'Storm-caused erosion': Stairs closed at popular Cape Cod beach

According to an alert issued by the Cape Cod National Seashore , the stairs at Marconi Beach in South Wellfleet were closed "due to storm-caused erosion." A Friday, Sept. 20, post and photo on the park's Facebook page showed a significant drop-off between the last step of the staircase and the beach surface.

The parking lot was open during a visit to the beach around 11 a.m., where folks were braving the wind and rain to view high surf conditions. The stairs were blocked off and signs were in place alerting visitors that there was no beach access.

With coastal flooding a possibility during high tide cycles into Saturday afternoon, Sept. 21, there remained the chance that additional stair damage could occur.

The current Marconi Beach stairs have only been in place for a few months. The park replaced the previous version during the spring, part of a series of construction projects "aimed at improving visitor safety and park infrastructure," according to a Seashore release .

Marconi Beach is still reachable by foot along the backshore, but it would be a considerable walk. The nearest beach access points with parking lots for such a journey would be Maguire Landing at Lecount Hollow in Wellfleet and Nauset Light Beach in Eastham .

Either access point would require a more than two-mile, one-way walk to reach Marconi Beach.

Eric Williams writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com . Follow him on X: @capecast.

The Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 'Storm-caused erosion': Stairs closed at popular Cape Cod beach