Everything in Harwich

Bank Street Beach

Bay / Sound

A popular Harwich Port beach with wonderfully soft sand and panoramic views of Nantucket Sound, within walking distance of Harwich Port shops and restaurants. Lifeguarded with restrooms, a bike rack, beach wheelchairs and mobile concessions; parking requires a season sticker (no daily passes sold here).

Red River Beach

Bay / Sound

The largest beach in Harwich, stretching nearly a third of a mile along Nantucket Sound. South-facing with warm, gentle waters and soft sand, plus the town's biggest parking lot, lifeguards, restrooms, beach wheelchairs and mobile concessions. One of four beaches selling daily passes on-site.

Merkel Beach

Bay / Sound

A tucked-away Nantucket Sound beach sitting just west of the iconic Wychmere Harbor in Harwich Port. Named for Dr. Merkel, whose family donated surrounding land to the town, it offers a quiet stretch of sand with harbor views. No parking on-site — walk or bike in for the best experience.

Cap'n Kids Fishing Adventures

Family-focused public fishing trips aboard the 65-foot Coast Guard–certified vessel Cap'n Kid, departing Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich Port. All equipment, bait, and experienced crew included. Multiple daily departures July through September — advance booking strongly recommended.

Sea Street Beach

Bay / Sound

A small, quiet south-facing neighborhood beach on Nantucket Sound near the heart of Harwich Port, an easy walk from local shops and restaurants. Parking is very limited (about two spaces) and requires a season sticker, so most visitors arrive on foot or by bike.

Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve

Easy · 2 mi · Mixed

66-acre wetland and upland preserve where a 2025 eco-restoration returned retired cranberry bogs to free-flowing wetlands along Cold Brook, which runs from spring-fed Grassy Pond to Saquatucket Harbor. About 2 miles of trails cross the brook on berms in three places, and a half-mile wheelchair-accessible All Persons Trail loops the bogs. Home to 280+ plant species and a 44-box bluebird trail. Named for HCT founding trustee Robert F. Smith.

D. Isabel Smith Monomoy River Conservation Lands

Easy · 1.8 mi · Natural trail

A scenic 1.8-mile loop along nearly half a mile of Monomoy River (locally called Muddy Creek) in East Harwich. The trail winds through forest with benches positioned over the river, ending at a distant view of Pleasant Bay. A birder's favorite for herons and shorebirds; dogs are not permitted on this preserve.

Muddy Creek Headwaters Preserve

Easy · 0.3 mi · Natural trail

A 17-acre preserve with 1,400 feet of frontage on the headwaters of Muddy Creek, acquired by the Harwich Conservation Trust in 2017. A short loop trail passes through open meadow, shrub wetland, and wooded upland — a surprisingly diverse habitat for such a compact parcel. The trailhead is accessed from Church Street off Route 137.