Point Lookout State Park Beach
Scotland, MD
Point Lookout is Maryland's only true beachfront state park, sitting right at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay, on ground that once held a Civil War prisoner-of-war camp. The beach wraps both sides of a causeway out toward the point, giving swimmers a choice between river-calm water and the open Bay depending on the wind.
A genuinely unique setting where two bodies of water meet, backed by real history, though there's no lifeguard so it's swim at your own risk the whole season.
How we score beachesPick your side of the causeway based on the wind that day. One side is nearly always calmer than the other.
A lot near the beach and picnic area, open 7am to sunset May through September and 8am to sunset the rest of the year.
A paved causeway leads out to the point, with the beach accessible on both sides; showers and restrooms are on site, but there are no lifeguards.
Leashed dogs are welcome elsewhere in the park but not on the beach or in the picnic area from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Water warms into the mid 70s by August, brackish where the river meets the Bay. The Civil War history and lighthouse draw visitors well past swim season into the fall.
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