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First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod

Eastham, MA

41.821287° N, -70.003467° W

Where: Samoset Road, Eastham View Map

Water Type: Salt water

Type: Calm

  • wc

Good for: Skimboarding, Swimming, Tidepooling

About

A nice quiet family beach, First Encounter Beach, has warm water and like most bay beaches is very gentle. When the tide goes out, it is perfect for tide pooling and walking. An ice cream truck goes by the beach several times a day so bring some money to enjoy a cool treat on a hot day. There is a bathhouse and a large parking lot.

Reviews

40 rated reviews | 71 total reviews


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Jun 2023

10/5/2024

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


West Orange, NJ
4 reviews
Member since: Aug 2010

8/10/2024

We have been vacationing at the Cape for over 30 years and find First Encounter Beach to be the most relaxing beach in the area. It is easy to access, mostly quiet, allows long walks out into the bay when the tide is low, has beautiful sunsets, and is not as windy and turbulent as the ocean beaches in the area.


W Hartford, CT
2 reviews
Member since: May 2024

7/20/2024

The beach is great. The water temperature is perfect and there is plenty of parking. Remember, you'll need to purchase a weekly parking pass.


Poughkeepsie, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Sep 2021

7/7/2024

A wonderful place especially for little ones....high tide or low...the beach is a wonderful experience for all.


8 reviews
Member since: Aug 2018

8/27/2023

We love low tide at First Encounter, especially at sunset. You can walk out on the soft sand, explore the shallow pools, and take in the beauty. For people with limited mobility, it is easy to get from the parking area to a nice bench.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2020

8/12/2023

For our kids, nothing beat First Encounter Beach. The water is warmer and calmer than on the ocean side and the dramatic tidal shifts make it an ever-changing landscape to explore. The kids particularly loved swimming and looking for crabs in the tide pools. My wife and I loved the incredible sunsets over the water in the evening.


Newtown, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2022

8/12/2023

Very wide and easily accessible. Low tide is also awesome with amazing sunsets


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Nov 2022

7/29/2023

First Encounter was a complete dream. We floated at low tide on the lazy river. There's more room to spread out and explore than at Campground Beach but Campground although small was also beautiful and had perfect swimming.


Silver Spring, MD
2 reviews
Member since: Nov 2022

7/1/2023

There is no place in the world like First Encounter at low tide. Great for kids! So much to discover.


Princeton, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2023

6/24/2023

This on the bay side and is a large, clean beach. The waves are good size for children. My special time is towards the end of the day (after 3:00p).


Needham, MA
2 reviews
Member since: May 2023

9/3/2022

This cottage is close to First Encounter Beach, which is one of the best Bay beaches on the Cape. If you drive further up the beach road from the entrance you can find more private areas to sit and sun and along the path if you walk a little further there is a tidal river with a beach, which is especially fun to swim in.


8 reviews
Member since: Aug 2018

8/28/2022

We love to walk on the beach at low tide. Then, when the tide comes in, the water is nice and warm. And sunsets are spectacular.


Rochester, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Oct 2021

8/20/2022

Great beach for little kids. Calm water and lots of exploring at low tide.


Durham, NC
3 reviews
Member since: Mar 2015

8/7/2022

Wonderful beach for kids.
Walk way out at low tide, find moon snails, hermit crabs, minnows....
At higher tide, bring floats to the river at the far ?east? end and float into the bay.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Sep 2022

7/3/2022

Great at low tide for the kids to collect hermit crabs, skim board, dig in sand, etc. Get there before 9 and you don't have to pay!


Garrison, NY
4 reviews
Member since: Dec 2018

7/2/2022

Perfect bay beach for children


Washington, DC
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2022

6/18/2022

Unique bay beach, we enjoy the outlet area with its currents for free rides on floats.


W Hartford, CT
3 reviews
Member since: Jun 2022

6/18/2022

First Encounter Bay is a great place for smaller children. My grandson had fun looking for crabs!


Pennington, NJ
5 reviews
Member since: Dec 2007

6/11/2022

It is great at high tide for swimming. Great at low tide to build sandcastles, explore the tide pools, walk out the sandbars at low tide. A favorite!


Canton, MA
3 reviews
Member since: Jul 2021

9/25/2021

Off season, low tide, walking with our dog late afternoon. What could be more beautiful?


