A Beach Lover's Guide to Kennebunk & Kennebunkport Beaches

Kennebunk and Kennebunkport sit on one of the best stretches of sand in Maine. That sounds like a bold claim for a state mostly known for rocky coastline and lobster traps, but the Kennebunk area is the exception, wide sandy beaches, gentle surf, and water that actually warms up enough to swim in by July. (Barely. But enough.)

The two towns share a border and a bridge over the Kennebunk River. Between them, they offer five distinct beaches, each with a different personality. One is perfect for families with toddlers. Another is a mile-long stretch of sand popular with surfers. A third is a private-feeling barrier beach that most visitors never find. Knowing which one fits your day, and where to park, is the difference between a great beach day and two hours circling the block in your car.

Here is the complete breakdown.

Gooch’s Beach

Type: Town beach with lifeguards | Length: About 1 mile | Parking: Permit or metered lots

Gooch’s Beach is the main beach in Kennebunk and the one most people picture when they think of the area. It runs along Beach Avenue for roughly a mile, backed by a seawall and a row of beach cottages and inns. The sand is fine and wide at low tide, narrowing significantly at high tide, check the tide charts before you go.

The water is classic southern Maine: cold in June (mid-50s), tolerable by mid-July (low 60s), and actually pleasant by August if you give yourself 30 seconds to acclimate. Waves are gentle most days, with occasional surf during storms that draws the local shortboard crowd.

Parking: This is the critical issue. Kennebunk requires a beach parking permit for the lots along Beach Avenue from mid-June through Labor Day. Permits are available at the town hall or online, and they are not cheap, day permits run around $30, weekly around $75. There is some metered parking along the street, but it fills by 9 AM on summer weekends.

Facilities: Restrooms at the main lot, a snack bar, outdoor showers. Lifeguards on duty from late June through August.

Nearby: Where to Eat After Gooch’s

Walk north along Beach Avenue to the Kennebunkport side and you are within striking distance of the Clam Shack at the bridge (fried clams that justify the line), Bandaloop (upscale dining with harbor views), and Duffy’s Tavern & Grill (casual pub, good burgers). For coffee, Cape Porpoise Kitchen in nearby Cape Porpoise is worth the 10-minute drive.

Mother’s Beach

Type: Sheltered cove with calm water | Length: Small cove, maybe 200 yards | Parking: Permit required

Mother’s Beach sits in a protected cove at the north end of Beach Avenue, where the Kennebunk River meets the ocean. The water here is noticeably calmer than Gooch’s Beach, the cove blocks most wave action, creating a pool-like swimming area that is ideal for small children.

The beach itself is small. At high tide, usable sand shrinks to a narrow strip. At low tide, tidal flats extend outward and kids can explore pools and channels in the exposed sand. The water in the shallows warms faster than the open ocean, making this the warmest swimming on the Kennebunk coast.

Who should go: Families with kids under 8. This is genuinely one of the best toddler beaches in Maine. Older kids and adults who want to swim or bodysurf will find it too calm and too small.

Parking: Same permit system as Gooch’s Beach. The lot is small and fills early. Walking from Gooch’s Beach takes about 10 minutes along the seawall.

Colony Beach

Type: Small beach near the Colony Hotel | Length: Short, maybe 150 yards | Parking: Very limited roadside spots

Colony Beach sits at the foot of the Colony Hotel, the grand white clapboard resort that has anchored Kennebunkport’s oceanfront since 1914. The beach is small, with sand that gives way to rocky outcrops on either end. It is not really a place to spend all day. It is a place to take a walk, watch the waves hit the rocks, and photograph the hotel with the ocean behind it.

Colony Beach gets less foot traffic than Gooch’s and Mother’s because there is almost no dedicated parking. Most visitors are guests of the Colony Hotel or people staying nearby who walk over. If you can find a spot, the views south toward Gooch’s Beach and Walker’s Point are excellent.

Best use: A sunset walk or morning stroll. Combine it with a trip to Dock Square (Kennebunkport’s small downtown) for shopping and ice cream.

Parson’s Beach

Type: Quiet barrier beach | Length: About half a mile | Parking: Very limited roadside (Parson’s Beach Road)

Parson’s Beach is the hidden one. Located off Route 9 between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, it sits at the end of a short residential road with a handful of roadside parking spots and no facilities. The beach itself is beautiful, wide, sandy, backed by dune grass, with the Mousam River estuary on one side and the open Atlantic on the other.

The lack of parking and amenities is intentional. The families who live along Parson’s Beach Road want to keep it quiet, and the town has not invested in infrastructure to make it a destination beach. Which means if you manage to find a parking spot, you will have more space per person than anywhere else on the Kennebunk coast.

