Wingaersheek Beach Reviews

Wingersheek is an awesome place for families. There is rock climbing and when the tide is out you can walk out so far. You can find sand dollars too but don’t forget to throw them back.

We went after hours just so our son could touch the beach for the first time. It was nice and calm. It was a rainy day so there wasn't many people. The beach was clean and appears to be well maintained.

Wonderful, family-friendly beach if you arrive early enough! My favorite in the Boston area. If you leave Boston after 9am during the summer, forget about it! However, if you do make it here, enjoy the tide pools, low tide, and beachside amenities (parking, restrooms, concession stand)

The prettiest beach in Gloucester. When the tide goes out there are little critters, hermit crabs, canoes, kayaks, small boats of all sizes pulled up on the sandbar, one that goes way out to actualy channel, lots and lots of playing room and huge bolders to explore. The water is cold the beach is gorgeous. At the left of the beach, past the boulders is an expansive private beach (legal to walk on at the low tide mark) on the white sand that seems to go on forever. Lots of parking and often needing a GPS to find, but well worth spending the day. Carry in your trash and OUT your trash - NO DOGS in the summer. My favorite and just down the street.

at low tide you can walk out for a distance the water is clear and the beach is white sand, it can get crowded during the middle of summer , great place for photos with rocks for climbing and tidal pools , a great beach for children because of shallow water for quite a distance

Very nice beach, low tide, great for kids, walk in the ankle deep water to go to an island of sand, explore the sands for crabs, sand dollars and more. Fun for everyone! because of low tide lot of wet sand to play for kids and adults both.

I know this is against the grain from mostly all reviews but this beach was not what I expected.There was trash everywhere we went on this beach including in the water and in the tidal pools. In fact, there was broken glass in some of the tidal pools! The beach was so crowded even on a week day with most of the kids back at school. We could not even see the water from our chairs because it was so so crowded and people were right on top of one another with barely anywhere to walk between people's set ups to get to the water. We had to walk way down to the end of the beach to get some space and photos without crowds in the background. That area was much nicer but too long of a walk for us to take our chairs and things down there. The water was super crowded and had an oily residue on top of it. We were lucky we didn't have traffic or parking issues like so many others mentioned. I didn't think it was worth the 2 hour drive for us.

Probably the most famous of the Gloucester beaches. Parking is expensive, but necessary. Ocean water at its finest.

Best to go on a weekday as it is less crowded. Perfect beach for families with little kids. At low tide, the water is far out from the shore and you can walk on the mud flats seemingly forever and find big crabs, little crabs, clams, sand dollars and shells, shells and more shells. The rocks are great for tide pools and discovering sea treasures and you can walk out on the sand bar. Sand is very fine and white. Even at high tide, the water is still shallow for a good way out. Beach has bathrooms, showers and a pretty good concession stand that sells lunch, snacks, drinks and forgotten necessities like sunblock, etc. They rent umbrellas too. I must give a big shout out to the MOST EXCELLENT life guards who are quick to find a lost child (scary) and bandage up injuries from climbing on the rocks.

A little off the beaten path, but still accessible to I95. So pretty and fun for kids of all ages. Plenty of big rocks to scramble over and easy tides for swimming. Decent bathrooms and decent snack bar. Arrive EARLY! Parking lot fills early and waiting in traffic for an hour, only to be turned away, is such a bummer. Expensive parking - but aren't they all?

We wanted to get out of the city and this beach was recommended to us. It was such a beautiful beach tucked away from the main road. We went off season and it wasn't too busy. In the summer, it might get real crowded. You have to pay to park, but it was worth it for us. There is also food to purchase there. We brought our own and did a picnic lunch. Great day!

I've never found a beach with warmer water, outside of the Caribbean. The beach is clean and there are a lot of rocks to climb on.

I love this beach--there is something so special about Wingaersheek--I returned after a 30 year absence and I was not disappointed--it was as I remembered. Live Sand Dollars all over the beach, great for beach combing, low tide --the river-- and walking out to the fabulous sand bar. I just love this beach and so did my family --who had never been before. "Auntie I understand why you love this beach" was a direct quote from my niece. No more words--if you like beach walking --just go......

While it is a lovely beach, do yourself a favor and go to a Good Harbor Beach instead
good harbor is one of the most majestic stretches of beach in America

Excellent; beautiful; white sand beach
Water not that cold
Perfect for kids
The tied is really nice there; you have an area with rocks
The italian ice cream is drlicious

Best beach on the north shore! Not much surf and the water is warm and shallow and you can wade out a long way without ever getting much above waist deep. The only drawback is its limited accessability and expensive parking.

Beautiful beach as always. Very crowded on this particular day probably because it was super hot! But it’s always clean, and the water is crystal clear. It’s worth the parking rate for a day at the beach.
Parking fills up very quickly. Get in early. Lot can reach capacity as early as 11am.

This beach is a great spot to take young children. The water remains shallow for a good distance off shore and the waves are gentle. Numerous rock outcroppings and tide pools make for great exploring. Parking is limited so plan ahead and arrive early.

This is one of the best beaches on the East coast for families or anyone who likes to walk on the beach and explore. Like all of Gloucester's beaches, it is well cared for and manned by very competent, professional and friendly lifeguards.

My family and I have gone to Wingaersheek Beach twice so far this summer and enjoyed ourselves a whole lot, thanks to the fine sand, wide-open beachfront and accessibility to Boston and nearby suburbs. It's not rocky at all, and you can go barefoot if you wanted to, without the threat of stubbing your toes. The presence of a food concession serving decent quick-serve meals (and renting out or selling essentials you may have forgotten to pack, such as umbrellas or sunscreen) is an added convenience. All these advantages make the parking fee well worth it ($25 on weekends, $20 on weekdays).

Come early (the beach opens at 8 on weekends in the summer) if you're not a resident of Gloucester as the parking lot tends to fill up by late morning, or sometimes even a bit earlier.

I am completely OB-SESSED with this beach.

I live in KCMO, spend quite a bit of time in SoCal at Pacific Ocean beaches, and love beach vacations to Florida and the Yucatan, but this has to be one my favorite ever.

The reason why Wingaersheek is my vote for one of the best beaches in the U.S. is because of the wide variety of activities you can enjoy in 1 location.
1) shallow warm water,
2) rock formations,
3) tide pools,
4) sand dune beach grass (L.A. doesn't have any of these)
5) sandbar - a sandbar that you can walk to during low-tide
6) water color - tan (shallow), green (medium), then fades to blue in the deep parts.
7) Watch boats sail on the river / channel
8) lighthouse

I love big waves too, but I sometimes prefer not having a face full of salt water. Because the beach is so shallow the water is warmer and it is absolutely perfect for babies / toddlers.

PRO-TIPS -
1) Go before Memorial Day or after Labor Day - if you don't want to wait for parking.
2) Pack a sandwich - you're not going to want to leave once you've been through the trouble of finding this beach in the middle of no-where and mortgaging your house to pay for parking. Snack bar was closed during our visit on Wed 9/9
3) Go during low-tide - You won't want to miss my magic place, the sandbar.

Loved it here. Would go back in a heartbeat The beach was clean and well cared for. The waters were calm.

Lots of space for the kids to run! At low tide there are tide pools that hold treasures for the kiddos to explore. The water is shallow for a good way out so the beach is long and wide. Bring your chairs, umbrellas, beach toys, pails and shovels and enjoy !!

This is a great beach for families with young children as it is very shallow at low tide going pretty far out. Concessions and restrooms are average. The biting flies are horrendous. They are incredibly aggressive and left bloody wounds all over my legs and softball sized welts the evening of the bites. Horrendous. This pretty much ruined it for me. The water is as clear as can be and the sand clean and soft. The seagulls regularly take food and sandwiches directly from people’s hands. It is no joke.

Our second favourite beach in the Cape Ann area after Crane Beach. White sands, clean, sand bar, safe as shallowly shelving. Beach facilities. Lighthouse view.

Visited this beach 4 days ago at early evening sunset, and it was empty and beautiful. Lighthouse view, rocks and sunset views picture perfect. Very peaceful and worthwhile.

We go here often and most seasons by boat and love the scenic bends, the flowing water, the rocks for kids to climb and the white sandy beaches above the muddy flats.

First I will tell you the bad - $25 weekday parking, $30 weekend parking, and you need to get there early (gates open at 8am)! If you're arriving after 10am on a weekend day, you might as well turn around and go home. So carpool if you can and split the cost. No floatation devices allowed so leave them home. No alcohol allowed either.

Secondly and more importantly, the beach is immaculate. It's carry in/carry out policy, so bring a trash bag with you and take the garbage home. The waves are minuscule and during low tide, there's a sand bar you can walk out to. Also a lot of rocks and tidal pools to play in. The sand is white and almost powder like. The food is good at the concession stand. Also has a giant concession stand with towels, toys, hats, etc. Bathrooms and showers are also available.

In late Sept., quite crowed and no charge to go. Sunscreen was needed due to the warm weather and bright sun.

Quintessential New England beach, although a bit pricey for parking ($20 weekdays, $25 on weekends.) Great snack bar and restrooms and large selection of beach toys, suntan lotion, etc. for sale. The beach is spectacular, with a section to the left and far right with rocks to explore. Have been bothered by horseflies at times, but not usually. Water can be cold…. but not enough to bother a hearty New Englander. Worth the trip!

I love taking the kids to this beach. There are a lot of tidal pools in the rocks and they love adventuring through them

It is a beautiful beach, very family oriented, very clean, and I love it when is low tide and I think $30 parking to spend most of your day there is fair compared to the other Gloucester beaches. However I give it 2 stars for this reason: Sunday late afternoon we decided to drive from Lowell to Wingaersheek (about an hour drive) to spend an hour or two enjoying the low tide with our two daughters. We got there at 4:30pm and what was our surprise when they were charging $20 for parking!!!!!!! Really?!!!!!!! Why?????? At 4:30pm???!!!!!! This is a very busy and looked for beach. I have gone early in the morning on a Saturday to find the parking already closed!!!!! Of course we refused to pay that amount for only an hour or two so we went to Stage Fort, we parked for FREE, we enjoyed the beach, ate an ice cream, and walked Western Ave!

A perfect beach. Great fir little kids particularly at low tide with warmer tidal pools. Parking can be very tough if not impossible during summer weekends unless you get there by nine a.m.

Clean beach and clear water. The water temperature is cold, but still one of the best in the region.

$20 to park on a weekday and one of the best beaches we've ever visited! Very calm water, smooth, sparkly sand. Tide pools during low tide (collected some shells and my daughter found horseshoe crabs) and you could walk out a very, very far distance during low tide. The water was warmer than what I expected for New England. We left for a while when it rained but were allowed to come back without paying again. Lifeguards, concession stand, bathrooms.

This was one of the best beaches we visited. There is a sandbar there at low tide that we love to sit on and feel the mini "waves" come in. Lifeguards there are also all very nice and will answer any questions you have. Parking was $25. Try to get there around 9 or earlier to get a parking spot in the front parking lot or you will have to park back a little ways and walk a little bit to the beach. After 3 though parking is free and you can move your car in closer. The beach is very busy with a lot of people, but plenty of space to spread out. The water is so cool and refreshing as well.

Visited while up in the area and heard this is the go to beach while on Cape Anne. First off, this is hidden off Route 128 exit 13 and if you don't get to this parking lot by 10am, any day, you are out of luck! This lot fills sometimes by 9:30am and cars are lined up miles down the winding road going in so you better get to the lot early to pay the $30 cash only fee required. If you think you are going to wait in line to see if you get a spot after 9:30am, forget it. Secondly, this beach gets very crowded, meaning there is a limited area at high tide to set up your chairs etc. and it is literally, shoulder to shoulder, back to back groups of people.