Syracuse, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Mar 2014

8/21/2021

Go at low tide so you can walk out and chase hermit crabs!!!


Ridgewood, NJ
2 reviews
Member since: Aug 2021

8/8/2021

Love low tide


Acra, NY
3 reviews
Member since: Sep 2020

7/16/2021

Easy access. Great sunsets.


United States
3 reviews
Member since: Oct 2018

6/26/2021

Walk, drive over, or bike to experience sunset with others. It's so beautiful.


Chestnut Hill, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2021

6/26/2021

empty and beautiful- still has dunes.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Aug 2020

6/13/2021

This is a great beach for families. The beach stretches on forever at low tide. Perfect for kids and dogs if you are their early in the season when they are allowed. For older kids, there is a tidy river where beach goers bring their floats and let the river take then on a ride with the tide. This is also a nice spot for seeing the sunset over the water


Caldwell, NJ
4 reviews
Member since: Feb 2007

6/13/2021

First Encounter is very close to this home [Vacation Rental 30825]. The best sunsets can be seen and appreciated at First Encounter.


Berkeley, CA
2 reviews
Member since: Nov 2020

10/8/2020

Beautiful long walks, low tide goes way out so fun to walk on the sandbars. Sunsets very day - breathtaking.


8 reviews
Member since: Aug 2018

9/5/2020

First Encounter offers easy parking, a flat walk to the beach, glorious, expansive tidal flats at low tide, and, in early Sept, warm, calm water for swimming at high tide. It was perfect for our group with a wide range of ages and physical abilities.


Southington, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Jun 2020

8/1/2020

Beautiful sunsets, long walk out at low tide.


3 reviews
Member since: Jan 2020

8/1/2020

This beach is a hidden gem. It’s quiet and safe and the river side has so much to explore. When the tide comes in, it’s a perfect lazy river


East Greenwich, RI
2 reviews
Member since: Aug 2020

7/25/2020

It's a great beach to walk the flats at low tide and play in the waves at high tide. (Also love Wiley park & beach for the little ones!)


Rocky Hill, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Nov 2019

7/11/2020

Pass by past the first parking lot to reach paroling near the tidal river.


Schenectady, NY
1 review
Member since: Aug 2020

7/7/2020

First Encounter in Eastham is OUR FAVORITE beach
Everyone is so nice & the tides go out where you can walk around and pick up seashells, dig for clams, build sandcastles, catch minoes, or when the tides in the water tends to be super warm and the waves feel amazing, not to mention the sunsets.... Breathtaking!!!! but nowhere near the property we stayed at.


Garrison, NY
4 reviews
Member since: Dec 2018

7/4/2020

Super family friendly. Awesome low tide to find crabs and clams. Awesome high tide to swim.


North Easton, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2020

7/4/2020

Great for young children. Beautiful tide pools and soft sand, not your typical New England Rocky Beach.


Little Falls, NJ
2 reviews
Member since: Jun 2020

6/22/2020

Nauset is favorite ocean beach but 1st encounter is very unique bay beach, $25 to park for day


Ashland, MA
4 reviews
Member since: Nov 2017

6/20/2020

This beach has lots of room, clean sand and lots of tide pools for the kids to play in at low tide. The tidal river is fun to swim in, and the water is warm; it can be hot sitting at the beach at low tide, though.


Torrington, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Jun 2014

8/10/2019

We LOVE First Encounter Beach as we had small children with us. They can play in the water without the large waves of the ocean beaches and walk way out when the tide is out.


Wayland, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Feb 2019

8/4/2019

We love this beach so much! It has something at all times for everybody. We love to go in the early morning during low tide when the kids can find hermit crabs and all other little shells and animals. You can see for miles where the water has receded. As the day goes on and the water fills in, it turns into a different beach. The water is still much warmer than the ocean beach and the waves are perfect for small kids. The kids can catch fish with their nets or use their boggie boards. It is a different beach low tide to high tide. Beautiful sunsets, parking right up to the sand, an ice cream truck AND a COFFEE truck.. what else is there is life (except maybe a tequila truck?)?!


