Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester is one of my favorite beaches to go to in MA!…read moreThis summer's daily parking fee is $40/non-Gloucester residents for weekdays, and payment made via the Blinkay app. No longer take cash payments. Parking pass for weekends/holidays is $45. It used to be $30/day in previous years. Any time after 5pm, parking is free, so you could definitely come to just chill & watch the sunset. It's smaller than the other beaches in the area (i.e. Good Harbor Beach, Crane Beach, Plum Island, etc) but nothing can beat the white sand & clear, clean water here! The sand is free of annoying rocks & just feels like walking on marshmallows! Now, they have a separate parking lot for Non-Gloucester residents, that is a short walk from the entrance to the beach, while residents are able to park in the main lot closer to the beach entrance. Note: bathrooms & showers are open until 6pm daily.

Wingaersheek Beach is a beautiful beach with soft sand, clear water, and plenty of space to relax…read more The beach itself is definitely worth visiting. That said, there were a few frustrating parts of the experience. If you're not a Gloucester resident ( i'm a massachusetts resident) parking is $48, which is quite expensive. Even though I had a reservation, I was directed to the farthest parking lot, about a half-mile walk from the beach. There were plenty of open spots in the resident parking area, but we still weren't allowed to park there. The food and beach shop were also very pricey, so I'd recommend bringing your own snacks and drinks if you can. Overall, it's a great beach, but be prepared for high parking fees, a longer walk, and expensive concessions.

My first time here walking around. We've driven by but this time we decided to get a little…read moreexercise and enjoy the views. We weren't the only ones here. Lots of people from all over. There were families, tourists, college kids, locals, and of course, love birds!! ;) We enjoyed our little walks and stopping to rest. While resting, we enjoyed people watching, the waves, and surfers. What's not to like?!?! The waves are so beautiful and relaxing! It doesn't matter if it's cloudy or sunshine. It's just the doctor ordered!!

Don't go here. I was walking over the rocks and climbing on them and then they HAD to be slippery…read moreand mind you, I don't know how to swim, even though I'm from Gloucester. I fell on a rock, and I struggled to get back up. another time, I decided to go in the water and try to sit on the rock, but the thing is why is the sand so FUCKING DEEP? It could've been like 3 feet and I would've been okay, but it was like 5?! THE HELL? Never in my GODDAMN life that I would've been complaining over a beach but here I am. Why? I am a local and I would rather shoot myself with a hunter's rifle then swim here. Go to Good Harbor instead.

Such a lovely beach in such a great town! I visited this past weekend for the first time and adored…read moreit. Parking can make things a little tricky, but you won't need to walk for more than 10-15 mins from your spot to access the beach. Beach access is $10 a head, which may seem steep but I think is pretty average for beaches nowadays. The sand was nice, the beach staff was friendly, and the water was SO clean. We even spotted a couple of seals. Will go back!

Absolutely gorgeous beach. Large, clean, and one of the best views of the stars I've ever seen…read more Note parking is a little away from much of the beach, so be prepared to carry your things for a bit on the sand (especially if you want to be a little away from the crowd!).

Growing up a few towns away led me to enjoy many visits here over the past 30 years. But last…read moreweekend was my first visit in around 5 years. It was good to see some small upgrades around the land, starting with a revamp of the parking area and more identifiable main signage to lead you into the park. The Trustees of Reservations segment of the land is now also more clearly delineated, though there is no additional admission charge or anything like that. The trails themselves maintain a timeless and spirited quality that encourages exploration and staying in the moment. The views are certainly something to behold, which I appreciate more now as an adult and needing to make the effort if/when I want to return to these surroundings.

Many many hiking trails going 1) around a central quarry now inactive and 2) leading to the ocean,…read moreboth up to vista views, and down to the very rocky, beautiful shore line. We hiked a LOT there. The trails are not for beginners--there are steep inclines and declines. We did several miles while taking photos and pacing ourselves. Everything here is breathtaking and beautiful. You are at the extreme end of the Rockport Peninsula. It doesn't get any better than this, unless you go to Acadia in Maine. A first rate park hiking destination and park. A plus!

Lovely beach in Rockport. I visit every year with my family. Great place in the summer to get some…read moresun and avoid the heat in the cities.

