Editing Cape Cod Canal (section)

==Recreational uses==
The canal is used extensively by recreational and commercial vessels. Service roads on both sides of the canal provide access for fishing and are heavily used by in-line skaters, bicyclists, and walkers. Several parking areas are maintained at access points. Bourne Scenic Park is leased by the Corps of Engineers to the Town of Bourne Recreation Authority for use as a tent and RV campground adjacent to the Canal.<ref name=Corps>{{cite web |author = New England District |title = Recreation Along the Cape Cod Canal |url = http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/ccc/recreation/recreation.htm |publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |access-date = October 31, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091128204130/http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/ccc/recreation/recreation.htm |archive-date = November 28, 2009 }}</ref>

The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center which introduces visitors to the history, features, and operation of the canal. Features include a retired {{convert|41|ft|m|adj=on}} US Army Corps of Engineers patrol boat, a 46-seat theater showing continuous DVD presentations on canal history, canal flora and fauna, real time radar and camera images of the waterway, and a variety of interactive exhibits. Corps Park Rangers staff the center and provide free public programs on a variety of subjects. The Visitor Center is open seasonally from May to October, and admission is free. It is located on Moffitt Drive in Sandwich near the canal's east end. A second seasonally staffed center is at the Herring Run along Scenic Highway.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Cape-Cod-Canal/ |title = Cape Cod Canal (Buzzards Bay and Sandwich, Mass.), New England District |publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |language = en-US |access-date = July 27, 2018 }}</ref>

[[Scusset Beach State Reservation]] lies just north of the east end of the canal and offers beach facilities as well as tent and RV camping. A {{convert|0.7|mi|km|adj=on}} trail there leads to Sagamore Hill, once an Indian meeting ground and the site of a World War II coastal fortification.<ref name=Corps /> Bournedale Hills Trail extends {{convert|1.4|mi|km}} along the north side of the Canal from Bourne Scenic Park campground to the Herring Run. The trail includes a {{convert|0.8|mi|km|adj=on}} self-guided loop which interprets the Canal's historic and natural features.<ref name=Corps />

=== <span class="anchor" id="Tunnel"></span> Tunnel folklore and proposal ===
A spoof became popular during the late 20th century concerning a fictitious road tunnel, allegedly built in the 1960s, under the Cape Cod Canal.<ref name="netp canal">{{Cite web |url = https://newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/ma/capecod/cape_cod_canal.html |title = Cape Cod Canal |website = New England Travel Planner }}</ref> It came into popular usage in Massachusetts as a commentary on the severe traffic entering and exiting Cape Cod during the summer months. Since 1994, decals have been sold in shops around the Cape as popular souvenirs purporting to be "permits" allowing the bearer to use the tunnel; the popularity of these "permits" briefly led to a lawsuit among several different sellers.<ref>{{cite news |first = Felix |last = Carroll |url = https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/19991002/NEWS01/310029976?start=2 |title = A case of tunnel vision |newspaper = [[Cape Cod Times]] |date = October 2, 1999 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first = James |last = Carlson |url = https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20040903/NEWS01/309039941 |title = Sticking around |newspaper = Cape Cod Times |date = September 3, 2004 }}</ref> In 2019, the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (MassDOT) said that it had studied the idea of adding a tunnel, but had no plans to do so.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.boston.com/cars/local-news/2019/05/24/cape-cod-tunnel/ |url-access =  |title = Why MassDOT dismissed the idea of a Cape Cod tunnel |last = DeCosta-Klipa |first = Nik |date = May 24, 2019 |department = Local news |website = [[The Boston Globe]] |access-date = January 12, 2023 |via = Boston.com |quote = Officials say tunnels pose a lot more challenges compared to bridges, even if people keeping asking. }}</ref>