Waterford, CT
4 reviews
Member since: Nov 2008

7/13/2019

We love First Encounter because there is always water to cool off in at the far end of the beach. It is also a blast to bring a tube and ride the tide as it goes out...similar to a lazy river. We also love Herring Pond.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2018

7/13/2019

We visited after 4:30-5 and got in free. Watched the sunsets. There is an inlet past the main parking area and to the left. Follow the pathway to a “river” as the tides go in and out. Warm water and hermit crabs! Daytimes we went to Coast Guard beach and loved that as well


Woburn, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2018

6/29/2019

Perfect spot for little ones. Tide pools abound during low tide.


Newtonville, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2019

6/15/2019

We discovered the First Encounter river adjacent to the beach. We floated in the river either with floats or just our bodies and the current carried us far down the river as the tide came in. Lovely experience


Chelmsford, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Sep 2019

6/1/2019

Loved the dazzling sunrises and sunsets sparkling off the water, and the wide expanses of rippled sand when the tide was out...fun exploring there!


8 reviews
Member since: Aug 2018

10/10/2018

First Encounter, just a few miles from this rental [Vacation Rental ID 29024], is a great beach to enjoy in early autumn. At low tide, you can walk way out. The tidal flat is sandy and comfortable to walk shoeless. You might find a moon snail with your toes! It is quiet and beautiful and not busy. Others in our group prefer the wilder ocean beaches: Coast Guard, Nauset, Ballston in Truro; there are many choices!


Bergenfield, NJ
1 review
Member since: Jun 2019

8/26/2018

Beautiful beach with calm water, perfect for small children.


United States
2 reviews
Member since: Apr 2018

8/19/2018

Amazingly warm water that is clear and smooth. Perfect for paddle boards with a great inlet for exploring! Plus lots of hermit crabs and green crabs for the kids to chase around all day.


Paxton, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Apr 2018

7/20/2018

Close to house [Vacation Rental ID 19439] and a good place for swimming and playing with all ages. Can kayak there too. And no sharks.


Farmingdale, NJ
2 reviews
Member since: Aug 2018

7/14/2018

It was a family beach perfect for our younger grandchildren. Low tide provided many sand bars for exploration and discovery. Plus there were restrooms right by the beach!


2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2018

7/1/2018

After Salt Beach, First Encounter is our favorite for the kids. Plenty to do during bith low and high tide. Plan to spend the day!


Middlebury, VT
2 reviews
Member since: Sep 2017

8/12/2017

Close to home [Eastham Vacation Rental ID 27009], within biking distance. Gentle, easy surf. Water is warm!


Windsor, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2017

7/23/2017

Love this beach and very close to this home [Eastham Vacation Rental ID 27188]. Perfect for young children, especially when tide going out. Beautiful sunsets!


2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2017

7/22/2017

Wonderful sunsets. Family friendly.


Derby, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2017

6/11/2017

We love First Encounter, especially at low tide. You can walk forever.


Storrs Mansfield, CT
3 reviews
Member since: Apr 2019

5/1/2017

You can walk for miles along the bottom of the Cape Cod Bay at low tide.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2014

8/28/2016

Best beach to walk the flats and watch the sunset


Northborough, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Aug 2017

8/13/2016

This is our favorite beach. It is the largest bay side beach we've found. It is great for kids to run and explore, and we love seeing the change in tide. You get the best of both worlds as the tide changes.


Schenectady, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Mar 2015

7/30/2016

this is a lovely beach for families - when it is low tide goes there is a wonderfully long and smooth area to play and stand and. never too crowded. nice sand.


Carmel, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Jan 2017

7/16/2016

We went at low tide at sunset and at sunrise. How fabulous to meet nature!


Burlington, CT
2 reviews
Member since: Dec 2016

7/10/2016

We love the bay and First Encounter goes on forever.


Clifton Park, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Jul 2019

6/18/2016

It was great for a young child with lots of nice shallow water and no waves. Also the water was warm in June there.


Acton, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Mar 2016

6/10/2016

We were able to walk [Vacation Rental ID 24508] to First Encounter beach and check out the Marsh on the way by. Beautiful spot!


Newton Center, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Sep 2015

8/22/2015

We went there 3 times during our trip. It was low tide in the late afternoon. You can walk miles out towards the ocean on the sandy beach. Plenty of little fishes, hermit crabs, regular crabs, spider crabs were trapped in the shallow water. My two children had great time catching the fishes. We were also lucky enough to find a live razor clam.