If you think you are going to keep your kids near you building a sand castle, think again, there is no room. However once the tide lowers, this place enlarges by acres and has a sand bar that you can walk all the way out to the Cape Anne point, plus tons of rocks and inlets to explore and find hermit crabs etc. Another good thing is there is a ton of life guard coverage all over the beach and even the rocks so plenty of coverage for the masses of people that come here. The water is moderately warm in spots and cold in other spots. There is also really not a lot of waves or an undertow so kids can go farther out and it is pretty shallow. There is a snack bar onsite with burgers, fries, ice cream and Italian Ice carts around the beach as well as a souvenir beach shop selling all sorts of things. The place has public restrooms and porta-potty's for use near the parking area. Not a bad place to visit despite the crowds and popularity of this place.

Lots of tide pools for small children to play in, great area
to anchor a boat and come ashore to the beautiful beach,
restrooms and a take out stand if you're hungry

Beautiful beach with clean white sand and clear calm waters. Snack stand and restrooms close by. Get there early to park during peak times. Lovely!

This beach is expansive, peaceful, and stunning. We walked for what seemed like miles and miles, saw very few people and enjoyed the solitude yet we were so close to Gloucester. We've spent time on the Cape and Maine, but it was a first visit to this beach and had been years since we had been to Gloucester (it won't be so long till we return again!). The water was fairly warm, enough so that we could swim, we came upon some professional "clammers" and watched them digging, saw lots of birds and enjoyed the beautiful setting. What a great place.

First time I was at this beach was in the 60's when I was a young teen. It is still one of the most beautiful ocean beaches.

Pros: Beautiful clean beach. The tides are neat to see and create a sandbar. The scenery is just great. It is worth seeing, especially with children.

Cons: The public restrooms & showers close early (6:00). Parking pass is needed.

I visited this beautiful beach in the early spring, and fell in love. Returning to Boston for a a little break I knew I was going to visit this beach, and enjoy my time.
I've been to beaches all over our beautiful nation, but never, ever, have I had to fork out $30 for a parking spot at a public beach. "Supply and demand" was their answer for the ridiculous amount of money they were extorting, fleecing, and robbing people of their rights to public spaces.
Unbelievable. So disappointed in the northeastern states politics ransoming of nature.
I'll save my money for the Gulf of Mexico, white sand, turquoise water, and $5 parking.

Loved my visit to Wingaersheek Beach, while staying in Salem, MA, with my dog, Chloe. This was an alternative to my usual visit to Crane Beach. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves, and Chloe was in doggy heaven, as she explored the interesting seaside smells. Interesting rocks abut the sandy beach and good parking. Only wish it were closer to home! I would be there every day during the off-season.

This beach is just beautiful, pictures and words don't do it justice, needs to be see with the naked eye. The best time to go is for low tide no waves when you can walk for miles in all directions, stare in awe at the lighthouse, watch beautiful boats pass by, wade in shallow waters and explore ocean life in and around the rocks. The water is brisk, clean and clear and is just so much fun for all ages the very young and old can enjoy this beach ... once on the beach. Getting there can be a completely different experience. This beach is set back off the highway down a single lane, long winding road through a residential area, you MUST get there when the park opens at 8:00AM as this place will get very crowded. We arrived at 7:40 because we had to leave early and expecting to be the 1st to arrive but found ourselves on a line, since it was our first time there we didn't think to much about it. Parking is expensive at $25.00 a car ( we had a $10.00 discount coupon compliments of our hotel Atlantis Inn) Once through the gate you will find an average size parking lot, there is handicap parking, food stands, toilets ( not sure about showers). Depending were you are instructed to park will determine the length of your walk to the actual beach, this is where it may be difficult for seniors who struggle with longer distances and no handicap plates. The pathway that stretch over the dune is relatively flat with super soft sand that feels great on your feet! Since we where there so early we got right in and had a very short walk to the beach - placed our bags down and off we went. As we explored this wonderful location the beach became so packed we could no longer fine our items without really having to search. Unfortunately we could only stay for a few hours due to our schedule but by 9:00AM the beach was packed like sardines. If I was going to sit on the beach an enjoy the views I would have found it very difficult due to the amount of people right on top of one another and it was low tide so the beach was bigger. However we are often more inclined to swim and stay in or by the water, so keep in mind your beach habits when you decide about your visit here. An umbrella (or tent) is a must as there is no shade and you will need it to identify your location on the beach from the water lol. We loved this beach and were very sorry we couldn't stay longer, but we will absolutely be back. So as we drive out about 10:30ish, remember we had to leave early on a gorgeous beach day, but holy cow the traffic! the line of cars to get into this beach was backed up all the way to the HIGHWAY 128!!! This had to be a few miles and the lot was completely full already when we left so not sure where these people where going to be parking or if they were even going to get in. It not unreasonable to head out to the beach for about 9:30 but if you plan on doing that here on a beautiful day - don't expect to get in. So many people where in line, with no where to go unless they turned around and abandoned their plans. Not to mentions the poor residences that live on this one lane narrow road if they need to get to there homes in this traffic! Yikes! SO go early, plan well with coolers, food, change of clothes, sun screen and umbrellas and enjoy this beautiful beach and its amazing landscapes.

I have been coming to Wingaersheek beach for 40 years and have always loved it. I like to jog to the castles at the end
of the beach and jump in the water and swim around a bit.

Lovely New England beach with all the right stuff.....lighthouse, rocks, tidal pools. Tide goes way out leaving a wonderful sandbar where you can walk forever. Sunsets are gorgeous!!!! I give it 4 stars because of the parking cost!! This is why I now go in the late afternoons or evenings after the parking attendants do home!

Our favorite beach! The sand is pristine, as is the water. It's perfection in New England! We get there very early some days (before sunrise) and have the beach to ourselves. It is amazing!

Beach is very long and good for walking on. Waves tend to be gentle and not much surf. It was too cold to swim yet while we were there but it was pretty to watch boats go by.

This Beach was my "go to beach" when my kids were young. Safe, the water creates a mote where the water is warm once the tide goes out. They can make sand castles, little ones can splash around as if they are in their bathtubs, perfect place for kids.

This is a nice wide beach with soft sand and then really hard sand as the tide goes out. It is a nice place to take the family for a day at the beach. The waves are good and there is plenty of space to settle in.At low tide there is a sandbar that you can walk to the little island just on the left of the beach...but be careful that the tide doesnt come in and leave you stranded there! There is a little snack bar too just at the beach walkover entrance. There is a pretty hefty parking fee but worth it for the day.

You have to go early on the weekend. The beach is amazing. There's an expensive snack bar. Bathrooms and Showers. Low tide exposes the sandbar that enables you to walk along and pick up the many hermit crabs. Parking is ridiculous at $35 but obviously, that's Massachusetts beaches.

love it, great for kids. low tide goes out forever, and you can walk to a sand bar and walk back before the tide comes in. everyone does this like lemmings;-) fave kid beach. very relaxing place to be.

It is a nice beach for kids. It is clean and soft beach. When low tide, kids can enjoy the peaceful water like a big pool.
There are two issues. First, the parking fee is expensive and cash ONLY. It is $35 before 3pm and $25 before 5pm. Second, their bathroom is closed at around 6pm. So it is inconvenience for visitors to change.

Had a lovely time here with the Wife and kids. We got there at low tide. That was an interesting experience for the kids to watch the tide rise about 3pm.

When the tide is low you can go out pretty far. The water was freezing though. I guess it never really gets that warm in Gloucester.

Bring your own chairs and umbrellas. The rentals are very expensive.

Great time for the kids. When the tide starts to rise the lifeguards advise the bathers so they wont get swept away.

Also parking price for non residents is very steep.

When the tide is out it is great to climb the rocks with the kids and search for crabs, lobsters and other fun stuff in the pools. We also love to walk way out on the sandbar and pick up sand dollars!

Went here after abandoning our fishing adventure due to sea sickness. Got there super early (like 8:30). Beach was very quiet for an hour or two. Soft sand. We we flying home that night, so we didn't have any beach supplies. We rented two chairs and an umbrella from the snack shop (which had lots of variety though we didn't partake). Good showers to spray off sand and bathrooms. Were there on a beautiful day and by the time we left at 11:30 it was pretty crowded.

Low waves. When the tide goes out you can walk out on a 1/2 mile sand bar filled with sand dollars, crabs and hermit crabs. Lovely deep pools of crisp water near the rocks. Truly a magical place. Snack bar is good, but the seagulls are very aggressive.

I come here every Mother's Day, and usually a day or two during the summer as well. I was there yesterday, and it was cold and drippy, but still a beautiful time! Lots of parking (free this early in the year), lots of beach to share. Great sand, and when the tide is out a nice sand bar that you can walk out on.

It really is the most amazing beach.
We had to download an app to park which was easy to do.
There are toilets on site and a small shop.
We arrived when the tide was out and we had a lovely walk out on one of the sandbars with our young kids. Hours later when the tide came in we had such a great time swimming and exploring. Beautiful sand and calm waters.
An absolute must visit

This was my favorite beach in all of Cape Ann! The sand is the softest, powdery white sand you have ever felt! There is plenty of parking here. There are rocks in the water creating a very beautiful feel and view. Don't miss this beach!

A little rocky but very pleasant. And it's much cheaper than Singing Beach – we parked free around sunset, but the bathrooms closed at 6pm. Overall it was nice, the beach wasn’t huge but large enough.

a little out of the way but worth it! Sand dunes, nice facilities, can walk out in the water a long way. Seagulls are hysterical stealing entire bags of chips so beware the snack pinching wildlife!

At low tide you can walk on the sand bar which goes into the Annisquam River. At low tide there are lots of tide pools on the rocks that you can find crabs and mussels and sand dollars and periwinkles. Great Beach white sand to take a walk or relax and read a book

Nice beach. The sand and water were very pretty. You could walk out very far. The only complaint is that I got eaten alive by green flies! My mother got bite once but I was covered with bites. We were close to the grass so maybe if we moved closer to the water it could have been less buggy??

My Family and I went there yesterday on our boat. I know a lot of these reviews, people have complained about the Boaters. I'm not sure if this review counts or not as we were a lot further down but here goes. When we first got there we thought we were lucky coming by boat as everyone was neck to neck on the beach. It was nice at first but then some obnoxious "Boat People" started showing up. Believe me that place has become like the Spit in Scituate. It was completely over-crowded with other Boaters thinking they can squeeze in right next to and someone else and yes their boat hit ours. I guess there are no rules on the boating side whatsoever. People can bring Dogs, alcohol and really whoop it up. Someone had their radio turned up as loud as they could playing rap songs with swear words right next to my Children. Our boat had become beached for a little bit because of the tides so we could not go somewhere else. My Husband almost got hit in the head by a damn frisbee thrower and it ended up hitting our boat. I wish the boating side of that beach had rules too but I guess that's the price you pay if you boat there. We saw, heard and smelled a lot of unbelievable stuff! The current is very strong there making swimming hard. The quality of the water was awful and it smelled really bad. The sand is like clay and weird to walk on. So if you are boating there be careful and for those that complain about the Boaters, I hear you as I never want to boat there again!!

In mid Oct, we were perhaps towards end of season, so we found this beach to be lovely for paddling, photos and beachcombing.
Lovely clean soft sand above high tide, firm sand underfoot as a long slow slope to the sea as tide recedes.

Very nice beach, great views and remarkable sand. Cold water, but still good to swim during ebb. Right side is shallow, so the water there is warmer. I would recommend to come after 3 PM, the parking is $15 instead of $25, and the beach itself is less crowdy.

Beautiful beach but Parking Price was $30 a car and they have a carry in carryout policy for trash. Lots of people didn’t adhere to this and just threw it all over the place which made the beach and the parking lot a trash heap. Try another spot.

Went in the off-season to Wingaersheek Beach. There was plenty of parking, and lots of people were walking the beach and brought their dogs with them. The beach was stunning and one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to. When the tide goes out, there are lots of tide pools, and the water is a crystal blue color. Definitely want to go back in the summer!

