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    Salisbury Beach State Reservation

    3.7 (67 reviews)

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    The main beach has decent sized waves, great for mini boarding
    Heidi L.

    The camp site is nothing much to write about (minus the sun sets) but the beach nearby is stunning. Im not talking about the main beach. Im talking about one near the campsites. It has little entryways (closer to alphabetical campsite areas H-W? Cant recall) leading to it. Its not crowded on weekdays (cant fully report re weekends) and the tides are calm. Great for working moms who need free childcare w constant peripheral supervision while working remote using phone as hotspot. ..not that I would know. This smaller beach is very clean, clearer waters, fun for little ones w textures all around eg seaweed, barnacles, crab shells, hermit crabs, etc. I have a thing for beaches with deep purple sand. (Plum Island does too. Turns out thats not at all where the name comes from) Great for restful walks, fishermen watching (if up early. Theres a tidal pool area the fish like to play at certain hrs of the day), sunbathing peacefully (without people trying to spray sunscreen several feet from you as it blows into your face), watching seals at a distance, collecting purple sand, and the occasional happy dog dancing in freedom. Do bring snacks as this is no Crane Beach fried clams stand type of beach. No bathrooms on the beach site. But there are near enough bathrooms (3 large scattered throughout campsite) and then.. theres the ocean (esp if you have a 7 yr old with a small bladder) We camped in the Z area. The newest renovated/just created bathroom building was close to us. Two showers (those ones where you have to pump the button every 8 seconds. but hey. Lets be grateful.) About 6 reg stalls. 2 handicap. It stayed relatively clean. Just don't expect the Ritz -Carlton and you'll be fine. The main beach (with lots of parking) is great if you have older kids who don't need to be monitored every second. Its a great area for those mini foam boards the young teens like to use. Nice small to med waves. Even on weekdays, its somewhat crowded. Though my mom friend loved the main beach as well. Esp bc there was a playground for our boys to play at. (yay for adult conversation time) I need to mention that Reserve America did take over the reservation aspect of this campsite. It's probably a good and bad thing overall for maintenance & sustainability but a strong warning -- that they do not work in collaboration (at least when we were there. But they'll likely change that if they took my requested review seriously). Hence, if you need help changing your reservation in any way, Do Not check in yet. Once you've checked in, the on site staff and office administrators have no power to help you, as kind as they are. The camp sites are side by side. So don't expect a wilderness expedition. Its no glamping experience either, but there is an electrical outlet near each site, along with running water area where you can wash dishes. Two nights three days stay for us two moms and two boys came out to $74. I put up my own 4 person tent (w/o the help of hubby who claims I cant follow instructions) and we maintained fire long enough for the boys to make s'mores. All in all, a spectacular time together of peace, figuring out food w/o refrigeration, and two mommies feeling restored again via nature (while still carrying the world) :)

    Butler Toothpick is a great little spot to walk to
    Jamie B.

    Salisbury Beach State Reservation was a nice little destination for a day trip (we paired it with mini golf and ice cream in the Salisbury area). At first I wasn't sure if it would still be worth a visit on a cloudy day, but I'm actually glad it worked out this way, as the cooler weather meant almost no crowds! We came here not so much for a traditional beach day, but more so to relax and have a scenic walk, and it definitely fit the bill for that. We walked along the beach over to the Butler Toothpick area (basically a big, red triangular statue with a bunch of rocks that you can climb on), and just sat, relaxed, people-watched, etc. for a while. They also have a nature trail that isn't directly on the beach - we didn't check that out, but it's there if you want a non-beach walk. The campsite area was pretty full with campers and trailers, and you can tell that this is definitely a beach that would fill up on a sunny day with the people who are camping plus all the day visitors. My only complaint is that the boardwalk area that you walk along before going down to the beach had a bit of trash on it... but it got much cleaner once we got down to the actual beach itself. Parking is $14 for a day pass for MA residents. The person at the gate told us that it is free after 5 PM, which I wish we had known (we showed up at 4 PM), but still was a nice destination for some afternoon exploration in Northern MA.

    Mickey Y.

    Birthday tradition revived!! We got to visit Salisbury today. I love coming when it's still chilly so we can have the shore almost too ourselves. Beautiful and serene!

    Packed Sunday
    Amber-lee W.

    This beach has some massive waves. Was fun mayhem for the adults, but I would not feel comfortable allowing my 10 and 5 year old swim at this beach. Must be a strong swimmer. I had a great time. Sand is also hot lava. Shower, and changing area was disgusting. Was full of trash, and smelled highly of urine. Bathroom was okay. Horse flies were out in full force. Parking on the weekend will fill fast.

