First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod

We loved visiting First Encounter Beach — it was great at low tide for kids to explore the tidal pools and find marine life and shells. At high tide, it was a safe environment to wade and swim.

Kid friendly tide goes way out and creates a huge beach. Public bathroom and water station. Good walking beach.

First Encounter beach is a beautiful bay beach and especially good for children as they can actually play in the water. Any of the national seashore beaches are beautiful.

Sunset at First Encounter cannot be beat!

Good swimming at high tide; long walks on the beach at low tide; parking available; and gorgeous sunsets.

Plenty of space for a big family to be together and not feel on top of others! Perfect for paddleboarding! The only thing is how hot the sand gets, would be great for the dune paths to have a runner to protect your feet when come and go carrying all your stuff.

Insane sunsets - you can walk for miles at low tide and high tide doesn't go overhead. Parking is $30 daily until 4. Beach does get crowded, but you'll find a spot.

We love being able to walk out half a mile into the bay at low tide, and to swim in the waves at high tide.

Easy parking and walking distance for bay side water

We went there because it was so close to our rental and saw beautiful Sunsets as well as the Northern Lights