Coast Guard Beach

Coast Guard Beach is a broad Atlantic beach in Eastham, at the southern end of Cape Cod National Seashore. The sandy Great Beach starts here and continues north for more than 20 miles. Come to swim, walk the surf line, or spend time by the dunes, with the old white Coast Guard station on the bluff above the shore. If you want one big ocean-side stop, make time for this one. The surf can be rough, so it isn't always a calm-water beach.

During summer, most visitors park at Little Creek and take a short shuttle. The beach lot has seasonal restrictions, so don't assume you can drive straight to the sand; direct parking there is limited to Eastham residents and vehicles displaying disability placards during the restricted season. Outside that period, the beach lot is generally available. Shuttle dates and access details vary, so check before you go. Even after the shuttle, there's a walk with gear before you reach the water. The access area has restrooms and seasonal outdoor showers; an accessible rampway and beach wheelchairs are listed, but check current availability and shuttle access if mobility matters. Bring water and snacks for a long stay; don't count on a meal stop at the beach.

The main access can feel busy in summer. If you want more room, keep walking along the shore; people spread out along the long beach. Soft sand and beach gear make the walk slower than it looks, so travel light if you're planning to go far.

This beach sits on a shifting barrier spit. Waves and currents move sand along the coast, while storms can push sand over the spit. Beach grass catches windblown sand and helps dunes rebuild. Behind the former station, Nauset Marsh has salt-marsh grasses and tidal flats. Follow the path toward the bicycle-trail bridge for a view across the marsh; shorebirds use the flats in warmer months.

The white building on the dune is the old Coast Guard station that gave the beach its name. Nauset was one of nine lifesaving stations funded for Cape Cod's ocean side in 1871. The earlier station stood about 350 yards southeast of this one; erosion forced a replacement. That earlier station served until 1937. The present building served as a Coast Guard station through 1958, then became the national seashore's first headquarters in 1961.

The Mayflower made landfall at what is now Coast Guard Beach on November 9, 1620, after a 65-day crossing from England. The ship anchored in Provincetown Harbor two days later. It is a striking piece of history to have on the same open shoreline where the Cape's ocean-facing shoals drove the lifesaving service.

For a picture that says Coast Guard Beach, include the white station on its dune above a strip of sand and surf. That gives the open ocean shoreline a local landmark, and a little surf at the bottom helps show how much beach sits below it.