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Al Fresco
I live for good weather, and here are some places I can enjoy being outside, for…
Coast Guard Beach
Categories: Active Life Swimming Pools Active Life Beaches Active Life Fishing Swimming Pools, Beaches, Fishing [Edit]
Nauset RdCape Cod
Eastham, MA 02642
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
21 reviews for Coast Guard Beach
21 reviews in English
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Review from Nyc L.
Manhattan, NY
8/28/2011
A walk from the Coast Guard Beach to Nauset Lighthouse Beach, 9am on a sunny August morning...
It was absolutely beautiful. The sky is blue with a stretch of golden sunshine and some while clouds, the air is cool and there is a gentle breeze, and the sand feels soft and warn. You can walk bare foot in the wet sand where there is not much rocks and shells, leave a trail of foot prints behind. My son runs back and forth around me, enjoying the sound of waves crashing, and seagulls flying around us. -
Review from M-Dot W.
Hackensack, NJ
8/27/2011
This beach was nice for a " new england" beach....
Now, I have been to beaches to in Miami , Hawaii, Dominican Republic, and the Jersey Shore.... so this beach was unique..
I didn't come here looking for turquois , warm waters... so I wasn't disappointed.
The beach takes about an hour from Boston to get to.
I suggest you do what we did , and drive to Idle Times Bike shop and park there and then ride your bike through the Cape Cod Trail all the way to Coast Guard Beach. !! It is worth the ride !!
The beach wasn't that packed and the sand is clean. There were some rocks in the beginning but that wasn't a deal breaker for me .
As to how this beach is always on " Top 10 " beach lists is beyond me . Don't get me wrong it's nice !! But not " Top 10 " nice !! lol
Even though it was the last few days of summer in hot ass August the water mustve been 20 degrees the most.
All in all this beach is above other NE beaches because of the " exclusive" feel it has , the water is nice ( with waves !) and the sand is clean and white....
If I wanna go to the beach , I will definitely consider Coast Guard Beach . -
Review from Kelly O.
8/17/2011
My family has a cottage with access to private beaches only a 5 minute walk down the road, so that's where I spend the majority of my beach time when I'm down the Cape. But whenever we feel the need to go to a 'real'/'good' beach, Coast Guard is always our #1 choice, no question.
I find the whole parking far away/trolley thing to be annoying and inconvenient, but it is kind of fun (almost like Disney World! not really). The best part about the beach is it's true rugged New England-ness, with its huge waves, soft sand, and beautiful sand dunes filled with wildlife. The bathrooms/showers and lifeguards are a major plus as well. It's big enough that you never feel like you're on top of other people, also a major pro.
Definitely worth a trip, if you're ready to commit to an entire day at the beach (IMO the parking fees and hassle to get to the beach may not jive with your plans of being on the sand for only an hour or two). -
Review from Rob N.
Hackettstown, NJ
12/19/2011
Rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the US the past few years, good surf
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Review from Sarah G.
6/30/2011
Ride your bike here and avoid the parking fee!!! But beware of the mosquitoes at the bike racks!!! They will eat you alive!!!
And they did. I seriously have about 10 bites from the 2-3 minutes it took for me to lock up my bike on the bike rack there. Those mosquitoes are clearly a different type of breed over there. Maybe they are amazonian mosquitoes on vacation at the cape because every time I went to lock my bike up I could feel another one of them biting me!!!!
But you'll see I still give this beach 4 stars. It is just awesome. It has soft sand, actually has some waves which I hear are better at different times during the year, it has lifegaurds in case you like that, and showers and bathrooms that everyone can use too. And if you do drive here they have a shuttle that takes you to the parking lot from the beach too.
We were the cool kids that biked from Brewster on the rail trail to the Salt Ponds entrance of this beach where they have the most fun bike trail leading up to the beach. I literally felt like I was in some awesome car commercial going up and down those hills, swerving left and and right on the turns. Definitely made that sand and towel feel that much more rewarding at the end! -
Review from Sarah J.