I spent over a decade searching for the best beaches and as of this year, Wingaersheek ranked in my top 5 in new england. I drove to wingaersheek today and left after less than 2 hours, disappointed and will not be returning. Gloucester opened an additional parking lot on the right, before the main lot. This additional lot is very very large-an unpaved field. The walk to the beach is far. The amount of people on the beach didnt take into consideration the tide eating most of the beach at high tide with so many people it was just gross. By the water it smelled like a cow farm. On shore smelled of Marijuana the entire time. It was gross. We stepped on a dirty sock floating in the water and alerted life guards to a pocket of quick sand by one of the rocks.
I describe this used-to-be Gem of a beach as the new Misquamicut RI beach.
Gloucester should have kept this beach to just the main parking lot.
Bad decision.
I would have happily given my $46 beach pass away to someone for free had I known what it's turned into.
When I asked my son and my sister (obsessed beach/ocean lovers) if they wanted to go home after being there for less than 2 hours-both quickly answered a relieved, "yes!"

What a relatively small but wonderful beach!. Go when the tide is up and wait for the tide goes down. Then you can start walking and walking into the sea. So cool!

Wow! We planned to hang at Revere beach and when we got there, we were disappointed. Too dirty, too commercial and too noisy. We drove a little further and found this beach on nav. We spent the rest of the day here. It was so serene. Big boulders to climb, sand dollars galore and huge clams. Kids found large colorful,shiny seashells. Excellent scenery and so natural. Just what we wanted that day. We all loved it and will definitely return. What a find!

This, like many of the beaches around Glouster, is a beautiful beach! There were plenty of other dog walkers to say hello to and for our dog to play with. Very friendly community. I recommend this walk in winter, no matter what the weather.

I haven't been to Wingaersheek Beach in 35 years. When I rode down the winding road leading to the magnificent beach -- all my childhood joy came rushing back. Walking over the sand dune down to the beach was magical. The sand was soft, the boulders -- everything was the same and as beautiful as anyone could imagine. A warm September afternoon on this piece of heaven -- refuels the soul and nourishes the spirit. Not well known and a little of the beaten path -- BUT well worth the journey.

Very disappointed as when I arrived after driving for a while on the narrow winding road leading to the beach found out there was a $25 charge for parking, This was the beginning of June and there were hardly any cars there, I explained I would only be there for about an hour but "rules are rules".

It might have had to do with the day we were there. There were school buses filled with the children. Of course this changes your experience, but I found the beach to be small and uninviting. At low tide you can walk a few hundred yards out and they have plenty of life guards. The sand sparkled and was pretty and the water was calm. Like I said, nice but not great

Oh, what a magical place! Parking is $25 cash ONLY. The rocks here are spectacular! Beach is very nice, we did not see/use facilities, so I'm not sure how well maintained they are. Greenheads are painfully around, but plenty of bug spray will take care of that. You will NEED water shoes here: climbing on the rocks is very fun, but there are plenty of barnacles that can scratch your kids's feet if you are not wearing any. Floating devices are also not allowed, but the beach goes on so far, that we did not need them for my 4 and 6 year olds, we just kept walking in the water, and kept on not being deep! You can access / clim rocks even on high tide; but stay for low tide too: many tide pools and fun for little ones!

First time we were here - we were camping down the street. After 5 we didn't have to pay for parking, not sure it would be worth the $25 or $30 they normally charge. We always hit it at low tide - the beach went way out, you could walk such a long distance at low tide. And sand dollars! Everywhere was sand dollars. We made sure to go back every evening we loved it so much.

This is a postcard-perfect beach. The water is usually calm here. The surroundings are just so incredibly beautiful. I love to visit here.

Wingaersheek is gorgeous. Clear waters, sparkling sands, and when the tide is out, the water is not as cold as most North Shore beaches. On a hot day get there early to park (by 10 or 1030) as there are more spots reserved for residents than non. There's a snack bar, showers and bathrooms. Lots of great restaurants and clam shacks nearby for after the beach. This beach is special.

Great visit with some friends. What a wonderful beach and to ourselves due to being off season! I highly recommend visiting this while in Gloucester

Far off the beaten path is Wingsersheek beach. Tucked away behind protected sand dunes this sweeping beach offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding coastlines.

I've never heard of this beach until we visited on a school field trip. The area is clean, when tied is low and very little waves. When your kids are in the water you can feel comfortable that they will be OK.

There a section where you have small tidal pools by the rocks and in these you can find many live creatures. Water worms, small baby crabs, snails, sea stars and many other interesting things.

I would go back, there's a snack bar as well in case you forget to pack a lunch...

Not as good as the Brazilian beaches, but the best in the Boston area.. I go there once each 2 weeks on summer.. But if you go on the wekeends must arrive before 10 am otherwise wont find parking place., They charge US 20 for parking..
I like the sand bar where you can walk on low tide. Best time is on low tide..

This is by far my favorite beach. The water is always warmer than other beaches in the area and I like that it isn't very deep.

Hey, beachgoers! I just finished my review for Good Harbor Beach. I wrote plenty about Wingarsheak Beach. This is my personal favorite beach in Gloucester. But, if you really dig big waves and riding your boogie or surfboards, this IS NOT the beach for you! You need to head to Good Harbor. This is the perfect beach for little ones, solo or with friends without feeling like your sharing your space with 100,000 other people.

Very little waves and gradual drop of the beach so small children feel safe there. The sand is great for building sand castles and there are rocks to climb up and explore. They do charge to park and will fill up early on the summer weekends.

This beach is at the end of a long and rambling road that is just as much a treat as the beach is itself. Very clean and accommodating facilities open up to a lovely beach strewn with giant boulders - fun to scramble upon or not. The water was warm enough to get into, and if you walk far enough to the right upon entering, you'll have nearly private beach access.

Arrived at 2pm 7/21/18, about an hour after low tide. Water was clean, clear & warm. Tide pools perfect for small ones & exploring. No greenheads.

$30 to park, lot closed at 9pm. You can leave & return throughout the day without paying again as long as you have initial ticket.

Bathrooms & 2 showers available (free). Concession stand with hot food, snacks, ice cream, beach chairs, bug spray etc. Many life guards on duty (until 5pm?). No floats or boogie boards.

We took our two young daughters and arrived at 8am...we walked the beach and noticed so much trash and then dog poop (yuck!). We lasted about 20min before we were swarmed by BUGS. The bugs were little gnats and were all over us- my girls left the beach in tears. We wanted to love it but clearly didn’t pick a good day for bugs...so surprised by the trash though.

We went at low tide. My kids had lot of fun finding moon snails, crabs and sand dollars. Just absolutely beautiful and family oriented. Highly recommended!

Wingaersheek is a great beach for walkers and for those who like to splash in the water. Stay clear of the mouth of the river, where the current is strong. And be sure to know when the tide comes in, so you don't get stranded. But then: Enjoy collecting giant clam shells and expired sand dollars, or observing living shellfish, sea snails, and sand dollars. Clamber over the rocks or hike out to the point. The shallow water, when warmed by the sun, is warm enough to be comfy. Great beach.

This was the most beautiful most calm beach I have visited yet in Massachusetts.There are no high waves.When low tide you can walk out to an island it is so beautiful.Many shells, sand dollars,little creatures for children to find and play on the beach.

This beach is very different from good harbor beach. They both have great things to offer but Wingaersheek is very peaceful and serene. A good place to read a book and not be disturbed by too much noise.

If you decide to go to Wingaersheek, be sure to be there when it reaches low tide, because a sandbar appears out of the water and you can walk maybe 1/2 mile out into the bay. It is great to go at sunset too because the sky is always magnificent. Usually does not have big waves, but plenty of hermit crabs and other sea creatures abound in the rocks.

There is something for everyone. Long sweeps of shallow water that youngsters can enjoy. Places to anchor if you arrive by boat. Soft white sand. Rocks for climbing. Quiet sections for those seeking peace. A long shoreline for those who like to walk or to run.

Children must be watched closely because the tide comes in quickly and within 10 minutes open beach and hard sand areas can be under 3 feet of water.

Lovely lovely place.

Awesome beach in August lots of exploring around the rocks at low tide for the kids and adults too! July can be tricky because of the greenheads (biting flies). The freshly made salmon burger at the snack bar is fantastic! Good bathrooms and showers

We always enjoy this beach, high or low tide. The sand bar in fun, the kids enjoyed climbing the rocks and finding hermit crabs

Very chilled and laid back beach. Not many waves though. Great for a good long walk and a refreshing swim in shallow water.

I avoid it in the summer due to the crowds but love it in the off season on odd days when i can walk my dog and take in the views. It's fun exploring the nooks and crannies at low tide. Lovely soft sand and beautiful views.

I've been going since child. Now with the kids.
It is kid friendly. Great beach. Great views. Just get there early on weekends. Fills up quickly. Pre 9am is my suggestion when prime time.
Toons of room and you can always walk right over the rocks to the semi private where the boats land.
No crazy waves as it is protected.
Enjoy

We went on a Wednesday and arrived when the park opened at 8:00 . We were able to comb the beach for at least 1 hour before the crowds arrived. The tide was out and there were shells galore. The rocks and the lighthouse are beautiful! We recommend it highly!

My favorite beach. Wingaersheek Beach is a great beach for kids and adults. When the tide goes out there is room for everyone! Not to mention shells, sand dollars and hermit crabs! Waves are minimal so also great for swimming! I come here several times each summer. Snack Bar, outdoor shower for rinsing and bathrooms.

Only draw back is parking is a little expensive.

Wingaersheek beach is a fabulous beach! The water is lovely, and the sand and rocks make for hours of exploring and beach combing. Great place for photos! We come every few weeks in the off season, less in season due to the following:

What is not great…. Folks coming from out of town and not caring for the beach as an ecosystem…littering, taking buckets of live sand dollars( even after being politely educated that the sand dollars were alive, the folks shook their heads said we’re from Indiana what do we care?). Others took moon snails, periwinkles and surf clams. I was heartbroken on my last trip there, to see such blatant disregard for the Gloucester community, beach and it’s living beings! Perhaps Wingaersheek needs to fine folks for removing live sea creatures, like other states do. Be a good tourist and leave everything better than you found it.

We had a great day on Wingaersheek beach.
I was a bit concerned that I planned our visit on a Sunday, but the beach had plenty of room, so the crowd was not an issue. It will only cost you $25 per vehicle.

The sand was crystal clean, the high tide was at noon, so we took advantage of the low tide and we went out all the way into the sand barge. The water was OK ~69F, we played there until the high tide started coming in.

We loved chasing after the fish (big sea bass) after the high tide, so that was a big hit with the kids. Then we went up the rocks and looked for all sorts of crabs...

We had our beach chairs, umbrellas, beach toys and coolers... We spent the rest of the afternoon playing and enjoying one of the best summer days this season.

Note: Richie's Ice is sold on the beach... Yummy ice treats for all....

Wingaersheek Beach is a wonderful place to visit, with gentle, shallow (tidal river) waters for little tykes, big rocks on the right side for older kids and adults to clamber over, fresh air and big sky views, a long, riverside expanse to walk along (watch the currents, parents & pet owners!), and a bath house and snack bar for those who need either. There's lots of parking (at $25 a visit for non-residents) but it fills up fast on summer weekends; get there early!

Great place to bring the dog of the waves are too big at Good Harbor, or if it's an odd numbered day so you can't go to Good Harbor.
Lots of space to run, gentle slope so it's easy to get in the water. Big rocks to climb on.

We weren't planning to spend the day and just wanted to walk the beach and take pics, but for $25 we nixed the plan and went to Jones River Salt Marshes Beach instead. If you coming in from Atlantic St. Jones Marsh is 0.2 miles before Wingaersheek Beach and there is no cost to park there. There is a big sign and you would take a right onto a dirt road about 0.1 to the parking area. This is a good alternative for those who don't want to spend $25 for parking.

very shallow beach with tide pools make this a great beach for children. there is also a food 'shack' with typical beach food (just the simple stuff). On the downside, it is expensive to park and the parking is very limited, and the road to get in is narrow and traffic can be bad on weekends and popular days.

Wingaersheek takes your breath away with the contrast between white sand and interesting rock crop pings. It is a lovely place to take your dog for a walk during the Fall and Spring.

