EASTHAM – Coast Guard Beach has once again made Dr. Beach’s list of Top 10 Beaches in the county for 2017.
Dr. Stephen Leatherman placed the Eastham beach at number 6 on this year’s list down one spot from 2016. Coast Guard Beach also made the list in 2015 at number 7.
“What an idyllic spot it is and quite a history to it going back to Champlain’s 1605 map of the area,” Leatherman said. “It’s certainly my favorite beach in the northeast and a spectacular beach to visit.”
Leatherman says Coast Guard Beach made the list for its clean sand and water, along with its width and accessibility.
The water in the summer at the beach reaches only about 60-70 degrees.
“It’s a little chilly this time of year and I don’t go in this time of year, but in the middle of the summer the water gets warm enough to go for a quick dip,” Leatherman said. “Fortunately, the seals and the sharks stay mostly down at Monomoy Island.”
Leatherman said you can walk all the way down to the end of the beach to the inlet or go north along the glacial cliffs.
“There’s a lot of wide expanse there and the best way to get there is by bicycle,” he said.
The beach is also accessible by shuttle bus from the Salt Pond Visitor’s Center and the sand has been described as fairly coarse so that the beach slopes steeply into the water.
The old Coast Guard station sits atop the glacial bluffs, allowing for a view down upon the Nauset Spit barrier system and bay.
Three Florida beaches made the list, including Siesta beach in Sarasota at number 1. Hawaii and the Carolinas both had 2 in the top 10.
The only other beach to make the list from the northeast was Cooper’s Beach in Southampton, New York.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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