9/16/2011
Located on the Atlantic side of the Cape, Coast Guard beach is popular amongst surfers and beach goers alike. Lots of sand, lots of surf, and lots of parking for the throngs of crowds that frequent the beach. Yes, it's serene, but it can get very crowded, especially as the tide comes in and creeps visitors further up towards the dunes. If you want something a bit more quiet (with warmer water), try the bay side. Otherwise, enjoy watching the surfers (and sometimes seals!).
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Review from Jim F.
Arlington, MA
8/18/2011
Solid solid beach but am writing about fishing. Surf casting. Get yourself up early. Tme it if you can for sun rise and low tide. Watch the sun come up out of the Atlantic while you are walking down to the spit where Nauset harbor empties into the ocean. Keep walking. Put your pole on your shoulder, follow the sand bars off the shore, get wet, talk to the seals, find a well or cast into the deepwater by the last buoy, yes, at least this year, at low tide you could walk almost all the way out there in waist deep water, catch some blues. first cast into the deep water, took my line headed straight away, fought it back...dinner; with clams dug from salt pond bay. oh yeah.
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Review from Pinky and the B.
New York, NY
5/31/2010 4 photos
This Cape Cod beach is where the Mayflower first sighted land on November 9, 1620 after 65 days at sea.
No parking is available; shuttle service from a large parking lot off Nauset Road.
This beach is always on best beach lists everywhere.
It tends to get bugs which I do not notice at other beaches and the water is a bit cold for me.
I think people like it because it tends be a little more secluded than most beaches on the east coast so it doesn't get nasty crowded like many east coast beaches.
You can see wild life here and it is pretty as well. -
Review from John A.
8/23/2010
After sitting down for a little while I started to notice one thing about this beach that was different from the other Cape Cod beaches I've been to. There's wildlife everywhere! The diversity of shorebirds running/flying around was a really cool sight to see. At one point we took a walk down the beach and noticed 2 seals playing in the surf. The topography was also interesting to see as the beach is lined by eroded cliffs.
This beach is very easy to get to from route 6 but there is no parking lot at the beach during the summer season. Visitors must park down the road ($15.00 fee) and take a shuttle that runs every 10 minutes down to the beach. We had no problem with getting there and the shuttle was quick and easy.
Like other beaches on the national seashore, Coast Guard Beach has nice soft sand and is relatively free of rocky sections. The only real buzzkill was the seaweed in the water. There was a layer of red seaweed throughout most of the surf that was unavoidable while going into the water. -
Review from Violet C.
Cold Spring, NY
5/31/2011 1 photo
I love it and we make a point of going there every chance we get! I do agree about the parking in summer, but I've gone Memorial Day weekend when it's easier because you can park in the smaller lots right at the beach.
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Review from Meghan A.
3/24/2009
With the spring starting out so cold, I have been dreaming lately of a nice summer day spent at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, and that day cannot come soon enough.
My family has been going to Coast Guard for years and years. We wake up early to make sandwiches and pack the coolers, pack up the car with the essentials (chairs, towels and the occasional boogy board depending on what the tide is like) and head on over. After a very brief shuttle ride - which is one of my favorite parts of the entire trip - we find our spot on the beach and immediately dump our stuff to go feel the water. Chilly, yes. But in ten minutes we're already sweating so we make our way into the cold water for a bit of a much needed refreshment.
When I am at Coast Guard, I know I am in good hands. The lifeguards are beyond attentive and they are all very kind. They take a lot of pride in their job, and rightfully so. It's a great place to bring your kids because you know the lifeguards will be watching them closely to make sure they are safe. I also feel completely confident with the bathrooms being sanitary. I've never had a problem with them, though I wouldn't recommend going in there without shoes on.
My favorite part about going to the beach is reading a book and then taking a nap while listening in on other people's conversations. If you are a people watcher, then going to the beach is the best place to sit back and observe and listen to different conversations. It's not about being rude, it's just entertaining.
I can't wait for the summer, and I'm so excited for my first summer day at Coast Guard. It can't come soon enough :) -
Review from Morris W.
