Coast Guard Beach

Consistently rated one of the top 10 beaches in America. The old Coast Guard station sits above the beach, and you'll almost certainly see seals. Shuttle-only access in summer keeps it manageable.

Coast Guard Beach has been called the best beach in America by Stephen Leatherman's annual ranking more than once, and standing at the top of the dune looking south down the long arc of barrier beach toward Nauset Marsh you understand why. The old white Coast Guard station crowns the bluff above the beach — a National Park Service property, beautifully preserved. In summer the Cape Cod National Seashore runs a shuttle from the Doane Rock parking area (you cannot drive directly to the main lot in season); the system works smoothly and keeps overcrowding in check. The Atlantic here is cold, clean, and serious — long beach-break waves favored by surfers and bodyboarders, with a strong shorebreak that demands respect. Lifeguards staff the beach in season. Gray and harbor seals haul out on offshore bars in plain view, and shark patrols are active July through Labor Day. Bring everything: this is a real day at the ocean, and the parking shuttle adds twenty minutes either way.