Skip to main content
Cape Cod Beach Guide
All Beaches
Loop Beach — photo 1
1 / 5

Heads up

  • Piping plover nesting closure active this month — sections of the beach may be roped off.
Sound SideSticker / Day FeeBest in July

Loop Beach

Cotuit, Barnstable, Massachusetts · Nantucket Sound (Cotuit Bay)

The Cotuit village beach — calm, friendly, and walkable from town

A charming Nantucket Sound beach in the village of Cotuit with calm, roped-off swimming areas and full facilities including a bathhouse. Views of Sampson's Island. Small-town beach vibes at their best — the kind of place where everyone knows each other. Named for the one-way loop road that leads to it.

Loop Beach is the heart of summer in Cotuit village — a compact, perfectly sheltered Nantucket Sound beach reached by a one-way loop road that gives the place its name. Sampson's Island sits across the channel and breaks the chop down to nothing, so the roped swim area is glassy on most days and the water warms quickly. There's a small bathhouse with restrooms and showers, a single lifeguard stand, and a steady rotation of Cotuit families who have been coming here for generations. The parking lot is tiny: residents and rental-sticker holders only on most days, with a daily-fee option ($15 weekdays / $20 weekends) on a first-come basis. After the beach, Cotuit Fresh Market is a five-minute walk for sandwiches and the Kettle-Ho is the village's tavern of choice for an evening drink.

Photo spot

Sampson's Island across the channel from the swim area at sunset

Arrive
Before 10am on weekends
Crowds
Moderate
Dogs
Seasonal
Lifeguards
On duty
Sunsets
Great spot

Best for

FamiliesSwimming

The beach

Lay of the land

Orientation
South-facing
Length
~0.15 mi
Backshore
Dune / flat
Sand
Soft sand with some shell fragments near waterline
Shade
Minimal — bathhouse porch offers some shade

Wildlife

Birds you may see: common tern, osprey, great egret, piping plover

Eelgrass beds

Things to know

  • Jellyfish more likely in August.

Plan your visit

Parking & fees

$15

daily fee

$45

resident sticker / season

$375

non-resident / season

Lot size
Small
Enforcement
9am–3:45pm year-round

Small lot, resident sticker required; daily fee available (weekdays $15, weekends $20)

Getting there

From Sagamore Bridge
30 min
Cell signal
good

Accessibility

Beach wheelchair
Available
Mobi Mat
No
Accessible restroom
Yes
Accessible parking
2 spaces
Path from parking
short walk

Dogs

No dogs May 15 – Sept 15. Allowed on leash Sept 16 – May 14.

Pairs well with

Rules & activities

What’s allowed

UmbrellasTents / canopies · small onlyAlcoholGrillsFiresDronesSmoking

Activities

Designated SUP/kayak launch

Safety & stewardship

Lifeguards on duty· Late June – Labor Day Partial plover closure (seasonal)

Photo by Karl Hattman via Google Places

Today

Water64°F
Sunrise5:08 AM
Sunset8:17 PM

Conditions

WavesCalm water
Water68–72°F (July–Aug)
TidesModerate
SharksLow risk
JellyfishLow — protected waters near Cotuit Bay
Length~0.15 mi

Facilities

LifeguardsRestroomsShowersChanging roomsAccessibleBike rack

Late June – Labor Day, 9am–5pm

Cotuit Fresh Market and Kettle-Ho restaurant within ~0.5mi on Main St

You might also like

Covell's Beach beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sound Side

Covell's Beach

Centerville, Barnstable, MA

Plover closureHidden gemAccessible
(267)
Familiescalm watervolleyballquieter alternative
Calm waterLifeguardsSunsets
Craigville Beach beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sound Side

Craigville Beach

Centerville, Barnstable, MA

Plover closureAccessible
(348)
FamiliesSwimmingteensvolleyball+1
Calm waterLifeguardsSunsets
Dionis Beach beach in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Sound Side

Dionis Beach

Nantucket, MA

Plover closureHidden gem
(29)
Familiescalm waterdunesSwimming
Calm waterDog-friendlyLifeguardsSunsets