack. The Seashore believes that independent vehicles cause too much wear on the dunes.

The dune shacks are a place to unplug. We understand that people must check their phones occasionally, but anything beyond that is not encouraged. Please do not plug in computers, fans, or other electronic devices to our new solar chargers. Our solar system’s primary function is to fuel our refrigerators. Misuse will turn off the fridge and create an incessant beeping noise. It will also create maintenance complications for our caretakers and future residents. If it is essential to charge your phone, please do so only if necessary on a sunny day. Thank you.

When you get to the shack, your caretaker will provide a thorough orientation and explain the responsibilities of staying in the dunes. You, as the PHT member, are required to be transported at the start of your week and trained on the shack's best practices, even if you have done so before.

The nature of the dune cottages precludes an on-site caretaker, so guests must practice a certain amount of practical self-sufficiency. However, your caretaker will tell you how to contact someone from PHT who can help you should the need arise.

We ask that you limit shack visitors to a few quiet friends. Large parties can jeopardize our relationship with the Seashore; we therefore insist that no parties be held at the cottages.

Before you leave, you should expect to clean your shack thoroughly including scrubbing all dishes and utensils, defrosting the refrigerator, and sweeping the floors. A detailed cleaning list for the shack and privy is posted in your cottage and in the information binder. Residents who do not properly clean their shack, will not be invited back.

On the last day of your stay (Saturday), a caretaker will pick up the next set of guests and bring them to your cottage, dropping them off and picking you up simultaneously. This will happen between a half hour and an hour after you were picked up the previous week. Please don't schedule any early afternoon appointments because things can delay us.

Please have the cottage clean, your things packed, and your trash ready to go when the new guests arrive. Because of the brevity of this switch, the caretaker depends on you to speak up about anything missing or in need of repair in the shack.

Just a reminder; there are ticks out on the dunes. Deer ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis, and wood ticks or dog ticks, which can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever. There are rare, sporadic cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever on Cape Cod, which is not a likely occurrence. The other three illnesses carried by the deer tick are quite common. Lyme disease is the most common illness, babesiosis next and Ehrlichiosis the least common. An individual tick could be infected with all three of these illnesses, many ticks carry both Lyme and babesiosis. Both Ehrlichiosis and babesiosis can make you acutely ill with a high fever, headache, and nausea.

Lyme disease is subtle and may not be noticed. The red rash, often forming “bull's eye” with a pale ring or central clearing within the larger outer red ring, is not always noticed if it's on the back of the neck or knees. It grows out from the center sometimes getting as large as 6+ inches. It may also be uniformly pink throughout. It is round or oval, flat, and often warm to the touch. It usually forms at the site of the tick bite. The ticks must be embedded in the skin for at least 24 hours to transmit illness. Finding a tick walking on you will not likely increase your risk for illness. Ticks hang out in the grass and the wooded areas where deer and mice are sheltered. Prevention of tick bites is best, and daily body tick surveillance is the key. If you think you may have had a tick embedded in your skin for longer than 24 hours, you should remove it with tweezers, pulling it directly out, trying not to crush the tick. This may squeeze some of the tick's saliva into the attachment site, increasing the risk of infection. There is some evidence that if you have been bitten by a tick infected with Lyme disease, taking two 100 mg capsules of doxycycline at the time of discovery may prevent the acquisition of Lyme disease. There have been no studies about preventing babesiosis or Ehrlichiosis in this way.

Furthermore, doxycycline is not a treatment for babesiosis. Consult your doctor about whether or not you should bring a prophylactic dose of doxycycline with you (two 100 mg capsules for each occurrence). If you become ill out in the dunes and suspect a tick-borne illness, it is best to see a physician. Locally, Outer Cape Health Services in Provincetown (508) 487-9395 is experienced in evaluating and treating tick-borne illnesses.

Remember that June and early July may bring the brown-tailed moth caterpillars out of their nests. The microscopically tiny hairs come off the caterpillars and are wind-borne. They stick to the skin and create an intensely itchy, fiery red rash with scores of discrete red, raised papules. They may also stick to clothing hung out to dry, causing misery when the garment is worn. Some people are more susceptible than others, and treatment varies from topical Witch Hazel to systemic corticosteroids. Bathing with a rough washcloth after exposure and using Witch Hazel is often sufficient to remove the hair and calm the irritation. Cortisone cream supplied in the first aid kits may also help, and Benadryl, also supplied, taken at night may help to sleep more and itch less. By mid-July, they are usually gone.

If you must cancel at the last minute, call your caretaker. If they are unavailable, please contact Bette Warner at 508-246-9029.

If you cancel your reservation by June 15, 2025 you will receive a full refund if your shack is rebooked, less a $50 cancellation processing fee. If you cancel your reservation after June 15, you will receive a 50% refund only if your shack is rebooked.