North Attleboro, MA
5 reviews
Member since: Jan 2009

7/12/2015

This is a child friendly beach with a shallow bottom. Also, this is where to go to view the sunset.


Boise, ID
2 reviews
Member since: Apr 2015

4/1/2015

Only about a half mile from the house [Vacation Rental ID 24508]. Quiet and secluded.


New York, NY
2 reviews
Member since: Jun 2014

8/8/2014

Great beach area and water temp for young children. Opportunities to see crabs and minnows as tide went out. Fascinating water as it went to low tide.


USA
2 reviews
Member since: May 2014

6/8/2014

Although we enjoyed the ocean at Nauset Light and Coast Guard beaches, our group particularly liked First Encounter Beach on the Bay side. At low tide, you can walk far out among the tide pools and watch the seagulls snatching fish and crabs. You can also see the tide come in and surround the beached boat near the shore.


Pleasantville, NY
2 reviews
Member since: May 2013

8/17/2013

Fantastic Beach for Children! My 4yr old would not go anywhere else! She loved it. High Tide - Low Tide, she just played and played! We found so many crabs and clams, etc. at low tide, such a great beach!


Westwood, MA
2 reviews
Member since: Apr 2013

7/13/2013

For kids under the age of 5, it's a fun place at low tide. My boys loved catching crabs, hermit crabs, and little fishes.


Schenectady, NY
2 reviews
Member since: May 2014

7/6/2013

This is a bay side beach that is just a 5 minute stroll from the Private Association Beach that came with our cottage. It was fun to watch the kids hang out with other kids, building sand structures and flying kites

First Encounter Beach Vacation Rentals

Eastham
ID 32798
2 BR
1 ½ bath
Sleeps 5
Bayside Summer Cottage, steps to beach
Bayside Summer Cottage, steps to beach
Distance to beach: Shared, association beach down a short path
9 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 30816
2 BR
1 bath
Sleeps 3
The Beach House - walk to First Encounter Beach!!
The Beach House - walk to First Encounter Beach!!
Distance to beach: 0.4 mile to First Encounter Beach
12 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 37590
2 BR
1 bath
Sleeps 4
Aunt Gay's – Charming Neighborhood, Walk to Private Beach
Aunt Gay's – Charming Neighborhood, Walk to Private Beach
Distance to beach: 500 ft to Private Beach;1/2 mi to First Encounter
5 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 34680
3 BR
2 baths
Sleeps 6
Designer remodeled home, walk to 2 bay beaches and pond. AC
Designer remodeled home, walk to 2 bay beaches and pond. AC
Distance to beach: 4/10 Cole Rd Beach and 0.4 mi to First Encounter Beach
16 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 34753
4 BR
2 baths
Sleeps 8
Marshside Home, Central AC Overlooking First Encounter Beach
Marshside Home, Central AC Overlooking First Encounter Beach
Distance to beach: 1/2 mi to First Encounter Beach and 1/2 mile Wiley Park
5 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 25573
3 BR
2 ½ baths
Sleeps 10
Eastham Escape - Walk to Cole Rd Bay Beach
Eastham Escape - Walk to Cole Rd Bay Beach
Distance to beach: 2/10 mile to Cole Rd Beach and 3.6 miles to Coastguard Beach
4 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 33790
2 BR
1 bath
Sleeps 5
Designer's cottage AC, SWHeated pool, short walk 3 beaches
Designer's cottage AC, SWHeated pool, short walk 3 beaches
Distance to beach: .5 miles to Cole Rd Beach and 0.4 mi to First Encounter Beach
35 reviews read reviews
Eastham
ID 37762
2 BR
2 baths
Sleeps 4
Oceanfront w/Private Beach & Amazing Sunsets
Oceanfront w/Private Beach & Amazing Sunsets
Distance to beach: On Cole Rd Beach and 1/2 mi to First Encounter Beach
Eastham
ID 35158
4 BR
2 ½ baths
Sleeps 8
Two Homes!! Chloe's Classic Cape and Georgia's Getaway
Two Homes!! Chloe's Classic Cape and Georgia's Getaway
Distance to beach: 7/10 mi to First Encounter Beach and 6/10 mi to Herring Brook

Location