Maine's Best Beaches

Find Maine's best beaches, from long sandy stretches and rocky granite coastline to warm freshwater lake beaches, with tide tips for planning your visit.

All Beaches

57 beaches across Maine

Ogunquit Beach

Ogunquit Beach

Ogunquit, southern-maine

Three miles of sandy barrier beach in southern Maine's most charming beach town. The Marginal Way cliff walk, warm(ish) water, and a walkable village with restaurants and galleries.

Marginal way Barrier Beach Swimming

Popham Beach State Park

Popham Beach State Park

Bath, midcoast

One of Maine's finest sandy beaches, stretching wide at low tide where the Kennebec River meets the Atlantic. Tidal pools, shifting sandbars, Fort Popham, and views of Seguin Island Light.

Phippsburg Tidal Pools Fort Popham

Sand Beach

Sand Beach

Bar Harbor, acadia

A rare pocket of sand on Acadia's granite coast, framed by rocky headlands and fed by the cold Atlantic. Just 290 yards long, but one of the most photographed spots in Maine.

Swimming Great Head Ocean Path

Bayview Beach southern-maine

Bayview Beach

Saco, southern-maine

A guarded, dog-friendly Saco sand beach between Kinney Shores and Ferry Beach State Park, with summer lifeguards, paid and permit parking, restrooms, and an accessible beach wheelchair.

Saco Sandy Beach dog Friendly

Birch Point Beach State Park

Birch Point Beach State Park

Rockland, midcoast

A hidden pocket beach on Penobscot Bay in Owls Head. Sandy crescent cove tucked between spruce headlands, with gentle surf, warm water by Maine standards, and a peaceful, uncrowded vibe.

Sandy Beach Penobscot bay Swimming

Broad Cove Reserve

Broad Cove Reserve

Cumberland, greater-portland

A 23-acre town-owned reserve in Cumberland Foreside with a calm Casco Bay beach, walking trails through coastal woods, and a pier. Quiet, uncrowded, and 20 minutes from Portland.

easy 0.8 mi greater-portland

Cumberland Foreside Casco bay Calm Beach

Camp Ellis Beach

Camp Ellis Beach

Saco, southern-maine

A jetty beach at the mouth of the Saco River in Saco. Dramatic waves, a working fishing harbor, and a tight-knit coastal community.

Saco Jetty Waves

Cedar Beach

Cedar Beach

Brunswick, greater-portland

A quiet Bailey Island sand beach reached by a footpath down a private road. Public access is limited to Harpswell residents, taxpayers, and their guests, with no dogs.

greater-portland

Bailey Island Harpswell Sandy Beach

Colony Beach

Colony Beach

Kennebunkport, southern-maine

A small sandy beach on Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport with views of Walker's Point, the Bush family compound, and the rocky coastline.

Kennebunkport Walkers Point Bush Compound

Crescent Beach State Park

Crescent Beach State Park

Cape Elizabeth, greater-portland

A crescent-shaped sandy beach in Cape Elizabeth, 8 miles from Portland. Calm, shallow water for families, a nature trail through the spruce woods, and one of the most accessible beaches near the city.

greater-portland

Cape Elizabeth Family Beach Swimming

Cutler Coast Beaches

Cutler Coast Beaches

Cutler, downeast

Remote cobblestone pocket beaches tucked beneath 100-foot sea cliffs on the Bold Coast. Accessible only by hiking trails through spruce forest. No roads, no facilities, pure Downeast wilderness.

moderate 5.4 mi downeast

Bold Coast Pocket Beaches sea Cliffs

Drakes Island Beach

Drakes Island Beach

Wells, southern-maine

A quieter 2,800-foot sandy beach in Wells with tidal flats, coastal dunes, and excellent birding. The calm side of Wells.

Wells Quiet Beach Birding

Drift Inn Beach

Drift Inn Beach

Tenants Harbor, midcoast

A crescent sand beach in St. George with tide pools, sea glass, and Penobscot Bay island views. Marshall Point Lighthouse is a short drive away. The quintessential quiet midcoast beach day.

st George Port Clyde Tide Pools

East End Beach

East End Beach

Portland, greater-portland

Portland's only public beach, a small sand-and-pebble stretch on Casco Bay at the Eastern Promenade with kayak rentals and harbor views.

greater-portland

Portland Casco bay Kayaking

Ferry Beach State Park

Ferry Beach State Park

Saco, southern-maine

A 117-acre state park in Saco with a white sand beach, rare northern tupelo trees, a boardwalk through a bog, and 1.7 miles of nature trails through varied habitats.

easy 1.7 mi southern-maine

Saco Tupelo Trees Nature Trail

Footbridge Beach

Footbridge Beach

Ogunquit, southern-maine

The quieter end of Ogunquit's three-mile sandy stretch, accessed by a pedestrian footbridge over the Ogunquit River. Same fine sand, fewer crowds, and a warm river side for families.

