Chesapeake Bay Beaches

Catch views of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge while building sandcastles at the popular mile-long Sandy Point Beach, named after the Annapolis state park in which it’s located. Gaze at ships floating by on their journey to and from the Port of Baltimore. The park has a marina with a boat launch, kayak and stand up paddle board rentals, a store, food and beverage concessions, fishing, picnic areas, shelters, bathhouses and playgrounds. Pavilions are available for rental. Don’t miss the new Sandy Point Nature Center while you are there.

Listen to the rolling waves at Point Lookout Swimming Beach on this peaceful peninsula in Scotland while marveling at the scenic and historical white lighthouse. The park’s Civil War Museum/Marshland Nature Center located within the campground (open May-October) tells the story of the site’s history as a prisoner-of-war camp that held more than 50,000 Confederate Soldiers during the Civil War. Canoe rentals are also available at the campground.

A popular 19th-century resort destination for passenger steamboats, the town of Betterton once boasted 18 hotels and boarding houses, a dance hall, a movie theater, casino, billiards, and a bowling alley. Today, Betterton Beach offers a sandy shoreline, a long boardwalk, and a calm tide perfect for leisurely swimming. A nearby park also provides a volleyball court, bathhouse (open seasonally), a picnic pavilion, fishing jetty, and transient boat launching ramp (call the County Public Landings Office for details).

A short side path off the park’s 3.25-mile meandering oyster chaff  trail, leads you to a natural sandy beach popular for spectacular views of the Bay Bridge and sea glass hunting. After a refreshing swim, relax in the gazebo, then head back to explore the rest of the trail, which winds through wildflower meadows, wetlands, tidal ponds and woodlands.  Extend your exploration with a trip along Kent Island’s 6-mile Cross Island Trail, which connects to the Terrapin Nature Park trail.

Take a hike in the surrounding woods, swim in the pool or just enjoy gorgeous views of the Bay Bridge at Kent Island’s Matapeake Beach. A favorite spot for sunsets, this public beach has a separate dog beach (accessible via a wooded trail), an outdoor amphitheater and a clubhouse that’s available for off-season rentals.

At North Beach, you can stroll the pier at sunset, dip your toes in the water or shop for antiques and homemade gifts along the boardwalk. Little ones will have fun aboard the beach’s pirate ship playset on the wide sandy beach.  Leave time for birding in nearby Wetlands Overlook Park and make a stop at the town’s visitor center, which also has public restrooms.

Set up camp underneath the canopy of willow trees at Breezy Point Beach in the town of Chesapeake Beach. This wide sandy beach is a popular destination for families with little ones who like to sift the sands for shark’s teeth fossils along the shoreline. While you’re here, kayak through the waters or bring your own small boat to the nearby marina, or enjoy crabbing and fishing off the pier at this popular Calvert County destination.

From the early 1900s until 1955, this sheltered harbor was home to a “pound net” fishery that supplied croaker, trout and herring to markets across Maryland. Today, the beach is a prime spot for swimming and fossil hunting. An easy half-mile trail  takes you to a large sandy beach with a picnic area and a playground. The park offers two observation platforms to see the area’s abundant wildlife, and a visitor center with wildlife displays. A reconstructed fisherman’s shanty shows what life was like during the fishery’s heyday.

Spot turtles sunning themselves on logs, lush vegetation and a wide variety of birds as you hike the 1.8-mile red-blazed trail to this fossil-hunting heaven within Calvert Cliffs State Park in Lusby. Comb the beach (but not the cliffs) for shells, sharks’ teeth and more than 600 species of prehistoric fossils against the backdrop of the beach’s steep sandy cliffs. Go for a relaxing swim in the gentle waves or enjoy a picnic while taking in beautiful views from this Maryland favorite on the western shore.

Once home to a resort for wealthy Philadelphians, Crystal Beach is a quiet, sandy beach at the mouth of the Elk River in a residential area of Earleville. Enjoy swimming, picnicking, grilling, and breathtaking views of the Upper Chesapeake Bay at this rustic Bayside spot. If you want to get out in your boat use the beach’s boat launch to enjoy the water.

Bring your kayak or canoe to Downs Park to enjoy the shimmering waves off the northern tip of Bodkin Neck in Pasadena. Swimming’s not allowed here, but a fishing pier, five miles of walking trails, a picnic area with grills and pavilions for rent, and a large playground make for a fun-filled day on the Bay. Bring your pup along for a swim in the Down’s Beach Dog Beach, which is accessed just off the park’s perimeter trail. A youth camping area and the Chesapeake Room event space are also available to rent. Visit the Friends of Down’s Beach’s website for information on events, including Bayside Summer Concert Series on Sundays.

This small sandy swimming beach has everything you need for the ultimate Chesapeake Bay day–a fishing pier perfect for crabbing, a playground, and picnic tables. Swim in Wellington Beach’s calm waters as you contemplate life on nearby Smith Island, Maryland’s only inhabited island-- just a 50 minute ferry ride from Crisfield’s Somers Cove Marina.

Elktonia Park’s pathway to Carr’s Beach is lined with exhibits that tell the story of this once bustling spot on the “Chitlin Circuit,” boasting acts such as Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Little Richard, James Brown, and countless others. The beach was a welcoming spot for African Americans who were denied access to whites-only beaches during the Jim Crow era. The resort ceased operations in 1974, and in August 2022, the City of Annapolis acquired Carr's Beach to preserve it as a city park, providing beach access to the shoreline, which is located within Elktonia Park in Annapolis. Contemplate the incredible history of this Bayside beach during your visit, but don’t pack your suit–swimming is not allowed.

Bring the family to Mayo Beach Park for some fun in the sun at the mouth of the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. Park your chairs on the sandy beach for awesome views of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, take a dip in the gentle waves, launch your boat off the cartop boat launch, or enjoy lunch at one of the park’s picnic tables.  The kids will love playing in the nearby playground or tossing a frisbee around on one of the park’s fields. The park has an enclosed glass pavilion that’s available for weddings and rentals. To reduce congestion, a reservation pass is required to enter the park on weekends and holidays Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekend each year.