Restore the Buttonbush Trail at Cape Cod National Seashore
Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore is leading a comprehensive effort to restore one of the Seashore's most beloved and accessible trails, and we need your help to make it happen.
A Trail Unlike Any Other
Just steps from the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, the Buttonbush Trail is one of the Seashore's most inclusive and family-friendly experiences. This gentle loop winds through forest and along a quiet marsh, offering a peaceful introduction to the landscapes that make Cape Cod National Seashore so extraordinary. Originally developed with guidance from the Perkins School for the Blind, the trail features Braille signage and tactile elements that allow vision-impaired visitors to experience the landscape fully and independently, making it a national model for accessible outdoor design.
Why Restoration Is Urgent
Time, weather, and heavy use have taken their toll. Critical elements of the trail have deteriorated, compromising safety and accessibility. Without restoration, we risk losing not just a path, but a powerful example of inclusive design and a beloved destination for families, students, and visitors of all abilities.
The Work Ahead
The Buttonbush Trail restoration is a multi-phased project totaling $255,000. Critical work includes completing wayside Braille signage, resurfacing the trail, replacing erosion control features, installing safe steps and improved drainage, removing hazard trees, and restoring the beloved children's nature exploratory area. The Cape Cod National Seashore has already invested $50,000 in rebuilding the trail's iconic boardwalk, which reopened in April.
Now the Friends are stepping forward to complete the work and we need YOUR help!
Our Immediate Goal
Help us arrive at our Annual Meeting on July 15th with extraordinary news: the Buttonbush Trail restoration fully funded. When our community steps forward, we enable timely action and greater efficiency — just as donor support allowed the Seashore to complete the Marconi Beach access stairs more quickly and at lower cost than it could have achieved alone.
The Buttonbush Trail is more than a path. It is a living classroom, a place of reflection, and a testament to the belief that the beauty of Cape Cod National Seashore belongs to everyone.
With your support, it will welcome every visitor for generations to come.
give a gift today
Help us restore this treasured trail, one step, one trail, one generation at a time
Other Ways to Support the Buttonbush Trail
Every gift matters, and there are many ways to make yours count. Whether you give online, by check, or through a tax-smart giving option like a gift of appreciated securities, your support helps restore this treasured trail for all who visit.
Gifts of Stock or Securities
Donor-Advised Funds
Gift from Your IRA – If you are 70½ or older, you may make a Qualified Charitable Distribution
Legacy Gifts – Leave a lasting legacy through a bequest, estate gift, or other planned giving arrangement
Other Ways to Give – Multi-year pledges, employer matching gifts, foundation grants, business and corporate support