Ogunquit Sandy Beach Swimming

Fortunes Rocks Beach

Fortunes Rocks Beach

Biddeford, southern-maine

A 2-mile stretch of open Atlantic beach in Biddeford with steady waves, good surfing, and far fewer crowds than Old Orchard Beach.

Biddeford Surfing Sandy Beach

Geary's Beach

Geary's Beach

Vinalhaven, midcoast

A tidal beach on Vinalhaven Island where a sandbar to Greer Island emerges at low tide, creating a walkable peninsula. Ferry required from Rockland. Island time on the Maine coast.

easy 1 mi midcoast

Gearys Beach State Beach Vinalhaven

Gleason Cove Park downeast

Gleason Cove Park

Eastport, downeast

A Perry town park on Passamaquoddy Bay with a gravel beach, grassy lawn, boat launch, and picnic area, with views of the Western Passage and Deer Island, New Brunswick.

Perry Washington County Passamaquoddy bay

Gooch's Beach

Gooch's Beach

Kennebunk, southern-maine

A sandy stretch in Kennebunk with the calm, family-friendly Mother's Beach section, walking distance to the historic district and close to Kennebunkport.

Sandy Beach Kennebunk Family Friendly

Goose Rocks Beach

Goose Rocks Beach

Kennebunkport, southern-maine

A quiet 3-mile crescent of sand in Kennebunkport, protected by a barrier reef with gentle surf, tidal pools, and no commercial development along the shore.

Kennebunkport Quiet Beach Barrier Reef

Head Beach

Head Beach

Bath, midcoast

A crescent of sand at the tip of Phippsburg's Small Point peninsula near Hermit Island. Gentle surf, sheltered swimming, and a quiet campground atmosphere far from the crowds.

Phippsburg Small Point Hermit Island

Hermit Island Beaches

Hermit Island Beaches

Phippsburg, midcoast

A private 255-acre Small Point campground in Phippsburg with sandy and rocky beaches: Joes Head, Kelp Cove, and Head Beach. Tidepools and big Atlantic views near Popham.

Phippsburg Small Point Tidepools

Higgins Beach

Higgins Beach

Scarborough, greater-portland

A small, iconic surfing beach in Scarborough with consistent waves, a buried shipwreck, and a tight-knit neighborhood feel just south of Portland.

greater-portland

Scarborough Surfing Sandy Beach

Jasper Beach

Jasper Beach

Machias, downeast

A rare pebble beach covered in polished rhyolite stones that sing with the tide. No sand, pure geological wonder on the Downeast coast.

Machiasport Pebble Beach Rhyolite

Kennebunk Beach (Mother's Beach)

Kennebunk Beach (Mother's Beach)

Kennebunk, southern-maine

A small, sheltered beach in Kennebunk known for calm, shallow water and a playground. The safest swimming spot for young children in the Kennebunks.

Mothers Beach Family Beach Calm Water

Kettle Cove

Kettle Cove

Cape Elizabeth, greater-portland

A small protected cove in Cape Elizabeth with rocky points, tide pools, and a quiet pebble beach, just steps from Crescent Beach and 20 minutes from Portland.

easy 2.8 mi greater-portland

Cape Elizabeth Tide Pools Rocky Coast

Kinney Shores southern-maine

Kinney Shores

Saco, southern-maine

A wide, quieter stretch of Saco Bay sand beside the Goosefare Brook salt marsh, with summer lifeguards and street-side permit parking. A calmer alternative to Old Orchard Beach.

Saco Sandy Beach Goosefare Brook

Lamoine State Park Beach

Lamoine State Park Beach

Ellsworth, acadia

A rocky shoreline on Frenchman Bay with sweeping views of Mount Desert Island and Cadillac Mountain. Camping, a boat launch, and a quieter alternative to Acadia's crowded beaches.

Lamoine Beach Frenchman bay Mount Desert Island

Laudholm Beach (Wells Reserve)

Laudholm Beach (Wells Reserve)

Wells, southern-maine

A walk-in beach at the Wells Reserve, reached by trails through salt marsh and forest. No development, no crowds, just coast and nature.