Check the tide charts and plan for high tide. After 5 pm or when the lot closes is a great time to go if you just want to enjoy the beach & it's less about the sun.

Reluctant to pay the exhorbitant beach fees on Cape Ann, we carefully selected this one at the last minute, based on reviews. Although we spent several days beach-hopping, we settled on this one and were so glad we did! This was our favorite one on all of CAPE ANN (we went to most of them, missing only Good Harbour). What an amazing beauty to experience any time, but BE SURE TO GO AT OR RIGHT BEFORE LOW TIDE! The sand bar that appears allows you to walk out quite a distance to get a great view and take pics of the Annisquam Lighthouse, explore the tidal pools, and feel like you are really far out into the ocean! You can wade through water off the sandbar, go only thigh-high and see through to the bottom to observe hermit crabs walking and snails with their pseudopods exposed walking over the sand! The water is so clear, I was able to use my cell phone to take great pictures of them. Explore the water to see what is there, but be prepared for the gentle "push" of the water movement as the tides gently and quickly move back in. The further out you are, the more you feel the "push", but little children can play in the water safely at the edge. If you like to sit close to the water, keep an eye on your stuff for encroaching water; you'll be surprised how quickly it moves back in! But while the water is "out", explore the tidal pool around the rocks or take a long walk back and around towards the harbor and river. Wear water shoes for the best experience around the rocks, and in the water, please be careful not to step on the aquatic life which you can clearly see. Also, before collecting any snail shells to take home, be sure to check them for life, because most of them contain snails! I saw a family with sifters saying they were looking for sand dollar exoskeletons (the bleached out, non-living collectors' item) there as well! There is a parking fee of about $25, but you can save money by going later in the day (after 3 or 5)- the fee was worth it! There are lifeguards milling around at vantage points as well. Hope you enjoy the day as much as we did!

Our favorite Boston area beach. We have three young kids and his beach makes it easy for them to play in the water without having to worry about the depth or waves. It does get very crowded quickly, so we tend to go early and leave after a few hours. In Season, there is a food shack win TONS of options, restrooms, showers, chair and umbrella rentals, and a shops with beach buys. I had not experience the "greenies" until this summer and they are truly AWFUL. (Biting flys) I still have scars on my legs. So avoid them if possible (bug spray doesn't seem to discourage them). Despite our experience, we keep going back!

Best family beach in the Northshore. The kids can look for hermit crabs, climb rocks, play in the tide pools or make sand castles. The only disadvantage of this beach, is that they can't wear any flotation devices. It's tough to go when the little kids out number the adults. Also, parking can be tough and is expensive ($20-$25). Get there early if you want a spot (9ish).

I am a very picky beach goer. I grew up and spent many of my childhood summers at Main Beach in East Hampton, NY, so I have high expectations for my beach experiences. This beach did not disappoint. Brought my four year old daughter here after reading positive reviews about it being a good beach for young kids. It was perfect. At low tide you can walk all over and explore and small wading pools form all over the beach. I was able to let her freely play in and near the water and not be scared she would be taken in by an undertow because the water is super calm. The water is also warmer than many other local beaches. When we were feeling ambitious I brought her out farther for some swimming. There were slushie vendors set up all over and a decent snack bar at the entrance. Restrooms and shower areas weren't too scary. It cost us $20 to park but we were excited to get into the main parking area right near the entrance. Got there at 11:30am (Tuesday) and we just made it into a spot. Overflow parking was packed when we left. It's $25 on the weekends. We were there from 11:30-4:30pm, so well worth the money. Plus there is no walk on fee if you go during a weekday. Honestly, my new favorite beach in MA. We've been to Singing Sand Beach, Crane Beach, and a few on the Cape, and while we have enjoyed all of them, this is the beach we'll be heading back to ASAP. One thing to note: I know the green head flies hit at some point in July and can ruin your beach day. Best to try and get the update on them before you head here. We didn't run into any problems today but you never know!

Truly an amazing beach! Went on a Thursday and arrived shortly after opening with ample parking. We wanted to get there early to experience the low tide. During low tide the water goes out by almost a mile and there is a large sandbar with a beautiful lighthouse on the other side of the ocean. At the end of the sandbar we saw a lot of sand dollars. The water was crystal clear and freezing even in a 90 degree weather but the kids enjoyed the water nonetheless.
The sand is beautiful white with silver flakes, very fine and excellent for castle building. The rocks are out of this world with lots of tide pools during low and high tide. We were able to catch crabs, hermit crabs, snails and small fish. When the tide came in we spotted bigger fish. The tide also filled in the spaces between rocks and created warmer swimming pools. Excellent for kids and adults alike. Magical beach!

After lunch in Gloucester, we decided to go to Wingaersheek beach. Longer drive than anticipated but a beautiful
drive and worth it. The weather is unseasonably warm today, so probably more people there than usual, but not crowded by any means. A beautiful view with a lighthouse across the way. Very fine white sand. If we'd come more prepared for beachcombing we would've stayed longer.

The beach has it all. Beautiful white sand, a view of the river and the Atlantic, a yacht club across the way. Water is crystal clear and refreshing. It gets warmed up a bit by the river which makes it very pleasant on a hot day. Come early because the parking lot fills up quickly.

We visited the beach yesterday afternoon. We were not sure what to expect in terms of rush and parking but many were leaving at the time and we didn't have to pay for parking :)

The beach itself is nice and clean. The white sand is soft and amazing! The water itself was clean and a lot of areas for children to safely swim or play in the water .

Some nice photo ops as well.

A few minor things: sandflies and mosquitos. They come out around 6pm so make sure to apply proper amounts of bug spray.

All in all, don't miss this beach!

This is a great beach for families. Clean, white sand, shallow for a quarter mile at low tide and a limited amount of patrons as it is not a big beach. Has all the amenities at your finger tips. A must go for children's safety.

This beach is incredible. Fantastically wide across it's curvature and a long stretch of sand and tidewater beach from parking lot to see, it is huge. A castle adorns the right end cliff and signature beach homes on a cliff at left. It is stunning. The parking lot costs upwards of $46, seasonal prices, but must people get dropped off and the beach itself is free. An Uber from the hotel and back may be more affordable as thee us NO legal roadside parking outside. So if you go bring the umbrella and maximize your time. P.s. Coffins beach is all private property and though you can risk a drive in on the private road you cannot see the water for all the homes on the shore. Crane beach also has very expensive parking rates.

Locals have their own parking lot. There is one other for every one else. On Sunday the traffic was backed up two miles, so you have to start out early if you want a spot, plus you have to pay for parking

Take a few hours to enjoy this beach. Take a walk and relax, put your toes in the water. Quiet area.

Parking lot was full when my family arrived around 2pm on July the 3rd. I asked if I could drop off my family at the entrance before I could turn around to find a place to park outside the beach area, the guard said no without giving any explanation. Throughout my conversation with the guard at the entrance, he was agitated and rude to us. What is the point of not letting people walk in when the parking lot is full? Even if you have to turn people back, can't you at least find some decent people to do the job? My family have been going to Wingaersheek beach 3~4 times a year for the past 10 years as the kids love the place, but we have never seen anything like this before.

A beautiful sand duned beach with fine sand and very safe swimming for children. On summer weekends, boaters converge at anchor and it can be crowded and noisy.

Lovely family-friendly beach. Clean, close to parking lot and lots of great walking spots. Shallow, perfectly clear water is great for floating. Parking is spendy (but no different from any other local beach) at $35 on weekends and $30 on weekdays. Arrive early (9:30) to ensure a spot. Great beach for families with small children.

Awesome for youngs kids, but you MUST get there early! There's not a lot of parking!! We love it during low tides as kids can walk out far! Bring a pail as we found many sand dallors!

Found this beautiful beach . Perfect for walking and enjoying a stunning view. Quiet and clean i enjoyed the fun of searching for seaglass as well. I highlybreccomend this beach

I have been to this beach twice this summer and enjoyed it both times. It's fairly small which is nice but it gets very crowded on weekends. Our first trip on a Friday morning was quick and pleasant and we were able to get into the parking lot fairly quickly. We got stuck in traffic for a good 15 minutes to get to the parking lot at around 9:30AM on a Saturday. The line builds up quite a bit so getting there as early as possible is a must.

The beach itself is clean and gorgeous! White powdery sand and the water is fairly warm from what I'm used to. The bathrooms are fairly clean and the concession area has many different options in terms of snacks and drinks. Overall, a perfect spot for a relaxing beach day!

I've visited a few different beaches along the Massachusetts coast, and this has been the nicest by far. The sand is very soft (very fine grains) and the beach is extremely clean. The water is clean and clear, and you can walk out quite a way before it is past your waist. I would highly recommend a visit to this beach.

Beautifully clear shallow water. You can wade at least 100 yards into the ocean on smooth sand. You can see some live sand dollars, hermit crabs, and even some fish.

There are rocks, guards, and a small snack bar with toilets and a shower. There was also a stand selling water ice and sand toys.

I wish I’d known about this beach when my kids were younger. It was a wonderful morning and my husband’s favorite beach since the Caribbean.

Loved this beach at low tide. You can walk out for what seems like miles and just be part of the ocean. Has snack shack and lifeguards. Very nice beach. Parking lot is small and fills up so arrive early.

Twice in the past, before Gloucester wisely adopted an online parking reservations system for the summer high season, I waited in stop-and-go traffic hoping in vain to get to this famous beach, but ultimately ran out of time and had to turn around on both occasions. I eventually had a chance to visit in early December, at sunset. The long wait was worth it. While the many summer services on this beach were closed, of course, the stirring beauty of the flat rippled sandy shoreline, stretching in dusky majesty toward the Annisquam Lighthouse on the horizon in one direction, and the North Shore coastline on the other, knows no season. A cold wind was blowing steadily, but nonetheless there was a scattering of intrepid beach visitors, each seemingly taking in the wondrous show in reverent silence. In this rarefied setting, a brief flash of surrendering sunlight on a distant window was like a wink from heaven.

This is a smaller, cove-like beach and so it's easier to keep track of children there. And the kiddos absolutely LOVE playing around the big rocks partially submerged in the water at one end of the beach.

Arrived at the beach around 10:30 (on a Monday) and there was already a line of cars to the parking lot! Luckily got in the first lot and under a tree. I took my 13 Year old son for the day. We set up in a little alcove of rocks while the tide was low but had to move up onto the rocks when it came in. The water was refreshing, calm, and clear. It was the perfect water for playing with a Waboba ball. Great breeze coming through kept it cool on a 90+° day. There are bathrooms, outdoor showers, a snack bar (including sunscreen in case you forgot yours), and an Italian Ice cart right on the beach. Looks crowded when you look at the sea of umbrellas on the beach but never felt it. We will definitely be back and bring others! ---$20 parking during the week.

Wingaersheek Beach is just beautiful. I've lived in Boston my entire life and this is by far my favorite beach. Sand dollars can be found here. There are so many little tide pools with all types of sea life. Well worth the $25 to park on the weekend. We got there right at 8am and stayed till 7:30pm. Brought a bunch of snacks & beverages to last us the day & the snack shack they have here makes delicious lunch. The sea gulls are militants though so be careful when you leave your stuff out to go for a swim.

Well placed parkway with access to the water. The memorial is a very somber read, but quite a tribute to those hardy fishers of the sea. Benches available, great breeze on a hot day. Beautiful view of bay leading out to the sea.

An absolute gorgeous beach! Clear water, clean beach, clean bathroom/changing rooms. great for family or individual fun!

Its not summer without exploring the tide pools, climbing the boulders and walking the almost mile-long sandbar at Wingaersheek. We LOVE it here!!

This is a beautiful beach, but again, crowded in the season, often with power boaters rafter up at high tide with their radios playing and drinking. If you want quiet, come in the off season. You can kayak from here to the Annisquam lighthouse, to the Market restaurant where you can tie up and get something to eat, or over to Coffin beach.

Went here because of the hipe of all of the sand dollars at low tide. Disappointed because we walked and searched. Only for 4 in 2 hours.

