After seeing and hearing how busy Ogunquit Beach is we were pleased to hear from a local about York Beach (about a 15 drive from Ogunquit). The parking lot is by permit only but there is plenty of free street parking around (apparently the 2 Hour Parking signs are not enforced). The beach is very deep/wide (not sure the right descriptor for distance from sand to waterline) - a few 100 feet at low tide but only 10 feet or so at high tide. There are free restrooms and an outdoor shower head/foot wash station. Lifeguard on duty as well. There are some large kelp beds in the water but if you go out past them, the water is clear - we saw various clam shells and a few stripped bass swimming. read more

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every five seconds the water was barely above my ankles and the lifeguards kept whistling at me when there was like seven year-old were more deep than me. They weren't surfboarders. Just normal kids this has happened every single time I've been there. The waves were not high. They weren't. strong read more

Up from Hampton/Hampton Beach is York Beach. It's a nice area to stay at, maybe not as much fun. Still it was nice to go out and take a walk and sight-see the area. The beach here is again wonderful and it was great to breathe the salt air. Again, if I had known this area was so nice, I would have planned to stay here longer. All I know is that I need to eventually plan to stay at a beach area for a few days and relax. Just need to make the plans and find someone to go with. Another wonderful place to visit! read more

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Overall this is a cute, level free beach with people spacing themselves out nicely. However I got here at 9am on a saturday and the beach had tire and rake marks on it so it was cleaned. Yet it us dirty. I put my chair down in a clean spot but im still surrounded by trash. See pics. The town needs to do better w cleaning their beach. I did not walk barefoot. Its a nice spot for families and you get one hours beachfront parking for $1. Arcade and bowling will satisfy the kiddies. Tshirt and gift shops for the parents. Plenty of places to eat. Plus the bathrooms are cleaned often by onsite staff. read more

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Large beach near many attractions. Great for family all day and for dinner. Playground is right on the beach.

Was at Long Sands Beach this week and I have a few issues to let you know so you are aware before you go. The beach at the end of Long Sands beach (south end) there are huge rocks that the town put in at bottom of new concrete breaker steps which are painful to walk over and there is only 1 handicap parking at the north end that we saw. There are no ramps for wheelchairs or handicapped persons to use in the southern part of this beach either. Not sure if there are any at any beaches up here. Then there are the parking kiosks that rip people off and there is no phone numbers on the machine to call if you have any problems. We inserted 2 - $5.00 bills and only 1 was recognized.. so we canceled the parking and of course only 1 bill was returned. No contact numbers on machine. Same issue in the York beach store area except it was 2- $1.00 bills which only 1 was recognized and when we continued anyway, the connection of machine failed and we received no parking receipt and no refund. Unbelievable!! This is unfair to tourists who don't have permits. So, if you are going to stay here for any amt of time, you might consider getting a parking permit so you don't have to deal with kiosks that are basically robbing the tourists. read more

York Beach - Beaches Near Me - York, Maine

Lovely to walk along the water on a summer day. Due to the current pandemic, there were several areas closed off and it was much less crowded than normal. It did look like most of the restaurants in the downtown area were open for business with outside seating. None of the restrooms are open and we couldn't even find a trash (which is inconvenient if you have a dog with you). You can't beat the beauty of the ocean. There's even a few areas where you can walk right down to the edge of the water and there's also a beach area. I kind of liked it this time as it was so quiet and not packed with people. Parking fees are pretty steep which was another negative. If you want a quick walk along the water and walk through town then I definitely recommend. read more

Nice beach.... not too many rocks or stones. Street parking is available on the street on the beach side of the road. It might be pay parking like in a city, as we saw a pay machine but many people parking for free. Or not paying. =) Clean water. Cold water. Not for the faint hearted if you are going to jump in the drink. A couple of stores around and one being a general store that's got everything imaginable! read more

It can be hard to appreciate because even in peak season you run the risk of hitting a cold day. That said, there is a gray sort of beauty here. You can take in the marine life and see the town while seeing what a northern beach is like. read more

York Beach is the red-necky countrified, step sibling of Cape Cod. And I like it, I like it a lot. A quick scan of Short Sands will tell you a few things: 1) There appears to be no open container laws in effect in York, Maine 2) It is perfectly acceptable to dive into a neighboring blanket in order to catch a wayward wiffle ball. 3) Ice cream, or it's adult equivalent, Budweiser , makes for a perfectly satisfying lunch. 4) The patron saint of Maine is Garth Brooks, or perhaps Carrie Underwood. 5) Fireworks, sparklers, those little popping things one used to throw at a friend's feet as a child are A-Ok and will help you meet people past 10 pm. In short, Short Sands just feels like America, with a big "A." There is no pretension. There are no polo shirts. No one plays golf or tennis here. We certainly aren't the tea drinking types. York offers us instead beautifully rocky beaches with cold and daring waves, cloudless blue skies and adventure. York Center has a perfectly cheesy, yet vaguely decrepit animal park, an Egyptian tarot card reader who never goes anywhere without her Chihuahua, a brand new whiskey and rum distillery, an authentic Native American jewelry store (no kidding around, go to Little Bull), and a piano bar. York Beach is the weird version of America Bob Dylan sings about in "Desolation Row." An America that may be jolly, but also dark and mysterious. Go here when you actually want to vacation, rather then to socialize. read more

I like York beach...pretty nice. Reasonably not crowded. Pretty low key. Police are roaming around making sure no one is getting too rowdy. The only downfall is from time to time the seaweed is in large quantity and they don't pick it up. Parking can be difficult for anyone looking for street parking. read more

Great beach area with street parking. There are coffee, surf, and sandwich shops right on the beach. Super cool places to stay too.

Meters have been added to the parking spaces along the northside of Long Beach Ave :(

Really cute little beach with a good amount of space, near restaurants and nicely kept. Looks like you can drink on this beach, which is always fun and a nice bonus... :) Great playground on the beach, too. read more

A nice beach if you want water and surf fun. Not much in terms of attractions or beach food options. The campground located across the street is great for a weekend of sun, surf and sand. read more

York Beach - Beaches Near Me - York, Maine

Average beach, didn't think it was all that. Weather wasn't particularly spectacular so that may have added to the mood. Very limited on beachside attractions and shops. If you like hanging out at the beach then this is more of you're thing. read more

I've been going to York Beach since the 70's. From the mid 80's to the mid 90's i owned a seasonal trailer up there. Good beach during those years. Lately the beach has gone downhill. Especially Short Sands Beach. Trash cans overflowing on the ground with trash. The sand area has a lot of trash in it. Big pile of seaweed that never gets picked up. You guessed it, trash in the seaweed. Place has gone downhill real fast. The amusement park is a real dump. Same rides from the 70's except now everything is duct taped and could use a lot of painting. Very trashy amusement park. Same for Short Sands. The town does nothing about the trash. Business owners don't even know what a paint brush is. What a dump! Go to Ogunquit or Wells Beach. read more

Short Sands is our favorite spot all summer long. We were thrilled when they built the new bathrooms, which are still being attended too and clean. However we were shocked that today was the first time we have ever seen the garbage cans along the beach overflowing with trash and garbage all over the ground. Also, we have never seen so many people drinking beer at this beach before. There were plenty of law enforcement walking around.. Despite the garbage, its still our favorite place.. read more