    The marsh across the street from the campground. Pretty.
    Adria R.

    This review is for the Campground only. The beach itself was very nice. I hesitate to give this campground 2 stars rather than a more accurate 1 star, but I will admit that your experience will depend greatly on your expectations of camping in general. For us, this missed the mark by a large margin. Firstly, this is a state park, and in Maine this means something. State parks are known for being well kept, quiet, wooded, with space between spots and clean if modest bathrooms. Perhaps we are spoiled. This felt more like a trailer park with tents. Pros: Near the beach. You do have to drive to it if you are carrying anything, but there is ample parking. The staff at check in and in the general store were friendly. Pretty view over the marsh once you walk down to it (not from sites). Cons: -Our site was full of trash when we pulled in, we walked around for about 10 minutes picking it up. -The sites are on top of each other. If we had two cars like we originally planned to, the cars and a single tent would have taken up almost the entire site. And we had one of the larger sites. -When we arrived at 4pm on Friday the women's bathrooms were already filthy. -Our site (X002) was right next to the marsh/inlet, but there is a paved road between the site and the marsh. (see photos) -The sites are not wooded at all, so you are completely exposed. -Someone was blasting country music from 8-10pm, and there wasn't much we could do about it. If you have an expectation of respectful neighbors, this isn't the place for you. A storm came through on our second night and we used it as an excuse to leave. For some campers this might be just what you like, but it didn't work for these nature lovers.

    where you pay to park
    Julia F.

    Open 8am-10pm (I think) Memorial Day to Labor Day (I think, check the website to be sure!). $9 fee to get on the beach, but it has tons of parking, and at that price it is totally reasonable compared to a lot of beaches in the area. The beach was pretty full today, but it was AMAZING weather, and I'm pretty sure that they do fireworks on Saturday nights (you can see them from Hampton Beach) so that would explain it.... 90+ degrees on the beach, we set up a blanket and ran down to the water. The water was a COOL 60+/- degrees, every part of your body feels numb within 15 minutes, but oh so refreshing! I hadn't been here in YEARS, maybe 10, but it was pretty much what I remembered. There are lots of warnings about rip tides, which is usually why the beach is always so full, and there is tons of space IN the water. Keep an eye on your kids if you come here, rip tides are no joke! I always set up near the lifeguards chair anyways - out of habit, my mum used to so it was easier for us to find her from the water. I will be back again, hopefully before the summer is through!

    Snow owl in the tree

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    8 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great place to camp. Sites are nice, bathrooms clean. Having water and electricity on sites is great. Wifi would be nice.

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    7 years ago

    Absolutely gorgeous, acres of undisturbed land, long beautiful ocean front, showers at parking lots two and three. One of my favorites

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    8 years ago

    This beach is beautiful and convenient to get to from southern central NH. I love it!

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    Ask the Community - Salisbury Beach State Reservation

    Review Highlights - Salisbury Beach State Reservation

    We typically go here rather than Crane beach as the waves are better here, but not too big for little ones.

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    Crane Beach - Ipswich - Lifeguard

    Crane Beach - Ipswich

    (222 reviews)

    Love this beach in so many ways. With the sand dunes it is so charming and lots of opportunities to…read morewalk around the trails if you aren't looking to swim or sit on the sand. The water is clear and even in low tide, I didn't notice a ton of shells or a rocky bottom. It does get a little packed when you come right off the parking area into the beach area, but if you are willing to walk a little bit, it is obviously much quieter and super peaceful. With a little concession stand, showers and restrooms it's perfect for families. They also have a variety of memberships which makes it affordable to go during the peak months or even throughout the year. It is $40 per car to enter the beach and park which is quite hefty but they have various membership options which could make it more affordable again if you are going to be utilizing the beach and throughout the year. They also have various events for members. A local did tell me their favorite time to go is during the winter when everything is snow capped.

    Cranes Beach, which is owned and operated and protected by the trustees, is my favorite beach of…read moreall time. It has a large parking lot, although you need to make reservations to guarantee a spot. It is not cheap, but it is extremely clean and the bath house and the snack bar are top-notch as far as Massachusetts beaches go. The snack bar has real food items, not just junk food and ice cream. The one drawback and it really could be a dealbreaker for some people is that the parking lot is a mid distance to long walk over sand dunes to the beach. Yes there are paths and stairs, but for people with mobility problems, this really could be a deterrent. I still rate it a 10/10.

    Salisbury Beach State Reservation - beaches - Updated May 2026

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