Wonderful clean beach with soft sand, and scenic, lighthouse view. We arrived after 5 pm so no parking fee. Cold water but fun to enjoy the beach and the rock area. Around 7-7:30 pm tiny biting gnats appeared and we made a run for it!

Lovely beach with plenty of room for every visitor. Ample parking. A little pricey during the summer season. Cool rocks to climb on and pools of water that stay behind after the tide goes out. Perfect for treasure hunting with kids. Love that dogs are allowed on the beach during the off season. When the tide goes out, you can walk for what seems like forever.

Beautiful beach for little ones. Just watch the tides. Not much room at high tide.
It’s always a shame that people don’t pay attention to signs posted. No dogs allowed and the state has a large sign posted at the entrance.

Went to this beach with our family probably with 25 or so people. The sand was so soft that it stuck to you so much and there were so many flies that kept biting you 24/7 we went home with so many welts. There and no waves at all and you aren’t allowed to use boogie boards. Such a bummer for the kids. Was pretty but wasn’t very fun.

This is a wonderful beach that is usually not as crowded as other beaches in the area except on holidays. It is marked by some beautiful rocky areas along with the sand so it is a fun place for kids and adults to explore. There are neat views of a lighthouse and lovely homes along a waterway.

Calm, shallow waters when the tide is out. Rocky area of the beach fun for beach-combing. Certain areas do not get crowded, even when the parking lot is almost full.

Absolutely perfect beach! Beautiful views. Huge sandbar for walking, very safe, no waves. Water is warmer than other beaches up North because it's shallow. Has these rocks that you can walk or swim up to then climb up. Kids were jumping from the top of the rock, looked like fun. I personally enjoyed sitting on the top rock and enjoy the views. You can kayak since it's calm. Has a snack bar and beach items for sale, even ice-cream booth on the beach. Showers and restrooms nearby. This was my first time and it became my favorite beach around here.

This is a beautiful beach, but for $30 to park I would expect better facilities! There was trash floating in the water. The bathrooms were so dirty, some of the toilets were plugged. Toilet paper all over the floor. Only two outdoor showers with cold water, those were also dirty. I usually come here a couple times a year but I don’t think I’ll be back!

Living in Gloucester my entire life, this beach is equal to Good Harbor Beach in my opinion! Both are very beautiful and clean. Wingaersheek is smaller with beautiful scenery. The water at this beach is warmer because it is on Ipswich Bay and has many sand bars. It is great for children because of its size and there are warm pots and rocks to climb. Clean restrooms and a concession for lunch or drinks is available for you a short walk from the soft,clean,white sand! I love this beach!!!

This is A beach in Gloucester Massachusetts that I played at as a Child,
Child of the World-
Butterfly's and sand,
Sand and Salt, pools shooting up like Phoenix's,
Phoenix, my sisters dog,
The mystical one,
Who loved her children and the funny man,
She called her first husband.

Visit this beach at low tide, walk the sand bars forever, unbelievable. Comb the low spots for sand dollars, look for dark discs just jutting out of the water. Sand dollars are brown and a slight fuzz, clean them, and create

I was SO impressed with this beach! The sand was so soft and the beach was extremely clean! Will definitely be back!

Beautiful beach. Parking is expensive but worth it. Need to arrive early because it does close when lot is full

We enjoyed the calm beach that was packed on a 90plus July 4th weekend. Long wait (45 mins) to park. Clean bathrooms, even sold men`s hats as my husband forgot his,which was a must have. Walked out during low tide to the sand bar area....water felt wonderful as it was so hot out. Crowds were pleasant.
Brought our chairs down to the water. Will visit again this summer for sure.

You will not be disappointed with the view or this beautiful beach! Not rocky, sand is clean and white. Exploring the jetties is very cool! They sell food and personal items in case you have forgotten anything! Previous reviews recommending arriving early was helpful to me as parking lot is limited. My only complaint is in the afternoon as people begin heading out (I left at 2 pm) the 6 or so women's room stalls could not keep up with the demand and the outside ports potties were horrible and all out of TP and hand sanitizer! Gorgeous beach, bring tissues and hand sanitizer!

Great beach to come by boat and drop an anchor right on the beach. friendly crowd and a lot of fun to be had
just need to check it out
June through September

Beautiful white soft sand! So many rocks that make places to climb and little coves for sea creatures! Great spot for kids. Low tide creates small swimming pools great for younger children to splash around. 25$ for parking which is about the same, if not cheaper than good harbor beach in gloucester. On the weekends in summer you MUST get there early because the parking lot fills up and there's nowhere else around to park. It would be a good beach for friends also. Great beach overall!

wingarsheek had the nastiest, rudest, parking attendants and i decided i would not pay $20 to be insulted. it is a beautiful beach (i have been there many times off season and tried to vist during july and was turned completely off by the parking lot attendants. i ended up at good harbor beach where the attendants were clean, respectful and friendly.

We visited this beach for the first time in summer 2022, and this will be a beach we will be coming back to each year. What a find! So beautiful, perfect for families with kids, and even the young at heart. The bathrooms close early, I wish they could be open till sunset, and even the food stalls should be open longer for a perfect summer beach experience.

This is a great family beach. It is shallow and protected on one side, and it also has a grouping of rocks for exploration. The drive in is a little narrow, but parking isn't too bad. For kids, I think this really is the perfect N. Shore beach.

This is a beautiful beach with something for everyone. Soft white sand, rocky tide pools, perfectly clear, warm water. You can wade out to a sandbar, and snap photos of a lighthouse. A very wide, beach with shallow water that is ideal for the children. Just perfect.

Never seem a beach anywhere with such a tide fluctuations. It looks so different 6 hours.

No dogs, no parking fees after 5

This beach is terrific! Its a nice long walk along the coast and has some great rocks to climb on and sit in the sun and just watch the world go by.
This beach IS dog friendly in the winter months - odd days only. This is for super dog friendly dogs only. And the beach has a doggie poop bag requirement that is enforced.

Went their a week before labor weekend. Loved the beach. It's very shallow and miles and miles of soft white sand. The Perfect spot for families with toddlers. Our kids were playing and splashing in the shallow water from noon till evening. Important thing is after coming out from sandy beach they have shower with luke-warm water, which was great for the kids.
Though $25 Parking fee seems to be bit high.

My first time at this beach and I'm in love. The soft white sand, crystal clear water and low tide makes this beach truly something special 🩵☀️

The best beach to go with young kids . Shallow water , clear water , when tide goes down you can walk thru rocks and pick crabs. My kids love it!! Parking is $30 on the weekend and get there early or around 2-3 pm, that's when people starts leaving

We ran into this beach by mistake on our drive back from Rockport to Boston! Compared to Good Harbor or Front Beach, this was relatively very crowded. We stopped by to check it out, and it was awesome!! Parking @25$ was a bit overpriced especially since we just stayed for about an hour. Maybe for a full day visit, it is fine.. Beach was great. The shoreline is very long. Happy crowd. Loved it!

It's an incRedibly clean beach! The water is perfect temperature for Massachusetts muggy humid July! The climbing rocks were a throwback to my childhood and I really played like a kid again! The sand bar was an added bonus at low tide I think we walked out about a 1/2 mile and could have gone even further. Great beach!

This is a great beach at low tide. There are tide pools to explore and a sand bar that you can walk to. It's in a cove so there are no big waves. Great for small children.

Rock-studded Wingaersheek Beach is my favorite beach on the North Shore. A gently sloping beach, great for kids, lots of sand, and when the little ones tire of that, there are great rocks to climb on. For adults, you can walk for a mile or more at low tide.

We walked along the beach in the evening and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The beach appears clean, secluded and off the beaten track. Well worth a visit.

I have been to beaches in Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach, but this beach is my absolute favorite. We got there early and stayed for 4 or so hours and watched the tide go out. I really enjoyed exploring the area and seeing all of the creatures! The sand was a beautiful white. I visited in late June and the water was chilly, but the air was perfect. The water is low enough that you can see the bottom and walk out pretty far. I walked out to the edge of the water and it was the most peaceful, beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Logistically speaking: Bring a cooler, blankets, sunscreen, umbrella, sandals, towels, and chairs to really be prepared to spend the whole day. There are bathrooms, showers, and a snack bar there. There is no alcohol allowed or served. Parking costs (maybe $25 or so) so have cash with you.

We go to WB at least once a summer and we are never disappointed. The beach is clean, water is clear and cold, entertaining to watch the boats go in and out of the harbor, but the parking - OUCH - $30 on the weekends is ridiculous.

Grew up going here- still great. Shallow pools in low tide you can walk out forever. Great for kids. Lots of sand space for lying down.

One of my fav's! My 7 year old has plenty to do, climbing on the rocks, looking for crabs during low tide and walking out to the large rocks. Plenty of parking- but get there early if you don't want to wait in line for parking! They have concession stand, showers and bathrooms. BUT, no boogie boards or any floatation devices of any kind! BIG bummer for my son. If you want to use your boogie boards, go to Good Harbour. $25.00 to park.

I was able to get a decent photo of Annisquam Lighthouse from a brief visit to Wigwam Point - Wingaersheek Beach is the closest reviewable location available via TripAdvisor. I was surprised to find inaccurate information on the National Park Service website. The following input is provided by the NPS, "Annisquam Harbor Light Station is located on Wigwam Point in Gloucester, where the Annisquam River meets Ipswich Bay. Although the lighthouse is closed to the public, limited, short-term parking allows visitors to view the exterior. To access the parking lot, follow Rte. 127 in Gloucester, turn onto Leonard St. (next to a white church), turn right at the sign that says "Norwood Heights" and then follow the road to the end. The lighthouse is also visible from Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester." There is no public, limited, short-term parking. The entirety of Wigwam Point is private.

Maybe this place is well worth the visit in the summer, but for a cold but sunny day in October it wasn't worth the drive from Gloucester. We were looking for a place to walk the beach, and read that this was good for that, but it really isn't. Much of the beach is marked private in one direction and then the other direction takes you more inland, rather than towards the open ocean.

Very unfriendly people working there !!!!!
No where on web side that no dogs allowed !!!!
$15 for parking is rip off !!!!
It's better placed out there

This is the PERFECT beach for kids. Waves are small, sand is abundant. You can find sand dollars in the shallow waters. The sand bar goes so far out.
It is just a wonderful beach because even at 75 degrees the water is warmer because it gets so shallow.

Not a great beach for walking, but a great beach for sitting, reading, watching water and birds, especially off season. You sometimes have the beach to yourself. Not in summer. Expect to be with 100++of your 'closest friends'. Pay to park in summer. Not off season. Fun for kids as there are lots of places to climb and explore.

Nice day at beach. Bees where ridiculous today though. Keep your food secure so the seagulls dont get your food. Otherwise very nice sand soft and beautiful and awesome tidal pools for kids

One of the best beach visits our family has taken. So much exploring for kids and a lovely walk for my husband and I. Parking has gone up to $25 during the week and $30 on weekends. My opinion totally worth it. We packed a lunch with chairs and we barely sat in them. There is a snack bar and bathroom facilities. Bring snorkel masks for the kids. No boogie boards allowed and its ok. No waves. You can walk a half mile at least and not go past your knees.

Softest sand ever! Clearest water too!! You do not want to miss out on this beach!! We arrived after 5 pm and it was free to get in!

The parking lot and clam shack leaves a lot to be desired but once you get to the beach, this is one of the best beach in New England. The water is crystal clear blue that I'm happy to let my kids swim in it. There are beautiful rocks formations to the right part of the beach in particular which is great to explore and hop from. The scenery is breathtaking and the sunset is always spectacular. I only wish there is more sea life like hermit crab, periwinkles, mussels like we see in Halibut Point's beaches for the kids to look at.

Just make sure you have bug spray if you're staying past sunset as the gnats can become unbearable by then.

