North Beach
North Beach, MD
The town of North Beach has a wide, sandy public beach right along the Chesapeake, with a boardwalk and fishing pier that make it one of the more developed small-town beaches on the Western Shore. It draws a mix of longtime Calvert County families and day-trippers up from DC, all working the same short stretch of sand.
A genuine small-town beach town feel with a real boardwalk, solid but not exceptional swimming, and non-resident fees that locals appreciate and visitors sometimes grumble about.
How we score beachesWalk the boardwalk at sunset even if you're done swimming for the day. It's the town's real social hour, busier than the beach itself by early evening.
Metered street parking lines the streets near the beach and boardwalk; a beach access fee applies to non-residents in season.
The beach sits right at the base of the boardwalk, flat and easy to reach from most nearby parking.
Chesapeake water in this stretch warms into the mid 70s by August, with the boardwalk busiest on summer weekend evenings. Shoulder season visits trade a few degrees of water temperature for a boardwalk to yourself.
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