Roxbury, MA
5/28/2009
Hey, lets wait in a line to get into the parking lot, then wait in a line again to get on a tram that takes us to the beach.
The beach is very nice once you get there but the hassle is not worth it. But to all the tourists, please keep going to coast guard.
I will be at Marconi. -
Review from Patricia H.
CA
7/31/2008
A beautiful beach with great facilities - even a changing room! If the parking lot is full, you can go to another, farther, lot and take a shuttle to the beach.
The only downside for me was the FREEZING water! It was 56 degrees - are you KIDDING? No way am I going in sans wetsuit.
I'll take Hawaii any time! -
Review from Andrew C.
Tewksbury, MA
8/30/2009
I really like the shuttle system going on for this beach, you park in a remote, dirt lot and get picked up in a glorified people-mover to the beach -- the shuttle runs every 15 minutes (I think).
When you're in the water, there is a very gradual dropoff. I am not that tall so I enjoyed the ability to go further into the ocean without having to tread constantly.
Get here early enough and you can have quite a bit of space between you and your neighbors. The tail end of our stay saw an influx of beach-goers, so it seems as though it eventually gets packed. There are lifeguards on duty here for a portion of the beach, so that is nice as well. -
Review from Leila C.
Nashua, NH
9/2/2010
Soft sand, gorgeous waters, clean and clear. The beaches in this area (including Nauset Light Beach) are voted some of the best in the country. Shuttle service if parking is full. Parking for the shuttle is $15 all day. Full facilities.
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Review from Jess L.
7/3/2010 3 Check-ins Here
I'll give it to CGB for being a very beautiful beach. However, I am not quite sure why this beach is so popular. The day I came, it was incredibly windy. I left as a sand-woman. The shuttle from the parking lot wasn't too painful, but I'm not quite sure why it's necessary. I can tell from the set up in the parking lot, though, that the wait for the shuttle can be a lot worse.
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Review from Julie A.
Arlington, MA
6/3/2007
a nice beach with good surf. little parking but you can walk or take the shuttle from the Doane Rock picnic area. the walk may be a pain if you have a lot of stuff with you, but is a nice trail if you are a rare simpleton at the beach.
because of it's location it doesn't get as crowded as other beaches with is super nice. Also has a really clean bathroom!Listed in: best and worst beaches in…
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Review from Gutsy B.
Clarks Summit, PA
8/12/2010
We came here after the Nauset Light Beach parking was full. At first I thought that parking and riding the tram was going to stink, but it wasn't that bad. The beach had a good amount of people, but not overly crowded. The great thing about this beach is they have beach wheelchairs available for free. You can use them and put them back when you are done. There was always plenty of them sitting there. The kids loved this beach more than the others. It seems to be a people friendly place. By the way, you don't have to use the tram if you are handicap. They had handicap spots available.
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Review from Maria V.
7/20/2008
Great facilities here -- worth every cent for parking and admission through the shuttle. You get showers and clean bathroom facilities as well as several lifeguards on duty. Great for families with kids, beautiful surf in general.
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Review from Cheryl T.
Middlesex, MA
8/13/2010
This is a GREAT beach! I thought the remote parking/tram riding might be a drag, but it was fine & my 4 year old thought it was the best part of the day (he thought it was a train ride!). The ride was fast & efficient, the beach was really clean, well-staffed & had outdoor showers and real restrooms (not the gross port O potty kind...ick!). We went on a perfect sunny August morning & the water was chilly but very refreshing with pretty gentle waves (ie my son wasn't getting beaten up by them & was having a great time). I thought the parking was a little high, but it's pretty much the same throughout the Cape & it IS a national seashore beach (with rangers, tours, & protected status), so it's worthwhile. This beach seemed a little les crowded than Nauset Light, just up the road & a quick walk up the beach.
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Review from Jeff G.
Needham, MA
7/20/2009
beautiful beach!
plus - big waves, cold water, pets allowed
minus - remote parking (walk and avoid the shuttle)
