Cape Cod's Beaches
With almost 600 miles of coastline, Cape Cod has a beach for everyone.
There are roughly 600 miles of Cape Cod coastline and more than 100 beaches that vary in popularity among locals and visitors. They also run the gamut of personal preference. Does one enjoy soft sand or rougher terrain? Does one want to be in near seclusion or among the crowds? Do they want off-roading and heavy surf or calm waters? It is possible to find your perfect beach on this peninsula.
Nauset Beach
Pamela Burley/iStock/Thinkstock
For an off-road escape, Nauset Beach might be the king of Cape Cod beaches. That’s because of the large expanse of the beach itself and the off-road areas, but mostly because of the tremendous surf of the Atlantic Ocean, which rolls along the national seashore from Orleans up through Provincetown. Nauset is also the only beach whose parking-lot status is flashed along the highway to those hoping to claim a precious space before they’re all full.
Race Point Beach
De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images
Old Silver Beach
Falmouth Chamber of Commerce/Dan Cutrona
Very familiar to year-round residents, Old Silver Beach in Falmouth does not have off-road capabilities, particularly large surf or dunes. But what it lacks in those areas is made up for in the basics of what a beachgoer is looking for: sand and sun. Old Silver Beach is small and split in 2 by Herring Brook, making it a little more difficult to get lost. But with calmer waters than the beaches on the Atlantic Ocean side, Old Silver Beach is more family-friendly, as children can play in the water almost carefree.
Skaket Beach
William DeSousa-Mauk
In fact, Skaket, West Dennis and Craigville are all great walking beaches, with their sands spilling over into neighboring beaches. Even better, these beaches will almost always have room in the summer and are every bit as stunning as the most popular spots.
Bound Brook Island
Alison Shaw
For other secluded spots, try South Cape Beach in Mashpee, Corn Hill Beach and Head of the Meadow Beach, both in Truro, which are unspoiled oases that hark back to a time when Cape Cod was not the immensely popular vacation destination it is today.
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