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Posted in Maine Nature, State Parks July 03, 2018 by Michelle

Make Your Summer Perfect With A Trip To This Easy To Access State Park Beach In Maine

With over 3,500 miles of coastline, the beaches in Maine are some of the best in New England. While Old Orchard Beach offers fun in the form of Palace Playland and those killer pier fries, the rest of our state beaches are fairly laid back. While it’s true that some of the coast is rocky and rugged, wide swaths of it offer sandy beaches perfect for a summer day. Despite lots of competition, we think this might be the best beach near Portland, Maine. Read on to find out why!

Crescent Beach State Park is located in Cape Elizabeth, about 8 miles (and a beautiful 20 minute drive) from Portland.

It's known for its 1-mile sandy beach which creates a large cove for swimming, SUPing and kayaking.

It's also known as one of the most popular beaches in the area.

But, despite its popularity it's one of the easiest to access beaches in the area.

While many beaches have limited parking with fees upwards of $10 a day, Crescent Beach State Park will cost you only $6 for an entire day.

The large parking area leads to a sandy path with smaller paths leading ot the beach.

While there are rocks in some areas, most of the beach is sandy perfection.

And, during low tide the beach real estate is huge!

What we especially love about this beach is how much space there is to spread out.

Most nice days, the main section of the beach will be full of people, but a simple walk down the beach in either direction will lead to emptier areas for some privacy.

Between the low cost, plentiful parking, large beach area and clean amenities we think Crescent Beach State Park is the perfect summer weekend destination.

Crescent Beach State Park is open every day from dawn to dusk. Entry costs are:

Maine residents 65 and older / free
Kids 5 – 11 / $1
Kids under 5 / free
Adult Maine residents / $6
Adult Maine non-residents / $8
Senior Maine residents / $2

For specific driving instructions to Crescent Beach State Park, click here. You’ll just need to enter your own starting point.

Another great beach to visit in southern Maine is this one. The low tide there is a must-see!

Michelle

Michelle has lived in many places, but counts Maine as one of the best. In addition to the smell of ocean water in the air on rainy days in Portland, she loves puppies, photography, funny people, the Maine Red Claws, traveling, fresh tomatoes, Cambodia and filling out forms. For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.