Skip to main content
Cape Cod Beach Guide
All Beaches

Heads up

  • Piping plover nesting closure active this month — sections of the beach may be roped off.
Bay / CalmFree & OpenHidden gemBest in September

Eel Point Road

Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Sound / Madaket Harbor

Nantucket's wildest north-shore spit — birds, dunes, and silence

A remote north shore beach requiring a sandy road walk to access. The spit of land at Eel Point is a prime birding spot where Nantucket Sound meets the open harbor. Pristine and wild.

Eel Point is one of the wildest places left on Nantucket — a long, narrow spit of sand and beach grass reaching west from the north shore into Madaket Harbor. You park at a small dirt pull-off and walk in along a sandy track for about half a mile through scrub and dune. There's no beach infrastructure of any kind, no lifeguards, no restrooms, no concessions — just a remarkable stretch of bird habitat and one of the best low-tide flats on the island. Piping plovers, least terns, oystercatchers, and willets all nest here; the area is closed seasonally through July to protect them. Bring binoculars, bring water, bring a tide chart, and don't bring a crowd.

Photo spot

Low-tide sandbar curving out toward Madaket Harbor

Arrive
Anytime — but bring everything
Crowds
Low
Dogs
Welcome
Sunsets
Great spot

Best for

NatureSeclusionBirdingWalking

The beach

Lay of the land

Orientation
Northwest-facing (sunset)
Length
~1.5 mi
Tide flat
~300 yd at low tide
Backshore
Dune / flat
Sand
Fine soft sand backed by beach grass and scrub
Shade
none

Wildlife

Birds you may see: piping plover, least tern, American oystercatcher, willet, osprey, great egret

TidepoolsEelgrass beds

Things to know

  • Occasional seal haul-outs nearby — a shark factor on outer-Cape waters.
  • Jellyfish more likely July–August.
  • Greenhead flies are intense in late July through mid-August on calm, humid days.

Plan your visit

Parking & fees

Lot size
Small
Enforcement
Free; small dirt pull-off only.

Small lot, walk or bike along Eel Point Road

Getting there

Ferry
60 min from Hyannis · Steamship Authority (fast ferry)
Cell signal
spotty

Accessibility

Beach wheelchair
Not available
Mobi Mat
No
Path from parking
long walk

Dogs

Allowed on leash; restricted in plover closure zones.

Pairs well with

Rules & activities

What’s allowed

UmbrellasTents / canopies · small onlyAlcoholGrillsFiresDronesSmoking

Activities

Unofficial SUP/kayak launchFishing · surfcastingFishing · fly

Safety & stewardship

Significant plover closures

Today

Water60°F
Sunrise5:08 AM
Sunset8:15 PM

Conditions

WavesCalm water
Water65–70°F (July–Aug)
TidesModerate
SharksLow risk
Jellyfishlow
Length~1.5 mi
Open in Google MapsOfficial town page

Ratings updated 4 days ago

You might also like

Ocean / Surf

Quidnet Beach

Nantucket, MA

Plover closureHidden gemSurf · intermediate
(5)
SeclusionSceneryWalkingBirding
Surf wavesUncrowdedDog-friendly
Tom Never Beach beach in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Ocean / Surf

Tom Never Beach

Nantucket, MA

Plover closureHidden gemSurf · intermediate
(6)
SeclusionWalkingFishingBirding
Surf wavesUncrowdedDog-friendly
Cold Storage Beach beach in Dennis, Massachusetts
Bay / Calm

Cold Storage Beach

Dennis, MA

Hidden gem
(93)
WalkingSeclusionNature
Calm waterUncrowdedSunsets