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Bay / SoundSticker or daily feeEastham

First Encounter Beach

CCC VisitedVerified Sep 29, 2026

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What is First Encounter Beach like?

Eastham's most famous Cape Cod Bay beach, named for the first encounter between the Mayflower Pilgrims and the Nauset people in 1620. On the west-facing bay side, it is renowned for spectacular sunsets over the water. At low tide the bay recedes nearly half a mile, exposing vast warm tidal flats and pools ideal for walking, shelling, and tidepooling with children. Calm, shallow water makes it a favorite for families.

Plan your beach day

First Encounter Beach

Get directions (opens in a new tab)

Samoset Road, Eastham, MA 02642

Rules from Town of Eastham Recreation & Beach Department (opens in a new tab). Check before you go; they change by season.

When should you go?

Best time to go

Checking today’s tides and sun times…

Now52°FClear
Wind10 mphFrom the NW
Water61°FWaves 3.8 ft
Tides · next 24 hoursNOAA · Wellfleet

Loading tide predictions…

What’s there?

Faces
West, for sunset
Water
Shallow
Current
Calm, slow
Restrooms
Yes
Food
Not noted
Lifeguards
Not noted
Parking
Sticker or daily fee
Dogs
Off-season only
Fishing
Not noted
Kayak / SUP
Not noted

What should you know before you go?

Parking

Large parking lot. Town beach sticker required, or pay a $30 daily gate fee in season.

Stickers and fees

Valid Town of Eastham beach sticker, OR $30 per vehicle daily gate pass (cash to gate attendant in season). The day pass is interchangeable among Eastham's four daily-fee beaches (First Encounter, Campground, Cooks Brook, Wiley Park) for that one day only.

Dogs

Off-season only

Best for

Calm Water, Families, Shelling, Sunsets, Tide Pools, Walking

Where is it?

Samoset Road, Eastham, MA 02642.

Get directions

Loading map…

Get directions (opens in a new tab)Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Plan your beach day

First Encounter Beach

Get directions (opens in a new tab)

Samoset Road, Eastham, MA 02642

Rules from Town of Eastham Recreation & Beach Department (opens in a new tab). Check before you go; they change by season.

Where else can you swim in Eastham?

  • Photo needed
    Coast Guard Beach, EasthamOcean / Atlantic

    Coast Guard Beach

    Sticker or daily feeDogs: off-season only

    One of Cape Cod's most celebrated Atlantic-facing beaches, part of Cape Cod National Seashore. Backed by a barrier beach and salt marsh, it offers classic open-ocean surf and sweeping sand. In summer there is no direct parking — visitors ride a free shuttle from the Little Creek lot or bike/hike the Nauset Trail from the Salt Pond Visitor Center. Lifeguards staff a designated stretch from late June through Labor Day.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-06-25

    See details
  • Photo needed
    Nauset Light Beach, EasthamOcean / Atlantic

    Nauset Light Beach

    Sticker or daily feeDogs: off-season only

    An iconic Atlantic Ocean beach within Cape Cod National Seashore, set beneath the red-and-white Nauset Light — the lighthouse made famous on the Cape Cod potato chip bag. Steep stairs descend the dune to a wide surf beach. Lifeguards are on duty late June through Labor Day. A National Seashore pass (not a town sticker) is required.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-06-25

    See details
  • Photo needed
    Cooks Brook Beach, EasthamBay / Sound

    Cooks Brook Beach

    Sticker or daily feeDogs: off-season only

    Cooks Brook is one of Eastham's quieter Bay-side town beaches, tucked at the end of a residential road with a calm, shallow tidal shoreline that rewards patient explorers at low tide. The west-facing exposure serves up reliable sunset views away from the National Seashore crowds, and the smaller scale makes it feel like a neighborhood secret even in high season. Eastham sticker or day fee required.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-06-27

    See details
  • Photo needed
    Campground Beach, EasthamBay / Sound

    Campground Beach

    Sticker or daily feeDogs: off-season only

    One of Eastham's three Bay-side town beaches, Campground Beach offers protected, warm-water swimming on Cape Cod Bay with a gently sloping sandy bottom ideal for families with young children. The west-facing shoreline delivers the kind of long, slow sunsets that make the Outer Cape famous, with the water warming noticeably more than the ocean side by midsummer. Eastham resident sticker or day-use fee required; arrive early on summer weekends.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-06-27

    See details
  • Photo needed
    Sunken Meadow Beach, EasthamBay / Sound

    Sunken Meadow Beach

    Sticker or daily feeDogs: off-season only

    Sunken Meadow Beach sits along Eastham's Bay-side town beaches, where the tidal flats extend far at low tide making it a favorite for clam diggers, shore birds, and families letting kids loose in ankle-deep water. The wide sandy flats and protected Cape Cod Bay water warm up well by July, creating ideal conditions for young swimmers and anyone who prefers a gentler ocean experience. Eastham sticker or day fee required.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-06-27

    See details
  • Photo needed
    Thumpertown Beach, EasthamBay / Sound

    Thumpertown Beach

    Resident sticker onlyDogs: off-season only

    A small, scenic Cape Cod Bay beach reached by a staircase down the dune. West-facing with calm, warm bay water and wide tidal flats at low tide, it is prized for peaceful sunsets and quiet walks. A town beach sticker is required.

    CCC Visited · Verified 2026-09-29

    See details
Every Eastham beach →Beaches across the Cape →
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