By far my favourite beach in New England great family beach, wide soft sand, calm waves, shallow…read moreincline & to boot no stones, pebbles or sand biting bugs, even at dusk... If you can rent one of the quaint cottages directly on the beach, it adds to the experience. Nothing beats opening your front door, sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and watching the world idly wake up... At the end of August, Long Beach Day is held with a host of family fun activities for the kids to enjoy and the adults to bring out their competitive sides for wheel barrow racing, 3 legged racing etc... And one thing that makes me happy, happy... is my departure from Boston on a summer Friday @ 5.30pm and arriving at the beach in Rockport by 6.15/6.30 max... It beats the trip south to the Cape, hands down...

Nice park, and the beach area is very nice but very tiny. No food concessions, no changing rooms,…read moreno usable showers. Advance parking reservation is required and expensive. App did not provide confirmation email as promised. I did download my QR code, as required, which the attendant seemed mystified by. He eventually let me in.

Stage Fort Park is off the hook. Gloucester in general is fire the seafood is premium and a great…read morevalue in the local restaurants. My favorite, Causeway Restaurant. Where if you get an order to go you think they made a mistake and gave you two orders because they don't fit in one take away container which are huge to begin with take my advice and go. Thank me later. One.

My husband and I found this cozy little beach area years ago. Parking is along the water but get…read morethere early. We have in the past brought a small grill to cook hotdogs on the sand or rocks, not sure if this is still allowed? The water is super clean and cold! Oh yeah the parking if you find one is free but again get there early. It is a very quiet spot, not sure if kids would enjoy it much. Trish

Dangerous beach, this beach experiences very dangerous and out of control shore-breaks, when there…read moreare waves their basically hazardous large waves smashing up against the rocks on shore, strong undertow could knock you off your feet pull you in before getting wrecked in shallow water full of pebbles by massive wave crashing on the beach, do not surf or swim here on larger surf

I love this beach and it is my favorite beach in New England. The beach is impeccably clean…read morebecause most of it is maintained by private beach associations. The sand is beautifully fine and soft, unlike many of the rocky beaches in New England. I have passed out a great number of times in this sand with a hangover... nothing feels better when working off a night of drinks. Leave your boogie board at home, because there are no waves at this beach. It is wonderful to walk this beach. It is about a mile and a half from end to end. At low tide you can walk over to Wingaersheek beach and head out on the sand bar. Just be sure to make it back relatively quick since the tide comes in fast. The water doesn't get deep fast. In fact at low tide you have to walk very far out to get over your waist. This is really good for small children, but it can get annoying for grown ups who just want to cool off and not walk a half mile to get deep enough. There is also no undertow at all and this is also great to keep kids from getting swept out to sea. The beach is not crowded at all since the people that come are mainly residents and vacationers and there is no public parking. What you lack in eye candy is made up by not having to listen to other people's pain in the ass kids. If you do have some brats nearby, there is tons of room to move your stuff to. There are no concession stands, public parking, public access or lifeguards, but there is peace, beauty and quiet. The only warning is that like other beaches beside salt marches, the beach gets green head flies from the first full moon in July until the first full moon in August. For some reason between those two full moons... these huge vampire flies infest the Gloucester and Ipswich beaches. If you forget your bug spray, you might as well leave... they suck that much and they can ruin a trip for the unprepared. They are the most painful bitches that will have even the most reserved cursing like Ralphie in the Christmas Story... they are relentless just like horseflies but the bite is more painful.

Coffin's beach is almost 2 miles of white fine powder sand - surrounded by beautiful white sand…read moredunes. It is a very flat beach and when the tide goes out the beach is well over 500 feet deep and it exposes a large multi acre submerged rock (called Bald Rocks) where kids and adults alike can explore and find lobster, crabs, star fish, sea urchins, sea clams, horseshoe crabs. The beach is so vast and expansive you can literally sit 100 yards away from the next person if you so choose. Parking is an issue - but you can park at the next door public beach Wingaersheek and walk over the rocks that separate the private beach from the smaller public beach. At low tide you can walk in the sand. Sand bars allow you to walk out 100's of yards at low tide and be in only waist deep water. This beach is very kid friendly as there is no real current and no rip tide. Access in and out are limited so that a child who isn't being watched has little opportunity to leave the vicinity. Overall I would say this is the best beach I have had the opportunity to visit and it's a hidden treasure as few people other then the local residents use this natural wonder. Another thing to see is the 1000's of sand dollars which are easy to find at low tide - especially in the sprint and early summer before the tourists and summer residents collect them! Just be sure not to take the black ones as they are still alive!