The Mousam River estuary behind the beach is excellent for birdwatching, herons, egrets, plovers, and migrating shorebirds in spring and fall. At low tide, the sand extends far out and tide pools form along the rocky edges.

Important: Respect the residential neighborhood. Do not block driveways, do not park on private property, and keep noise reasonable. The residents’ tolerance is what keeps this beach accessible to the public.

Goose Rocks Beach

Type: Long barrier beach | Length: About 2 miles | Parking: Permit required (strict enforcement)

Goose Rocks Beach is in Kennebunkport, about 5 miles northeast of Dock Square. It is the longest continuous sand beach in the Kennebunk area and one of the best in southern Maine. Two miles of fine sand, gentle surf, tidal pools at the rocky ends, and a barrier island (Timber Island) visible offshore at low tide.

The beach has a different feel than Gooch’s. It is more residential, less commercial, and wider. There is no seawall, no snack bar, no lifeguards. Homes line the road behind the beach, but the sand itself feels expansive and uncrowded even in peak season because there is simply so much of it.

At low tide, the beach width is remarkable, 200 yards or more of flat sand stretching to the waterline. Kayakers launch from the south end near the Batson River. Birdwatchers work the north end near the tidal marsh. Families with kids spread out in the middle.

Parking: Goose Rocks has its own parking permit system, separate from the Kennebunk town beach permits. You need a Kennebunkport beach permit, available at the town office. Day permits are available. Enforcement is consistent, if you park without a permit, you will be ticketed.

Understanding the Tides

Tides matter more at Kennebunk beaches than at most Maine beaches. The tidal range here is about 9 feet, which means the beach you see at low tide and the beach you see at high tide are dramatically different places.

Low tide: Maximum sand, wide beaches, exposed tidal pools and sandbars. Goose Rocks and Gooch’s Beach are at their best. Mother’s Beach exposes tidal flats that kids love. Parson’s Beach extends far out.

High tide: Sand narrows significantly, especially at Gooch’s and Colony Beach. Seawall access points at Gooch’s can be submerged at the highest tides. Mother’s Beach becomes very small. Swimming is easier (you do not have to walk 200 yards to reach the water).

Best strategy: Check the tide chart for Kennebunkport (NOAA station 8418557). Plan beach time centered around mid-to-low tide for the most sand and the best tide pooling. Plan swimming for mid-to-high tide so you do not have to trek across a football field of wet sand to reach the water.

Best Time to Visit

June: Beaches are less crowded, parking is easier, but water temperatures are in the mid-50s. Good for walking, less ideal for swimming unless you are tough.

July: Peak season begins. Water warms to the low-to-mid 60s. Parking fills early. Weekdays are dramatically better than weekends.

August: Warmest water (mid-60s), biggest crowds, hardest parking. If this is your only option, arrive before 8:30 AM.

September: The secret best month. Water is still swimmable (it holds heat into mid-September), crowds thin immediately after Labor Day, and parking becomes easy. Late September sunsets over the beach are spectacular.

October through May: Beaches are empty and beautiful for walking. Water is not swimmable. No parking permits required. No crowds. Dress warmly.

Beyond the Beach: What Else to Do

The Kennebunks are not just beaches. A few highlights that pair well with a beach day:

• Dock Square, Kennebunkport: The walkable downtown with shops, galleries, ice cream (Rococo is the local favorite), and harbor views.
• Cape Porpoise: A working fishing harbor 10 minutes from Goose Rocks Beach. Good lobster rolls, quiet atmosphere, and the Goat Island Lighthouse visible from the pier.
• Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge: A 1-mile interpretive trail through salt marsh, 10 minutes from Gooch’s Beach. Excellent birdwatching, especially during spring and fall migration.
• Wells Reserve at Laudholm: Just south in neighboring Wells, this coastal preserve has 7 miles of trails through fields, forest, and estuary leading to Laudholm Beach, another beautiful and less-visited beach.
• Kennebunk Beach: The town’s lesser-known beach, separate from Gooch’s, worth exploring for a change of scenery.

Getting There

Kennebunk is about 90 minutes north of Boston on I-95 (exit 25) and 30 minutes south of Portland. The town is small and walkable if you are staying near the beach. Kennebunkport’s Dock Square is about 3 miles from Gooch’s Beach.

From Portland, the drive down I-95 or Route 1 is straightforward. Route 1 is slower but passes through Ogunquit and Wells, both worth stops if you are making a southern Maine beach day of it.