North of Boston/Merrimack Valley beaches offer excellent sand, swimming and water sports
Forest Street
Saugus, MA 01906
Phone: 781-438-1388
Breakheart Reservation is a 640-acre hardwood forest with a supervised swimming area at Pearce Lake, one of the few freshwater swimming spots north of Boston. Open year-round, dawn to dusk.
Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA 01938
Phone: 978-356-4354
Fax: 978-356-2143
The four miles of white sand of Crane Beach form one of the most picturesque swimming beaches in all of New England, and is also among the world's most important nesting sites for the threatened piping plover. Rustic elevated boardwalks protect an extensive dune habitat complex. In-season visitors will find lifeguards and rangers, bathhouses with toilets and changing areas, outside showers, picnic tables, bicycle racks, the Crane Beach Store, and water fountains. Voted "Best Beach" by Best of Boston three years in a row.
305 Middleton Road
North Andover, MA
Phone: 508-686-3391
Harold Parker State Forest, which lies in Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton, comprises just over 3,000 acres of central hardwood-hemlock-white pine forest. The forest has over 35 miles of logging roads and trails and offers quiet seclusion to off-road hikers and bikers. Non-motorized boating is allowed on any of the 11 ponds. No horse, boat, or bike rentals.
Lorraine Park Campground, located about two miles from the Headquarters, at 133 Jenkins Road, contains 89 sizeable campsites that are spread out sufficiently to provide a real "forest" camping experience. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and a grill. No electric or water hookups are available; the bathrooms have hot water showers. Camping is offered late May to early September; office hours are from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Camping office phone is 978-475-7972.
Recreational opportunities: hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping and picnicking.
Long Beach
Gloucester and Rockport, MA
This beach is on the east coast of Cape Ann. Lifeguards on duty. There is a fee for parking.
Lynn Shore Drive
Lynn, MA 01902
Phone: 781-438-1388
Boat launch at Lynn Harbor. Long Beach offers public swimming, a comfort station, and lifeguard supervision during July and August. There is a fee for parking at Long Beach from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., May to September. King’s Beach offers public swimming. There is no lifeguard. Ample on-street parking along Lynn Shore Drive is available for visitors to King’s Beach and Red Rock Park. Vast areas of hard-packed sand are exposed at low tide which can be accessed at King’s Beach and Long Beach as well as near the boat launching area on Lynn Harbor. Other interesting natural features include tide pools at Red Rock Park that are often filled with colorful marine plants and animals. Park headquarters includes Ward Bathhouse, where a visitor center, showers, and sanitary facilities are available free of charge. There is no public restroom at Lynn Shore Reservation. Open year round, dawn to dusk.
Beach Road, Route 1A
Salisbury, MA 01952
Phone: 508-462-4481
Salisbury Beach is one of the state's most popular ocean beaches, stretching 3.8 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. This 521-acre park offers swimming, boating, fishing, and camping, and is very popular with trailer campers. Facilities include a 484-site campground with renovated bathhouses, an extensive day-use parking lot, three new comfort stations for beach users with boardwalks over the dunes, and a new playground and pavilion area. The facility also has two boat ramps on the Merrimack River at the campground's southern edge. In fall and winter, harbor seals often sun themselves on the jetty.
The campground office hours are 8 a.m.–10 p.m. The camping season is from early May to mid-October. Off-season camping is available from mid-October to late November for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night stays. There is a $2 per night surcharge for camping fees at Salisbury Beach. the $2 surcharge will be added to the day-use fee for cars and buses.
Singing Beach
Manchester-By-The-Sea, MA
Full facilities, food concession are available. Lifeguards are on duty. Parking limited. Additional parking at nearby train station.
Swimming holes can be found in or near rock quarries, streams, gorges, and waterfalls. Most are pristine, uncrowded, and surrounded by beautiful woods and forests. For details, see the web site www.SwimmingHoles.info
Swimming holes can be found in or near rock quarries, streams, gorges, and waterfalls. Most are pristine, uncrowded, and surrounded by beautiful woods and forests. For details, see the web site www.SwimmingHoles.info
