Climbing the Pilgrim Monument on Cape Cod

Near the tip of the Cape sits a monument dedicated to the Pilgrim settlers.

It is 116 steps and 60 ramps - not a journey for the weak-of-heart, or for the short-of-breath - but if you make the climb and travel to the top of the Pilgrim's Monument, you can see Cape Cod from a bird's eye view.

The granite monument was built in the early 1900s. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone, and in 1910 the monument, which commemorates the landing of the Pilgrims in Provincetown on Nov. 11,1620, was finished. Today it stands as a tall, thin, square-shaped tower that shoots up from downtown Provincetown - the tip of the Cape.

There are no elevators to the top, but the journey up tells a little of the growth of Massachusetts, with stones marking dates communities in the commonweath were founded. The climb up has the feel of ascending a medieval turret, and the stairs can quickly wear out little legs, or big legs carrying toddlers to the top. When you reach the top, you can look out in all directions - toward the ocean, back at the cape, toward Boston, or straight down into the town below.

Getting There

The monument is located downtown, on the corner of Bradford and Winslow streets. There is free parking in back, and an admission charge of $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $3.50 for children ages 4-12. It is open daily April 1 through November 30, 9-5 p.m. In July and August, the monument stays open until 7 p.m. Admission also includes access to a gift shop and museum.
- C. Danko

Web Links

Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

Author: C. Danko
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