Rock Harbor Beach

More of a harbor landing than a traditional beach, but the sunset from Rock Harbor is legendary. Watch charter fishing boats return with the day's catch as the sky turns gold over Cape Cod Bay.

Rock Harbor is more a working harbor than a traditional beach — but as a sunset destination it's among the best on the Cape. The harbor sits at the head of a creek that empties into Cape Cod Bay across a wide tidal flat, and the channel out is marked by an iconic line of old tree-trunk channel markers — "the trees" — that gives the place its visual signature. The Orleans charter fishing fleet runs out of Rock Harbor, and on summer afternoons the boats stream in with the tide, captains cleaning striped bass and bluefish at the harbor cleaning stations while the sky turns gold behind them. The beach is small — a sandy crescent at the harbor mouth — but the sunset show is reliable and dramatic. Parking is free near the harbor and the lots fill in the hour before sunset; bring a folding chair, a beer, and a good camera. At extreme low tide the bay pulls back to expose a half mile of tidal flat that's worth a walk.