With its 560 miles of coastline, including sand dunes, pristine shores, quaint villages, lighthouses, and abundant wildlife, Cape Cod in Massachusetts is one of America’s iconic and most popular coastal areas.
All that shoreline means there’s a beach for everyone at Cape Cod. Let’s look at 11 favorites and what makes each so appealing.
Coast Guard Beach and Sandy Neck Beach: Birdwatcher’s (and Surfer’s) Paradises
Tall beach grasses and tidal flats provide prime habitat for shorebirds and other wildlife at Coast Guard Beach, with seals swimming offshore being another prime attraction. This beach, which is part of Cape Cod National Seashore, is also one of the best for surfing because of the large that often appear.
Being on Cape Cod Bay, Sandy Neck Beach isn’t a great surfing destination. However, its dunes, salt marshes, and maritime forests make it another prime destination for birdwatchers and hikers.
Craigville Beach: Search for Sea Glass
Sea glass is a great example of Mother Nature making something beautiful from the ugly. In saltwater, broken glass that finds its way there can undergo physical and chemical weathering to make it smooth to the touch and frosted in appearance. The shape and location of Craigville Beach make it excellent for finding and collecting sea glass.
Head of the Meadow Beach and Race Point Beach: Wild and Solitude
Understandably, Cape Cod beaches can get crowded, but some are still pristine and wild. Head of the Meadow and Race Point Beaches offer sand dunes, crashing surf, and remote locations. The former is the least-crowded beach of Cape Cod NS, and people often spot seals on the shore at low tide. The former is at the tip of Cape Cod and sports a raw ocean setting.
Kalmus Beach: Best Beach for Windsurfing
Famous for windsurfing, Cape Cod has no better beach for it than Kalmus. Consistent southwesterly winds and relatively warm water create the conditions that attract windsurfers and keep them coming back.
Long Point Beach: Exceptional Views
Every Cape Cod beach is scenic, but Long Point Beach has a unique stone jetty that visitors can walk more than a mile long. As they do so, they can admire both seascapes and charming, historic Provincetown on the site of the Pilgrims’ 1620 landing on the Mayflower. The jetty is submerged at high tide, so check the charts before heading out.
Nauset Beach and Herring Cove Beach: Stunning Sunrises and Sunsets
Wide and sandy and backed by dunes, Nauset Beach makes an excellent location to watch the sun rising. Its 10-mile length also makes it superb for a quiet dawn stroll, and sightings of seals and whales are possible.
Herring Cove Beach is an East Coast rarity: an ocean-adjacent beach that faces west. For that reason, it’s perhaps the best Cape Cod beach for watching the sun setting as it sinks “below” Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Old Silver Beach and Mayflower Beach: Family-Friendly
With warm waters, a bayside location, and a natural sandbar, Old Silver Beach is one of the most family-friendly beaches on Cape Cod. The rocks along the shore provide climbing and exploring fun for kids, and the soft sand and crystal-clear waters appeal to people of all ages.
Also located bayside on Buzzards Bay, Mayflower Beach gentle waves, sandy tidal flats, and rock pools, home to hermit crabs and other small sea creatures is perfect for families with young children. Like other west-facing Cape Cod beaches, this beach features great sunsets over the waters.
Cape Cod has great diversity along its shores, and we hope this article provides several inspirations for a visit. Enjoy your time here!