Back to Cape Ann again for a hard to surpass camping and beach stay coming from the Montreal, Qc area, we waited out the cold & rainy month of June until July 2nd and lucked out with loads of heat & sun on the first week of July this year! The most wonderful beach of Cape Ann, Wingaersheek, being a short mile away from the Cape Ann campsite is easily walked or biked, which I confess turned out to be a blessing that week, given the unbelievable car line-ups for miles on Atlantic St and parking shortages (prices are also jacked up to 25$/day). But once there, nothing but beautiful fine sand, oh so calm, pleasantly warm & clean water (almost no algae) at all, cosy, not overcrowded and quieter nooks with shady spots on your left as you walk out, walks to the end of the sandbar at low tide to the other end of the bay towards the marina. One caviat: one of the 2 double shower stalls was closed this year so the line-ups for rinsing were there again quite horrendous!)
A repeat favourite definitely not to be missed!

This was a white powder sand beach with great view of a lighthouse and beautiful boulders. Had food, beach necessities, and showers available.

Service staff are friendly and helpful. We biked from Gloucester and they provided safe parking and good advice about other areas. Beautiful beach and convenient food and rentable beach chairs.

Great family destination! We take many family day trips here. The water is full of fish so bring your rod.

The long narrow winding approach roads must make for frustrating driving to this location on crowded summer days but we had the good fortune to arrive there with about 100 other beach goers others in late September on a morning that was very warm and sunny. We walked onto the sand after taking advantage of the free suncreen dispensers and found that it was just after low tide when the shallows stretched out beyond the soft mica-flecked dry sand for a couple of hundred yards, with water only 6 inches deep. Small kids had a ball and adults could sit comfortably on the sandy bottom in the still warm water. The large boulders that dot much of the shore are attractive and full of nooks and crannies that invite exploration. The distant view across the Annisquam River mouth to the lighthouse and the buildings beyond enhances the nearby scene. About the only off-note are some signs that claim one end of the bay contains a private beach and trespassers are not welcome there. (I'm an advocate of open beaches just about everywhere.) A magnificent spot when conditions are right.

Beach overrated and not worth the time or parking rate. It was our family with two kids first time coming here where we paid $37 for parking. On a Sunday morning we waited in line for 10 minutes to park and was told the main lot was full and should go to the side lot. The beach profit boogie board, life jacket and and form of boards. Restroom and shower were so dirty and beach was very tight. Our first and last time on this beach. Luckily there are so many other be ages locally to go that we don’t have to come back here again.

wingarseek is an american native indian tribe, at the mouth of the annisquam river on ipswich bay. a long white sandy beach faces from east the curves west towards essex river. dig fresh clams when the tide is right. lots of sand dunes and eel grass. can come by small boat and anchor at waters edge, come by car through small new england road to large parking lot, can be long lines of traffic. come early.

Get here early as parking fills up fast on weekends, but it's worth the effort. Only 35 minutes away from Boston without traffic this beats anything that Cape Cod has to offer with little of the stress and hassle.

Bucolic vistas with a lighthouse - sand dunes and soft baby powder like sand. The ocean is noticeably warmer here as its in a bay which is shallower then ocean side beaches (Good Harbor/Long Beach) - although the trade-off is no discernible waves - so leave your surf boards at home. Upside is that for young children or people who aren't good swimmers there's no significant current or rip-tide to fight and parents can be a little more relaxed.

Parking is limited so get there early - but the upside is that the beach never feels crowded and at low tide to the north is private Coffin Beach which is 2 mile long private beach which is a beautiful walk to 2 Castles.

This beach is one of the reasons I come back to Cape Ann. The combination of large rocks and sandy beach is a joy! There is also limited parking for beach goers.

I came here as a child and wanted to show my friend this hiddeb gem. The best part is low tide when the 3/4 mile sandbar is exposed and you can look for sand dollars. He was in awe.

Go before low tide. Incredible walk out sandbar. Gets crowded but not overwhelming. Great for kids and families.

The beach and water are beautiful. It’s the parking and snack shack that is outrages. $30 to park. Two chicken Caesar wraps $32.

Full disclosure: I am a former local who has moved far away and returned for a vacation this summer for two weeks. This is definitely one of the finest beaches in Massachusetts. The water is warmer than the Atlantic facing beaches and the sand is as soft as anything you will find in the Caribbean. Wingaersheek does fill up quickly on weekends so get there early. If you are lucky enough to score a cottage nearby it is worth the money. At low tide you can walk out for almost a mile from the beach and find sand dollars everywhere. This place is silly with them. Be sure to leave the live ones. The proximity to Gloucester, Essex and Magnolia gives you excellent dining and shopping options.

This is such a beautiful beach and great for kids who want to go hunting for clams, hermit crabs and other sea creatures. Be sure to check out the tide schedule and try to get there when the tide is low. There are bathrooms and a snack shack. Parking can be tight, so try to get there early.

Great beach, nice sand, no flies and fantastic for families due to low tide! This beach is fun for everyone and has plenty of room if you want to seclude yourself!

too crowded for a local to go to
parked boats fil up the waterfront, kills the view
unless you like it ALL,

Finding the beach with a bit of difficulty, coming some back roads from Rockport, we had a very nice time at this beach. The water was unbelievably warm. Great for playing; but to shallow to allow good swimming.

Great beach for little kids. Dont bother bringing people who want to swim here, though. At low tide, it will hit only as high as your knees, my oldest (5) went for a long walk out, looking for crabs. My 2 yo liked to sit at the edge and play in the warmer water. But the greenheads were out and they did bite. We had to cut our day early, which is a shame because you pay $25 to park there - despite arriving at 3pm - and it took us 2 hours with traffic to get there from Western Mass. Dont go in July.

Don’t go to this beach..it’s For Residents only! We drove 45 minutes to this beach to be then turned away!

This was one of the most beautiful day spent at the beach. We got there in the morning, there was a haze in the air and it looked a bit cloudy.

Just an hour later, the haze cleared and there no clouds in the sky. I need to come back again.

To get the best experience, rent a home right near the beach! It's the best form of relaxation. I stayed here for a whole week and had the best time of my life without even leaving to go to other attractions. There is also lots of room to explore. You will never be bored.

A very nice beach of white soft sand extended to more than one mile with flat bed wherein one can fearlessly walk and njoy swimming , bathing Sun bath Sea bath both. U cn njoy for full day, hv picnic , brunch, lunch and more. U cn hv your Umbrella camping, njoy clean bath , hv tan yourself, hv lunch and again go bar bathing. A very nice,clean, comfortable beach for the whole family-fr kids to old ones. U hv to take park tickets the amount of which is used for maintenance and keeping the beach environment pleasant . Nice to visit this beach👍

Wonderful memories, best beach in New England! Spent many hours at Wingaersheek Beach when my children were growing up. We all have fond memories of the beach with sand bars and the big rocks! Beautiful white sandy beach area with easy access to the concession stand and nearby bath house.

This is a beautiful place to be and especially during the low tide. One can walk far a way from the beach itself.

Wingaersheek is very nice sandy family beach. It has a long sandbar at low tide which you can walk upon. No sharp drop off into deep water just a gradual increase in depth which makes it ideal for families with small children. Parking is $30 and is limited. On weekends the parking lot fill up quickly so best to get there early or else late in the day after others have left. People who try to park on a side street near the beach at the least get a $45 ticket or worse get towed. Still it is perfect place for people who enjoy sitting in the sun.

Calm water in a natural area. Great for strolling and exploring for shells. The weather was perfect. Boulders on the shoreline held hermit crabs and other sea life in the tidal pools. Safe swimming for kids. Parking for all the beaches in the area is quite pricy. Glad it was free after 5 pm in June. We will definitely go back.

We visited Wingaersheek Beach with our 3 kids - ages 6, 12, & 17 - and loved the clean water, family-friendly atmosphere, and the sand bars that seemed to go on for miles at low tide. Water was chilly, as expected in MA, but not freezing. There were hundreds of people on the Monday of July 4th week, mostly families, which made for close quarters due to a small beach area during high tide but this was not unpleasant.
The snack shack sells anything you could have forgotten - from sunblock to baby diapers - and there are a lot of food options - fruit, gazpacho, and salmon burgers being the more unique offerings.
Overall, a great beach to visit in the North Shore.

I love this beach. The water is not to rough. The view of the lighthouse is charming and the sand bars make it a special walk along the beach.

We were camping down the road and we arrived after 5pm.
We didn't have to pay for parking which I saw a sign for $20.

This beach was amazing, excellent for children.
Soft sand, clear water & sea life everywhere.
We were there at low tide, my son and I walked for 50 yards out and we were still knee deep water.
So many sand dollars, hermit crabs, shells & more.

Our family went to this beach around 4pm on a Monday. The beach was great, there were plenty of rocks to play on and the people were wonderful. At 5pm, the lifeguards officially went off duty and it seemed many of the families started leaving as well. We were left with more than just a few groups of rowdy teenagers playing loud music in each of their groups while the group in front of us was trying to blow smoke at seagulls. After all of the reviews, we were surprised it got a little rowdier after 5pm, especially on a Monday. Not sure if it worse on traditional party nights. We don't want to take away from the excellent beach, but want to make others aware of our experience today.

When the tide goes out, you have acres of beautiful sand to walk. No swimming but a perfect walking, beach combing experience.

Stayed at Coffin Beach for a week and had a great time. This is a real jewel of a beach in Massachusetts as most beaches are so rocky, this beach is ALL SAND so it is a real pleasure with your family and if you have small children to enjoy your time. No dogs allowed, no campfires, and it is a private beach so don't plan on "dropping in". On the weekends there is a guard that will only allow those who are supposed to enter.

Warmer, shallow waters and lots of tide pools to explore make Wingaersheek a favorite. Low tide does bring a bit of walking to get to the water but low tide is when the tide pools are best for exploring. There are two sections of the beach - the river side ( local boaters tend to anchor here) and the ocean section. It can be a bit of a hike from the parking lot, especially if you are unfortunate enough top park in one of the back lots. Come early and stay late!!

Extremely beautiful, spacious beach. Get there early as the parking lot fills up quickly and there is very little parking near by

Always enjoyable with kids. Brought my 8 and 12 year old, although may have preferred good harbor. They found ways to entertain; walking sand bars, finding sand dollars, climbing big rocks and searching tidal pools. Stayed 4 enjoyable hours

I was completely amazed by this beach! It was clean and fun and I could have spent the entire day out there. My boyfriend and I went after Labor Day (which is the key for visiting these places). We walked around for hours at low tide and just screamed with delight over all of the shells, birds, rocks, pools, etc. The views of the lighthouse are beautiful and perfect for pictures.

White sand, clear water, what more can you ask for!! It’s gorgeous. We arrived early, 10:00am, and parking was $30. We walked way out on the sandbars and it’s simply beautiful. Lots of great pictures to be taken!!

Wingearsheek beach is beautiful but I am really unhappy to see dogs without any identification of service dogs and loud music everywhere. This is really upsetting. The administration should check the beaches to reinforce the regulations.

My 3 boys, ages 13, 12 & 12 and I went to WIngaersheek Beach today, Wow what a gorgeous place! Not to far off the highway, we got there around 9:30am, perfect timing while it was low tide. Cost $30 to park for the day, bathroom facilities, Surfside Snack Shack and lifeguards during the day. The beach has spectacular views of the sea, boats going in and out of the channel, gorgeous lighthouse, beautiful rocks and sand dunes. The sand was so soft, the water was crystal clear, ripples in the sand in the water and you could walk out far and see your feet in the water the whole way. Some would say the best time to go is during low tide (which is when we went) it was great, lots of tide pools, you can walk out so far, sand bars, lots of hermit crabs, regular crabs and all kinds of sea shells. As the day went on, the tide came in and there were areas that were deep enough to jump off the rocks. We had an amazing day on this gorgeous beach that was so serene and so clean. Our boys are already asking to return to this amazing place!

