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Heads up

Piping plover nesting closure active this month — sections of the beach may be roped off.
High rip-current risk. Swim near a lifeguard and ask about conditions.
Steep beach face and strong rip currents; no lifeguards.

Ocean / SurfFree & OpenBest in June

Sconset Beach

Nantucket, Massachusetts · Atlantic Ocean

4.5(26 reviews)

The wild beach below Sconset's rose-covered village

The beach below the charming village of Siasconset (Sconset), known for its rose-covered cottages. Dramatic bluffs with active erosion. Strong surf and a wild, beautiful setting.

Sconset Beach runs below the bluff that defines Siasconset, Nantucket's easternmost village — the one with the rose-covered fishing shacks of Sconset Square and the famous Sankaty Head Lighthouse a mile to the north. The beach is reached by a set of public stairs down the bluff from the village; the bluff itself is in active retreat, and homeowners along Baxter Road have been moving and propping up houses against the erosion for two decades. The waves are strong, the sand is steep, there are no lifeguards. Walk north along the beach toward Sankaty Light for one of the best Nantucket strolls; come at sunrise for the only east-facing sunrise beach on the island.

History

Sankaty Head Lighthouse, just north of Sconset Beach, was moved 400 feet back from the eroding bluff in 2007 in one of the most-watched relocation projects in Nantucket history.

Photo spot

Sankaty Head Lighthouse from the beach at sunrise

Arrive

Morning for the village

Crowds

Moderate

Dogs

Welcome