Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA
Cape Cod National Seashore's most dramatic barrier beach — pristine Atlantic surf, vast Nauset Marsh, and a landscape of wild dunes that Henry David Thoreau immortalized in his writings.
Location
Eastham, Barnstable County, MA
Sand Type
Fine Pale Outer Cape Sand
Water Clarity
Excellent — Cold Clear Atlantic
Facilities
NPS Fee, Lifeguards, Shuttle from Salt Pond
Best Season
Late June – September
Nearest Airport
Hyannis (HYA) — 35 km
Coast Guard Beach is among the most visited and most written-about beaches in the Cape Cod National Seashore — and for good reason. The beach sits at the precise confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and Nauset Marsh, one of the most ecologically rich salt marshes in New England. Looking west from Coast Guard Beach over the marsh, the landscape of channels, eel grass meadows, and migratory birds extends inland for miles; looking east, the open Atlantic horizon is unobstructed for thousands of miles to Portugal. This extraordinary duality makes the beach unique in New England.
Henry David Thoreau walked this section of the outer Cape in the 1850s and wrote about it in his remarkable work "Cape Cod," describing the raw, windswept character of the outer beach landscape in terms that remain accurate today. The old US Coast Guard Station building stands above the beach on the bluff north of the main access — now owned by the NPS, it once housed the rescue crews that responded to countless Cape Cod shipwrecks. The station building is occasionally open for tours through the NPS.
Coast Guard Beach has limited parking (the small lot fills within minutes of opening in summer), and the NPS operates a popular free shuttle service from the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham — this is actually the recommended way to visit in summer. The shuttle ride through Eastham marsh areas is pleasant and avoids parking stress entirely. The surfing is excellent at the northern end of the beach near the marsh inlet, where tidal currents produce the best waves on the outer Cape during certain swell directions.
Coast Guard Beach has accessible restrooms and a beach wheelchair available on request through the lifeguard station. The shuttle from Salt Pond is accessible for wheelchairs. The trail from the upper parking area to the beach crosses a boardwalk that is manageable for most mobility devices. The NPS has worked to improve accessibility at all seashore beaches; contact the Salt Pond Visitor Center for current accessibility information and beach wheelchair availability.
The most reliable approach is the free NPS shuttle from Salt Pond Visitor Center on Route 6 in Eastham — runs daily from late June through Labor Day. Limited parking at the beach itself is reserved for mobility-impaired visitors with placards. From Route 6 south, take Nauset Road/Ocean View Drive east to reach the beach directly. America the Beautiful passes cover the NPS day-use fee at season entry checkpoints.
🏛️ Salt Pond Visitor Center
Best National Seashore visitor center — exhibits, bookstore, natural history films, and ranger walks
🚲 Cape Cod Rail Trail
22-mile paved cycling trail through Eastham, Orleans, Wellfleet, and Truro to South Wellfleet
🦅 Nauset Marsh Kayaking
Outstanding paddling through the NPS marsh — osprey, great blue heron, and seal kayaking tours available
🎪 Wellfleet Flea Market
Famous Cape Cod outdoor flea market — 10 minutes north in Wellfleet, weekends and some weekdays in summer