I arrived to the beach at 11 AM on a saturday. I was fearful the parking would be maxed out as i had read reviews saying this fills quickly. The weather forecast was saying partially sunny and 76 degrees. When I arrived the road was long and winding with hardly any shoulder, take caution as there are driveways, possible pedestrians, blind corners and oncoming cars. No real ATM's on the road prior (after exit highway) so make sure to bring cash, you will need it.
Parking was 30 dollars for the day (non-resident)
There are bathrooms, shower rooms, picnic tables, paved parking lot, porta-johns, and a brick mortar building that serves food/drinks. The bathroom was fairly clean, although missing soap later on in the day. The real highlight here is the beach. Low tide goes out very far and LOTs of beach that you can find a spot away from people on the compacted sandy part, or cluster with others on the loose white sandy part. Was nice to walk out super far on the sand barge and find tons of hermet crabs, and some shells. No real sand dollars to find as the reviews noted. ideal for families and small children. lifeguards were on duty as well.

One of my favorite beaches. The parking lot should be expanded and paved. When there last amenities were well worn

This is easily one of the best beaches in MA. Gorgeous views, wonderful sandbars at low tide, great rocks for tide pool exploration... Just make sure you arrive by 9am on the weekends once summer vacation starts!!! Parking is TIGHT.

go early since parking can be difficult but it is a beautiful spot to enjoy the ocean...caution - at least at this time of year the tiny little bugs will swarm you and they sting...not sure what they were but they were everywhere!

I've gotten into the habit of getting to beaches that charge $ really early and avoid paying. Not the case here. Arrived before 7.30a and already there was a car-line. Gates down and guarded. Oh boy. Amenities are fairly limiting, junk food, cheap beach toys, cold shower/restrooms.

I love the sparkles in the very white/soft sand. At low tide, the sandbar allows you to walk out into the ocean for at least 1/4 mile. The rocks are fun to climb on. Just have to make sure to get there early as the parking lot gets filled.

Amazing beach for families! Totally gorgeous, no waves, no current. Perfect for snorkeling, wading or swimming.

This is a great beach for young kids. Pretty shallow and great place for them explore. There is a charge to park, but many hotels have discount coupons.

Families come to this beach for the sand and surf, but more than that the many little tidal pools that form within the rocks. As the afternoon hours pass a long sand bar appears that you can walk out on for quite a distance. The only reason I give only 4 stars is the cost of parking, $25, is ridiculous, and if you are not in by 10am on a week-end you won't get a space.

so different in off season. Happy dogs of all sizes chasing stix. easy parking but no facilities. calm waves rolling over sands where you can walk forever.

Nice scenic beach with dunes, boulders, and great views. Parking is pricey but worth every penny. Don't forget to lock your car and put valuables in the trunk.

Such a beautiful beach! Loved being able to walk so far along the beach, especially at low tide. When low tide is a long walk to the water. Quiet beach with beautiful homes along the shore.

Wingaersheek is a great family beach, no huge waves. When the tide is low you can walk out into the water forever, it's real shallow. Wingers heck is a great place to find sand dollars, they are everywhere in the water. The beach has very clean bathrooms and showers, the snack bar is good, though a little pricey. Parking is approx. $25 on weekend, get there early cause the main lot fills early.

Wingaersheek is the best beach in the region. Long expanses of sand and lots of tide pools to explore.Great beach for young children. Arrive early to get a parking spot.

Wingaersheek Beach is stunningly beautiful with soft white tropical sand, and clean clear waters. It’s a scenic and exploratory beach fun for all ages. Hold onto your lunch, because the seagulls are assertive. I recommend this beach to anyone traveling to New England. Parking can be reserved online.

Just took my family to this beach on July 15, 2013.

Parking
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We got there at 12:50pm so we had to park in the second lot up the street rather than the first lot which is a lot closer to the beach. ($20 for weekday $25 on weekend.) If you have a lot of stuff like I did, you will kill yourself getting to the beach. You can move your car closer as the day goes on so you don’t have to kill yourself again lugging your gear all the way back to the second lot. The lesson: get there early….or don’t bring a lot of gear.

The Beach
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After our trek from parking, we had a hard time finding an access point to the actual beach. After a while, we found out you can get to the beach from three points: the end where the snack stand is, a path through the middle of the dunes where there is a “2” marker, and the last at the end of the resident parking section. Once on the beach, we found it to be very clean and the sand was very soft. The beach is kind of split into 2 sections by some big rocks in the middle of the beach. The kids can climb on the rocks but two of three of my kids sliced their toes. So, wear water shoes if you're going to climb on the rocks. There are hardly any shells on the beach for collecting but there are some near the rocks. No boogie boards or any floatation devices are allowed.

Water
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The water is pretty clear (for New England) but since the beach is in a cove there are hardly any waves at all. Kind of a bummer since my kids and I like big waves but it is nice for smaller children. The lack of shells makes it easier on your feet when walking in the water. Also, the ground under the water slopes downward gradually/slowly meaning, there a no big drop-offs which is good.

Amenities
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They have a snack bar selling burgers fries, chips, slushies etc. They even had slushie vendors in spots along the beach. There are bathrooms and I hear there are showers but we didn't use them. Trash barrels in spots along the beach would be nice but it is a carry-in/carry-out policy at all Gloucester beaches which is a pain. Also, all of the amenities are at one end of the beach so depending upon where you are, getting to them can be a hike.

Overall
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It is definitely a very nice beach with clear, clean water and I would go there again. The amenities are a plus. However, since the beach is in a cove there aren’t any waves the water isn’t as fun. Also, there isn’t a lot of parking unless you count the second lot but that’s a pain to park in. A very good beach to go to but not a great one.

Favorite experience was sitting on a rock with my legs in a tidal pool. Second favorite: walking up & down the beach while people-watching.

Amazing stretch of beach sheltered from the land by dunes. Great!! Seaglass picking! Very cool it low tide.free parking and portopotties.

I took my 4-year old son and met up with friends on a Sunday Morning. We checked the tide chart a few days before; low tide was 9am and high was at 3pm.
First, the parking lot opens at 8. I got there at 9 and waited a half hour in line to park but it was absolutely worth it and the $30 parking.
Even though the tide is waaay out and it seems like a long walk, get a soft-sand spot so you don't have to keep moving back as the tide rolls in.
Our friends had a 12 yr old, a 9 yr old and a 7 yr old and there was plenty of fun for everyone! The tide pools, climbing rocks and you can walk out pretty far with a little one so they don't feel left out.
Sand toys are a must! No floats or boogie boards, but you really don't need them.
Bring your own trash bag; no barrels on the site.

Best beach on the north shore by far!!

Great, Sandy beach with no under tow. Best of all, around low tide you can walk on the long sand bar. Also, lots of little critters in the tide pools.

Wingaersheek Beach is across the channel on the Annisquam River facing Annisquam. It is a popular destination for summer bathing and picnic activity. At low tide it is fun to walk out to the sandbar.

Quiet day, beach is lovely. There are several rocks to wander around and on. Beach is smaller when there is high tide. But you can walk out very far at low tide. Enjoyable afternoon.

We traveled to this beach maybe 3-4 years ago, with 4 children during a Boston visit and just loved it. The landscape is beautiful, you do need to go early as their is limited parking, which you pay like $20 a day. When the tide went out the kids loved the nature. A very safe beach to swim, because it's a cove, we'd go again but we like to try different beaches. Well worth it... Especially if you don't get to north east beaches often.

Great place to visit... it was like a postcard. We went in the early evenings so we didn't have to pay to enter. Climbed the rocks, took photos and during low tide we were able to practically walk to the other side of the beach. Great beach for young children.

This was our 2nd stop when arrive into Mass, driving from Boston to Portland. We arrived at 2:30 not realizing we needed passes WHOOPS lucky for us the attendants departed around 3:30 and we were able to park and enjoy the beach. We had just enough time to make a quick stop at the local store to grab snacks, beverages and believe it or not an awesome book for $1! Sand is so soft, water is clear and the rocks are amazing to explore. The tide was going out while we were there, amazing to see the beach become massive as the water went out. We only went about knee deep since it was COLD- We are use to the more Southern Maryland area beach’s. There was a gelato stand and food area and porta potty’s. Very clean beach! Highly recommend for all ages. We had 3 generations and all were happy! That’s hard to do!

Tried Wingaersheek off of a friends recommendation and highly enjoyed it. The only reason for the "very good" rating verses the "excellent" is because of the parking. Of course, it was a beautiful day on a holiday weekend so I expected some issues but it took almost 30 minutes to park and was $25 per car. There are not many options to park so you have to wait in line as they park each car. Once parked, we enjoyed our day. I suggest arriving by 8:30-9am to miss any parking issues. The beach is clean with clear water. Not many waves but has tide pools and great scenery. They also have a snack bar with hamburgers, salads, clam strip rolls, and many other options. We weren't super impressed with it so I would suggest saving your money and packing food.

I have been loving this beach for 40 years. Great for kids, low tide you can walk a mile on the sand bsr. It's just really special. You must go early to get into the parking lot. Worth the trip. One of the best

Went here for the first time today (October 10th), it was just fabulous. Heard a lot about this beach as well as that it’s impossible to get in in the summer so never tried. We had such a fabulous day, kids didn’t want to leave - so much to explore, climb, find and etc. Tide was out so we could walk so far out. Since it is past official closing date of 30th of September - there was a lot of dogs and I mean a lot, but all well behaved and no bother at all to anyone. We will try to come over next summer. We usually go to Salisbury but this beach is something else, super special, totally recommend.

We were staying in Marblehead to visit Salem, and did a day trip on Sunday to Wingaersheek beach. No fee for parking as it was October, and very few people. A couple families were there building sandcastles and some people had their dogs and everyone was having a great time. The day we went, the weather was warm enough to wade in the water. The beach is so beautiful. Very well worth going out of your way to see it if you are in the area.

Wow! This is not your typical beach. There are HUGE rocks to sit on, climb on, and relax on. Some of the rocks can hold the whole family! There is a sandy beach and Parking is available during the week at a rate of $25 per vehicle and on the weekends and holidays at $30 per vehicle.

After reading about this beach we were in line at 9:15 and on the sand at 9:30 . They let 5 more cars in after us and then opened lot #2. So plan on arriving early. It was low tide when we arrived. Large rocks to walk on. Around the corner on the river side boats were after anchored In long rows also using the beach. So much to see and explore. The views were incredible. Lighthouse rocks and warmer water a must for any visit to Gloucester. As an avid beach lover I would give this one a ten. Can't wait to go back. The best beach I've seen in years. Beautiful clean water, sandy without rocks, no seaweed, and clean bathrooms and showers don't miss this one.

A must at low tide . . . you can walk way out to the sand bars. Very scenic. Nice lighthouse. Great for families. Gets very crowded on the weekends. Walk down to the right along the river entrance for a more secluded spot.

All I can say is WOW!! My family has traveled all over searching for the best beaches. We've been to California, Mexico and the Caribbean. This beach is now in our top 5! It reminded us a lot of the Caribbean. Clear water, calm waves and soft sand. The water is very shallow which is perfect for the kids. You can walk forever before it gets deep. I didn't have to worry about the little ones going under! There are awesome sandbars too. The kids loved climbing on the huge rocks. There are lifeguards on duty. We spent almost 5 hours at the beach and enjoyed every minute. Yes, it's $20 cash to get in but worth it. I highly recommend this beach!!

Lovely spot that you have to earn your way to get to a bit, but once you do rewards you with either warmth (if you're seeking an audience with the sun) or a nice, bracing wind (if you elect to visit at the very end of the day or during the shoulder seasons).

From certain angles, the beach faces back westward over Ipswich Bay, so that you are able to witness that east coast rarity: The sun setting over the water. It is in those moments that the spot is at its most sublime. With a lighthouse on the opposite shore across the Annisquam River and the coastal topography extremely jagged owing to Cape Ann peninsula, there are as many things to visually focus on as there are ways to get your orientation completely spun around.

The beach itself is coarsely grained, but certainly easy enough on the feet and completely welcoming to the unfurling of a blanket.

Very picturesque spot that provides multi-faceted appeal to beach lovers and nature meditators alike. The posh shops of Essex are just up the twisting roads a little bit and seafood shack heaven just a little farther in Ipswich.

Well worth a visit whether you're looking to be surrounded by the summer throng -- or escape it.

Great for kids to explore rocks. Waters are calm. Beach is small so get there super early to get a parking spot. We waited in traffic for nearly an hour and got turned away.