Nature Reserve Salt Marsh Walk in Beach

Lincolnville Beach

Lincolnville Beach

Camden, midcoast

A sandy beach right on Route 1 in Lincolnville with Penobscot Bay views, the Islesboro ferry dock, and a lobster pound next door. One of the most accessible midcoast beach stops.

Penobscot bay Islesboro Ferry Route 1

Long Island Beach

Long Island Beach

Portland, greater-portland

A singing sand beach on Long Island in Casco Bay, reached by a 45-minute ferry from Portland. Calm bay water, soft sand, and the slow pace of island life just five miles offshore.

greater-portland

Casco bay Sandy Beach Ferry Access

Long Sands Beach

Long Sands Beach

York, southern-maine

A mile-long sandy beach in York along Route 1A, popular for surfing, family swimming, and sunset views with Nubble Lighthouse visible from the northern end.

York Surfing Sandy Beach

Lucia Beach

Lucia Beach

Rockland, midcoast

A sheltered sandy crescent on Penobscot Bay in Owls Head. Gentle surf, unusually warm water for Maine, and views of the Muscle Ridge Islands. Locals still call it Lucia Beach.

Birch Point State Park Owls Head Penobscot bay

Mackerel Cove

Mackerel Cove

Harpswell, midcoast

A sandy-rocky beach set in a working lobster harbor on Bailey Island. Wild roses line the shore, sea glass turns up in the pebbles, and lobster boats come and go from their moorings.

Bailey Island Harpswell sea Glass

Mother's Beach southern-maine

Mother's Beach

Kennebunk, southern-maine

A small, family-friendly Kennebunk beach with tide pools, a playground, summer lifeguards, and ADA Mobi-Mat access. A beach parking pass is required in season.

Kennebunk Sandy Beach Family Friendly

Mowry Beach

Mowry Beach

Lubec, downeast

The easternmost beach in the US with an ADA boardwalk, Campobello Island views, and drowned forest stumps at low tide.

easy 0.3 mi downeast

Lubec Easternmost Beach ada Accessible

Old Orchard Beach

Old Orchard Beach

Saco, southern-maine

A 7-mile sandy beach with a historic pier, Palace Playland (New England's only beachfront amusement park), and a boardwalk that has drawn visitors for over a century.

Boardwalk Amusement Park Pier

Parsons Beach

Parsons Beach

Kennebunk, southern-maine

A half-mile of pristine Kennebunk sand where the Mousam River meets the sea. Open to the public but with only about six parking spots and no-parking signs along the road.

Kennebunk Sandy Beach Mousam River

Pemaquid Beach Park

Pemaquid Beach Park

Damariscotta, midcoast

A quarter-mile sandy beach in Bristol near Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, with calm swimming, a snack bar, and family-friendly facilities.

Sandy Beach Family Friendly Bristol

Pine Point Beach

Pine Point Beach

Scarborough, greater-portland

A wide, four-mile sandy beach at the edge of Scarborough Marsh. Calmer and less crowded than Old Orchard Beach next door, with good walking, family-friendly waters, and a local lobster shack.

greater-portland

Sandy Beach Family Friendly Scarborough Marsh

Potts Point Preserve

Potts Point Preserve

Brunswick, greater-portland

A tiny Harpswell land-trust preserve at the tip of Harpswell Neck, with a gravel beach, rich tide pools, and dramatic Casco Bay island views. Park at the town wharf and walk in.

greater-portland

Harpswell Harpswell Neck Land Trust

Reid State Park

Reid State Park

Bath, midcoast

Maine's first state-owned saltwater beach, featuring Half Mile Beach and Mile Beach, rare sand dunes, rocky headlands, and views of three lighthouses.

Georgetown Sandy Beach Swimming

Roque Bluffs State Park

Roque Bluffs State Park

Machias, downeast

A 274-acre Downeast park with a rare sand-and-pebble ocean beach on Englishman Bay, warm freshwater swimming at Simpson Pond, and six miles of coastal trails.

easy 6 mi downeast

Ocean Beach Simpson Pond Freshwater Swimming

Sand Beach (Stonington) downeast

Sand Beach (Stonington)

Stonington, downeast

A small sandy cove on Deer Isle reached by a short woodland path, with views across East Penobscot Bay to Merchants Row. Not the famous Sand Beach in Acadia.

Deer Isle Sandy Beach Penobscot bay

Sandy Point Beach

Sandy Point Beach

Bucksport, midcoast

A half-mile of undeveloped sandy shore where the Penobscot River meets Penobscot Bay. Trails through 100 acres of woods and marshes, views of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, and uncrowded solitude.

