Cape Cod's Bay

The Atlantic side of the Cape, with its surf and sand dunes, gets most of the attention, but the bay side has its advantages too.

Photo by C. Danko, © Copyright 2001-2007 A beach on Cape Cod's bay side.

As the sun began to melt into a red fireball just above the sea's horizon, the pace of people arriving with their beach chairs or cameras quickened. Some of the new arrivals sat on the beach's sand, others on benches, and some remained waiting in their cars. It was a typical summer evening on the Cape, and the locals and regular vacationers knew the routine.

Early risers on the East Coast can catch an ocean sunrise anytime they want, but it's trickier to see the sun setting over the water, given the sun's habit of dropping in the west. But because of the Cape's hook-like shape, such displays are one of the bonuses of visiting the sheltered side of Cape Cod, the section that faces the bay.

Each side of the Cape - the bay side and the Atlantic side - have their advantages. Besides ocean sunsets, the bay side offers warmer water temperatures, as well as calm and shallow swimming areas that are ideal for families and kayakers. At low tide you can walk outward for long distances through shallow pools, searching for small crabs, periwinkles, and other sea life. You're also likely to find interesting looking stones and shells that the receding ocean left behind.

What you'll give up on the bay side are the strong waves and the giant sand dunes that the Cape is famous for. The good news is that if you want a little of both, you don't have to travel far. The Cape is surprisingly narrow, and odds are, if you want a change of scenery, that change is only minutes away.

Here are some bay side beaches with public parking:

Sandwich
Scusset Beach and state reservation
Town Neck
East Sandwich
Barnstable
Sandy Neck

Dennis
Chapin
Corporation
Howes
Mayflower
Sea Street

Brewster
Paines Creek
Robbins Hill
Breakwater
Ellis Landing
Linnell Landing
Crosby Landing

Orleans
Skaket

Eastham
First Encounter
Campground
Cooks Brook
Sunken Meadow

Wellfleet
Indian Neck
Mayo
Duck Harbor
Powers Landing

Truro
Ryder
Fisher
Corn Hill
Great Hollow
Pond Village

Author: C. Danko
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