The 5 Best State Park Beaches in Maine to Visit to Close Out Summer

The late afternoon sunlight is shifting and back-to-school sales are in full swing, which can only mean one thing: summer’s end is swiftly closing in on the East Coast. Luckily, there’s still time to get your last licks in the surf and sand, and I recommend doing just that at one of the best beaches in Maine’s state parks:

1. Mile Beach and Half-Mile Beach, Reid State Park

Prominent businessman and Georgetown local Walter E. Reid donated the coastal land to the state for preservation back in 1946, and when it was officially named Reid State Park a few years later, its beaches became Maine’s first state-owned saltwater stretch (and my personal favorite). Wide, fine-grain sand beaches are rare in the Pine Tree State—but Reid State Park, about an hour’s drive north of Portland, has two. Both beaches tend to have excellent surf, and Mile Beach was rated the top beach for surfing in New England by Boston Globe Magazine back in 2015.

2. Crescent Beach State Park

The park's eponymous feature is a mile-long, crescent-shaped beach on waters that tend to be rather warm for Maine, consistently reaching the upper 60s Fahrenheit in the summertime, so it’s ideal for families with small children and those looking to spend longer stretches of time in the water. Besides the picturesque sandy shoreline, there are picnic tables and grills, a playground, and a bathhouse with cold-water showers, as well as a 2.8-mile easy hiking trail that loops into adjacent Kettle Cove State Park and back.

3. Ferry Beach State Park

Off Maine Route 9 on Bay View Road between Old Orchard Beach and Camp Ellis on Saco Bay lies this 117-acre state park that encompasses a white sand beach, inland hiking trails, and a nature center offering guided programs and information about the local environment. You can access the beach by walking the designated path through the small, beach grass-studded dunes, from which visitors can spot a stand of Tupelo (Black Gum) trees, which are rare at this latitude. There is also a picnic area, restrooms, and changing rooms open during peak season.

4. Scarborough Beach State Park

Since it’s about a 20-minute drive south of Portland, this popular beach is another spot with warmer-than-usual-for-Maine waters, so getting there well before noon to snag one of the 285 on-site or 125 off-site parking spaces is key. It boasts white sands, restrooms, showers, and changing rooms, along with a Mainely Burgers food truck on many weekends and a concession stand with smoothies and ice cream. After a day spent in the surf and sun, I highly recommend taking a 20-minute drive around the Nonesuch River to Ken’s Place on Black Point Road for their excellent lobster rolls and fried clam strips.

5. Popham Beach State Park

This is one of Maine's rare geologic landforms that features a long stretch of sandy beach that regularly undergoes extreme shoreline change and dune erosion as it sits alongside the mouth of the Kennebec River to the south. A popular pastime used to be walking to Fox Island at low tide, but it’s much trickier now due to shifting sands, and visitors are generally advised against it by park rangers. If you do choose to do it, be sure it’s at peak low tide and don’t venture onto Fox Island too far as there is a high chance of getting moored when the tide quickly comes back in and makes crossing back through the river mouth too dangerous. All that aside, the wide beach often has beautiful tidal pools that are excellent for beachcombing, and experienced kayakers can enjoy paddling the swift-moving tides.

Planning on soaking up the last of summer on the sand with friends or family one of Maine’s state parks? Share this article with them to begin planning your next beach day in one of Maine’s state parks.