Truro Beach Guide

If you're looking for towering dunes, waves crashing on the shoreline, and miles of soft sand to dig your toes into, you'll want to visit one of the Truro beaches on the Atlantic Ocean side of town.

For equally beautiful but very different scenery, and the luxury of warmer water and less "vigorous" wave action - try the Cape Cod Bay beaches in Truro.

See beach descriptions below for the in-season amenities at town-owned Truro beaches.

Parking Fees: Parking fee/sticker requirements vary, depending on whether the beach is town-owned or managed by the Cape Cod National Seashore. See below for details.

Daily vehicle fee, $15. National Seashore Season Pass, $45. Interagency Senior Pass, $10. Interagency Access Pass for permanently disabled persons, FREE.

Contact the National Seashore at (508) 487-2100 or visit the Cape Cod National Seashore website for more info about purchasing the passes.

Head of the Meadow Beach

Head of the Meadow is one of my favorite beaches on the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Although it's a popular for sunbathers and surfers during the summer months, to me there's always something peaceful-feeling about Head of the Meadow. Perhaps that's because there's plenty of room to roam and be alone, if that's what you want to do.

When you visit Head of the Meadow, be sure to keep your eyes open for seals surfing in the waves and whales spouting farther offshore!

• Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean
• Crowd Factor: Moderately busy during the summer months. Very quiet the rest of the time.
• Amenities: Lifeguard in season (on the National Seashore portion of the beach only), restroom facilities.
• Location: At the end of Head of the Meadow Road, off Rt. 6 in Truro, MA
• Parking: There are two parking lots for Head of the Meadow. One is managed by the town and requires a town of Truro beach parking sticker or payment of a daily fee ($15) at the gate. The other lot is a Cape Cod National Seashore lot, and requires a daily fee ($15) or a pass (see above).
• Note: There's a moderately steep sandy path leading to the beach.

The only two exceptions to the sticker requirement are: Corn Hill Beach (on the Bay side of town), and the town-owned portion of Head of the Meadow Beach (on the Atlantic Ocean side of town), where you can park in-season by paying a daily fee at the gate ($15).

Stickers can be purchased at the Beach Office located at 36 Shore Road (Route 6A), next to the North Truro Post Office.

Call the Truro Beach Office at (508) 487-6983 for more info.

Coast Guard Beach

Not to be confused with the Coast Guard Beach farther south in Eastham, this Coast Guard Beach is in Truro - just down the road from Highland Lighthouse.

This whole area is gorgeous ... and Truro's large, golden-sand Coast Guard Beach is no exception. A nice feature of this beach is that it's less "peopled" than some other ocean beaches on the Outer Cape. Well worth a visit!

• Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean
• Crowd Factor: Not crowded, due to very limited parking.
• Amenities: None, other than restroom facilities.
• Location: Rt. 6 to Highland Road to Coast Guard Road; or Rt. 6 to Head of the Meadow Road to Old Kings Highway to Coast Guard Road.
• Parking: Extremely limited. Town-issued Truro beach parking sticker required.

Longnook Beach

This large, somewhat isolated, and very picturesque beach is a favorite Truro beach for swimmers, boogie-boarders and families.

However, it's also a somewhat unusual beach in a few ways ...

There's something in the sand (some sort of sediment, they say), that'll turn your feet an odd orange color. No need to worry, though. It washes right off.

The sediment might turn the rest of you orange, too - if you sunbathe in the nude, as some folks do on the farthest reaches of Longnook Beach. Personally, I've never ventured to those farthest reaches. But I thought you might appreciate fair warning!

• Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean
• Crowd Factor: Not usually overly crowded.
• Amenities: Lifeguard in season, restroom facilities.
• Location: At end of Long Nook Road (off Rt. 6) in Truro, MA.
• Parking: Limited. Town-issued Truro beach parking sticker required.

Ballston Beach

Ballston Beach is a big, wide stretch of soft sand that's a favorite of sun-worshippers and fishermen, artists and photographers. The scenery is spectacular ... and the fishing is great!

Ballston is also a nice beach for beginner surfers, since the waves aren't quite as big here as they are at some of the Cape's other Atlantic Ocean beaches.

• Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean
• Crowd Factor: Rarely feels crowded, even on the busiest summer days.
• Amenities: None, except restroom facilities.
• Location: At end of South Pamet Road (off Rt. 6).
• Parking: Parking is limited. Town-issued Truro beach parking sticker required.

Corn Hill Beach

According to local lore, when the Pilgrims arrived on the shores of Cape Cod in 1620, they discovered fresh water and corn stored by the Kakopee Indians here at Corn Hill.

Corn Hill Beach is long and narrow, with nice views of boats going in and out of Pamet Harbor. The warm waters of Cape Cod Bay and the gentle slope from the beach into the water make this a nice beach for children.

• Body of Water: Cape Cod Bay
• Crowd Factor: Moderately busy.
• Amenities: Lifeguard in season, restroom facilities, and an ice cream vendor truck that stops by regularly during the summer months.
• Location: At end of Corn Hill Road (off Rt. 6).
• Parking: Relatively plentiful. This is the only bayside Truro beach that offers daily parking ($15) paid at the gate.

Fisher Beach

Fisher Beach is a pretty, and normally quiet, beach on the Cape Cod Bay side of town near Pamet Harbor.

If you're on Fisher Beach when the tide is halfway out or more, you'll have a big expanse of sand for walking, beachcombing and sunbathing. When the tide is in (high), have fun swimming in the warm calm Bay waters.

• Body of Water: Cape Cod Bay
• Crowd Factor: Usually uncrowded.
• Amenities: None.
• Location: Rt. 6 to Old County Road to Fisher Road.
• Parking: Very limited. Town-issued Truro beach parking sticker required.

Ryder Beach

Ryder Beach is a "get away from it all" kind of beach. Normally peaceful, with plenty of room (especially at low tide), Ryder is a nice place to hang out for a quiet afternoon or the evening sunset.

• Body of Water: Cape Cod Bay
• Crowd Factor: Usually quiet.
• Amenities: None.
• Location: Rt. 6 to Prince Valley Road to Old County Road to Ryder Beach Road.
• Parking: There's a decent amount of parking at Ryder Beach. Town-issued Truro beach parking sticker required.