Stockton Springs Penobscot River Penobscot bay

Sandy River Beach

Sandy River Beach

Jonesport, downeast

A remote white sand beach in Jonesport with a tidal sandbar to Bar Island, sea glass, and views of Chandler Bay. One of Downeast Maine's overlooked beaches.

Jonesport sea Glass bar Island

Scarborough Beach State Park

Scarborough Beach State Park

Scarborough, greater-portland

A sandy beach with New England's best surfing, just 10 minutes south of Portland. Consistent waves, surf lessons, and a no-frills beach experience close to the city.

greater-portland

Surfing Swimming Sandy Beach

Seal Harbor Beach

Seal Harbor Beach

Northeast Harbor, acadia

A calm, sandy public beach on Mount Desert Island with a floating dock, gentle water, and far fewer crowds than Sand Beach in Acadia. The quieter side of MDI.

Mount Desert Island Sandy Beach Calm Water

Seawall Beach

Seawall Beach

Bath, midcoast

Maine's longest undeveloped barrier beach, reached by a 2-mile hike over Morse Mountain. No dogs, no umbrellas, no development. Just a mile of wild sand between the Sprague and Morse rivers.

3.8 mi midcoast

Morse Mountain Phippsburg Barrier Beach

Short Sands Beach

Short Sands Beach

York Beach, southern-maine

A small sandy cove at York Beach village with the Fun-O-Rama arcade, saltwater taffy shops, restaurants, and a classic New England beach town vibe.

Sandy Beach York Beach Family Friendly

Small Point Beach midcoast

Small Point Beach

Bath, midcoast

Open-Atlantic sand at the tip of the Phippsburg peninsula. Reach the wild Seawall strand on foot through Bates-Morse Mountain, or drive to nearby Head Beach for fee parking.

Phippsburg Sandy Beach Atlantic Ocean

Stover's Point Preserve

Stover's Point Preserve

Brunswick, greater-portland

A Harpswell land-trust preserve with a gravel sandbar wrapped around a salt marsh, swimmable water, and a view of the iconic Cribstone Bridge. Limited parking, rough access road.

greater-portland

Harpswell Orrs Island Land Trust

Thomas Point Beach

Thomas Point Beach

Brunswick, greater-portland

An 85-acre private beach park in Brunswick with sandy tidal beach, camping, and picnic groves. Former home of Maine's legendary bluegrass festival.

greater-portland

Brunswick Bluegrass Tidal Beach

Wells Beach

Wells Beach

Wells, southern-maine

Seven miles of sandy shoreline in southern Maine. Wide at low tide, lifeguards in summer, and restaurants and shops within walking distance.

Sandy Beach Swimming Family Beach

Willard Beach

Willard Beach

South Portland, greater-portland

A small, welcoming neighborhood beach in South Portland on Simonton Cove. Views of Portland Head Light, a dog-friendly off-season schedule, and the Spring Point Shoreway just steps away.

greater-portland

dog Friendly Neighborhood Beach Portland Harbor

York Harbor Beach

York Harbor Beach

York, southern-maine

A small, scenic sandy beach in York Harbor with gentle surf, rocky headlands, and views of Stage Neck. Quiet and charming.

Scenic Beach Stage Neck Small Beach

Types of Maine Beaches

🏖️

Sandy Beaches

Long sandy stretches perfect for sunbathing, swimming, and building castles.

🪨

Rocky Coastline

Dramatic granite shores for tidepooling, photography, and coastal hiking.

🏊

Freshwater Beaches

Warm lake beaches with calm water, ideal for families and swimming.

Maine Beach Tips

* Water temperatures range from 50-65F in summer. Much warmer at freshwater beaches and southern sandy beaches.
* Tides matter. Sandy beaches can shrink dramatically at high tide. Check tide charts before you go.
* Parking fills early at popular spots like Sand Beach (Acadia) and Old Orchard. Arrive before 10 AM in peak season.
* Pack layers. Even on warm days, coastal breezes can make it cool, especially in the afternoon.

Maine Beach Day Kit

Essentials for sandy shores and rocky coves along the Maine coast.

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KEEN Newport H2 Sandal Mid-range

Rocky beaches & river crossings

Merrell Hydro Moc Mid-range

Rocky beaches & streams

Sea to Summit Lightweight Dry Bag 8L Budget

Packable gear protection

JOTO Waterproof Phone Pouch Budget

Lake & beach phone protection

Sun Bum SPF 50 Sunscreen Budget

Beach & lake days

PackTowl Personal Budget

Quick-dry travel towel

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