This beach is nice. There is public parking. It is best at high tide as it is on the Annisquam river and at low tide you will need to walk far to get to waist deep water. Good for kids to wade in shallow water. Waves are not bad. On the far end of the beach, locals show up in their boats and tie up and enjoy the beach and swimming. That end is fun if you have a boat. Nice beach with nice view.

Wingaersheek is a small family friendly beach. Its got clean facilities and a snack shack. Its off the beaten path and welcomes you by way of a scenic winding ride through an upscale residential route. The sand is a super fine white toe curling dream. Plan to arrive before 9:00am or after 4:00pm if you want to enjoy this paradise or you won't get parking.

This is a public beach in Gloucester and there was a long line to get in on a Sunday afternoon during the summer. Also, be aware that you need a resident sticker to park or else pay about $20 a day for parking for non-residents.

This is definitely a beautiful, white sand beach with WARM water which was crystal clear and no waves. There is no choice except to use the parking lot there which as of this date was $30 cash only. They do provide clean restrooms.

This is one of my favorite places in the world. It is perfection. The sand is beautiful white sand with silver flakes from the mica in the granite.
During low tide the water goes out by almost a mile and there is this amazing sandbar with a beautiful river on the other side where the sailboats can go in and out past the picturesque lighthouse. There also happens to be a yacht club along the river, so as times a sailboat riggata goes out and with the lighthouse as a backdrop it is simply breathtaking. When the tide is out my kids love to collect hermit crabs and sand dollars.(which they obviously put back). There are these amazing rocks that the kids love to climb on during both low and high tide
During high tide it looks totally different but equally beautiful and the kids like to climb on the rocks and jump off of them into the water
2 warnings
1 the tide can come in quick so treat it with respect
2 the seagulls are very aggressive so any food should be in a sealed cooler

The nicest beach around for family's with young children,the waters not deep,gentle waves,the kids can wade out in foot deep water for hundreds of feet.Nice rocks to climb.

Lots of parking ($20)...food and drink...Italian ice on the beach...fun people watching...lots for the kids to do...exploring the rocks and walking the sand bar at low tide...the beach is very shallow so it is a bit of a walk to the water as the tide goes out.

This is one of several awesome beaches in Gloucester. Very family friendly...parking is limited so get there early.

When the tide's low, you can walk for miles among the rocks. It's best to go on a weekday to avoid the crowds. The views are great. Serene beach.

Visited this beach last year in early August and had a ton of fun. This time we went in late June, knowing that the water would be freezing. Saturday arrived at 10:30 and had not problem getting in, weather was in mid 70s, tide pools warmed up enough for bathing and had a terrific time. Sunday arrived at 10 and the line of cars to get to the beach was outrageous, took 40 minutes of what usually takes 2! Weather was in mid 80s and that brought crowds. The parking lot closed shortly after our arrival at 10 and didn't reopen until after 1pm. Lines to the bathroom, lines for snacks, and beach was crowded! There were people playing loud music, some attempted to grill, but that still didn't ruin our experience and we enjoyed ourselves. However, much prefer weekday visits.

The sand at Wingaersheek is divine. The water is cool and clear (much warmer in August at low tides).

At one end (near the concession stand and bathrooms) you have these great big rocks. If you head right from there...you will see another set of smaller rocks where neat tide pools form when the water is low (great area to spend time with small children). A sandbar also forms near here at low tide. This sandbar stretches almost to the lighthouse at very low tide! If you continue around the bend from there, the crowds thin out and there's a lot more room to spread yourself out.

GREAT beach.

One Sunday after 5 PM (when there was no longer a parking fee), we went to this beach of pure white sand surrounded by boulders and a lighthouse. It was still busy but wonderful to see.

I never tire of Wingaersheek beach!
Beautiful and relaxing! I wish it was closer to home but well worth the hour plus trip! Surprised to see a line to park after 4 pm! A perfect way to spend a late Saturday!
Low tide is particularly special with rocks to climb
Expect to arrive early or after 4 pm for parking
Enjoy natures treat

Lovely! Warm and protected, this is a great swimming beach. The tidal pools are absolutely gorgeous.

This was our favorite beach in the area. The parking can be crowded, so get there early. However, the beach never felt crowded at all. This is a bay beach, so the water is wide and shallow, with little to no current/wave.

There is a steep parking fee, but well worth it. The staff is attentive, the restrooms clean, and the lifeguards are plentiful.

Our granddaughter found all kinds of treasures in the sand, and we loved the fact that we were looking right at a lighthouse.
The beach empties out late afternoon, and is VERY peaceful.

We visited this beach with friends for the first time and stayed all day. I hadn't visited yet because the price seemed kid of steep for two of us ($30 on the weekend) but decides that was reasonable for a family day trip. I have a five year old and loved that it was protected so there were no waves which made it easier for me to relax too. My kids loved climbing on the rocks, playing on the sandbar at low tide and searching for Sand Dollars (there were tons of them).

You have to find out if there are mosquitoes (green heads) when you go because if they are there it is impossible to enjoy. The beach is gorgeous and has white sand but the parking is expensive and you must arrive early.

We were told about this beach, of its relatively calm water, the long stretch of sand, and the unique big rocks. We went and fell in love. We went during the time when the tide was going out. We could walk way out. The areas around the big rocks were especially interesting.

I was a little disappointed that there was quite a bit of litter in the sand. I wish there were stricter rules forbidding people littering on the sand.

Great beach for kids Beautiful sand. Nicest beach in north shore. Must go better then good harbor no rocks or seaweed. Warm water r

This beach is the epitome of sublime. Expansive beach, cool water.
Just wish the beachgoers would be mindful of others. We settled in to the beach with plenty of room for all.

Soon others decided to join nearby (it is a big beach - so they could have chosen anywhere). They proceeded to converse with each other (fine) and loudly on the cell phone for the entire time we were there. We should have moved, but we did not. Lesson learned. PEOPLE - PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS. IF YOU PLAN ON USING YOUR CELL - FINE - JUST FIND YOURSELF A PATCH OF SAND AWAY FROM OTHERS. MS Manners

It's a good family beach with nice shallow water for children to play in. I'm not on "High Alert" like I am at most beaches. It's a family beach... not a party beach!

Didn't realize until after we got to this beach the importance of it facing north. We had a chilly wind blowing on shore from the water. Fortunately the sun was hot so it turned out to be an OK day. Loved being there at low tide which allowed us to walk out hundreds of yard into the water. However this beach, unlike Good Harbor Beach, was used by several day camps and it had a lot of children noise. If looking for a quieter beach, don't recommend this one.

We visit every summer and this is a fabulously safe beach for families with little kids. No boogie boards or flotation devices allowed, but the waves are so small you can't make use of them any way. Try to time your visit for low tide so that you can walk nearly 1/4 mile out on the sandbar and find sea treasures like hermit crabs and sand dollars (they're alive so please put them back in the water!) When the beach is very busy, they will open up a second parking lot that can be a bit of a hike for older folk. The only area to take care with little ones is the giant rocks that can get very slippery when wet, so bring some band aids for skinned knees!

Can be crowded, especially on a nice weekend. It costs $20 per during the week, $25 on weekends and probably holidays. Food, changing rooms available. Really nice to walk way out during low tide and get sand dollars.

We wanted to see tide pools so we went to Wingaersheek Beach at low tide. We did find some shrimp in a tide pool, but not much else. We enjoyed watching the sea gulls and walking around collecting shells and sand dollars. It is a nice sandy beach if it ever gets warm enough to go in the water! My son rolled up his jeans and got his feet wet. There was plenty of parking available and had clean portable toilets.

I love Wingersheek! At low tide you walk along the sandbar and can find loads of sand dollars. At high tide you can walk out the water is pretty shallow for awhile. Good for children. On the river side lots of boats tie up and the water is deeper.

Love this beach. As a resident I get a yearly sticker otherwise it is $20-25 higher on weekends. When the tide is out you can walk for at least a mile

This beach is one of my favorite beaches in the North Shore. I tend to visit off season, as it is too expensive and too busy for me on season. The beach is always clean, and has a snack bar. It is great for families with young children, because the water is shallow and there are no waves. You don’t have to worry about rip tide. It is wonderful to walk in at low tide because of the sandbar, we always search for sand dollars, however we never take them as they are living creatures, which some people don’t seem to understand. I highly recommend this beach.

Beautiful beach. The road is a bit windy and hilly, but persevere. Bath house, and a wide stretch of lovely sandy beach.

We went later in the afternoon. There is miles of beach area. I found a sand dollar. Lots of sand dunes and rock to climb on or just sit and listern to the ocean. My suggestion is , if you are going of the day go really early. The parkings fill up early. We went back the next day to our disappointment, we traveled the road to it with lines of cars in front of us. Only to get so close and see people turning around because of full parking areas. But it is so worth the trip. Go before 9 am. We left our motel at 9:30 and it was only a 13 minute drive we were in line for 1 hour and did not make it in.Or go later in the afternoon, the first day we had no problem. Lovely beach and everyone is so friendly at the beach. Life is a beach.

This is one of our favorite beaches. The parking is limited, even more so with Covid, which tends to keep it slightly less crowded. The water is warmer than some of the other beaches in Mass and the sand is super soft. We love to go back in the evenings after the tide goes out to hunt for sea creatures. Last year we found tons of large snails, sand dollars, hermit crabs and cohogs. This year there were far fewer. Im not sure if its due to us going a week later in the year or if its an environmental issue. The beach could definitely use some extra cleaning as its carry in and carry out which some people don't respect. As some have mentioned the seagulls are incredibly aggressive. One even hopped into a lady's lap to steal her sandwich. The parking fee is hefty but its a town run beach so they can charge what they like

Small but nice beach. Hotel provided us with parking vouchers. Went on a Friday at 10:30 and the parking lot was already jam packed. A ton of moms with small kids around. Showers to rinse off and bathrooms were clean. Sand was extremely smooth under our feet

One of the nicest stretches of beach in Gloucester. Protected/shielded from harsh elements and lots of soft sand

Unlike many other Cape Ann beaches, Wingaersheek is made mostly of soft, white sand, with minimal rocky areas. The rocks you will find are massive, partially submerged, and meant to be climbed/sunbathed on. There are plenty of nice swimming areas and lots of space to spread out. Great views of boats motoring in and out of the Annisquam River.

We love this beachs so beautiful. You can experience 2 different beaches at low tide and high tide. We love going there!

Another gorgeous beach. A little rockier than Good Harbor Beach. Beautiful sunsets on this beach and once again amazingly clear water.

This beach is great for all ages and especially for younger children. The sand was so soft and even when it got inside your suit, which it always does, it was not bothersome. The parking is $20 but we went out of season so no one was on duty to collect. There are tidal pools and the area that goes into the ocean is a huge sand beach that slowly gets deeper. We will definitely be back!

I personally love this beach. It has lots of different sea creatures that makes kids wonder around. It has good sand. It has sto re es that sels food and icecream.
It has large parking lots that helps with parking in comparison with other beaches in the area.

On a hot August day, we thought it would be a perfect time to explore a different beach on the north shore. Just a short drive from 128, this beach is remote and nicely tucked into a secluded bay with rocks and homes surrounding the area. Upon first glance, it was crowded. We had some 70+ year olds with us, so we didn’t want to walk too far from the boardwalk (beach entrance). But as we explored further, we found the area to the right passed the large rocks was less crowded and provided more fun in the water as the tide came in. I recommend arriving after low tide to enjoy the tide pools and large beach, but be sure to stick around for a few hours as the tide comes in. The family had the most fun climbing on the large rocks and finding calf deep warm water to play in as the tide rose. We’ll definitely be back.

Overlooking the coast, with some beautiful villas and a lighthouse, Wingaersheek Beach is perfect for families since the water is warmer than at Crane beach and especially not deep until a long way in the water. There are two parking lots, a snack bar and a beach store. Bathrooms are also available. We arrived around 4 PM to enjoy the latter part of a beautiful day and did not have to pay for parking!