Head of the Meadow, Cape Cod

Beautiful view of sand dunes and sunset, not too much of a hike (no steep stairs to carry beach stuff up/down), not usually very crowded, life guarded, ocean waves for boogie boarding, soft flat sand at lower tide for skim boarding. No frills- no food available, has water refill station, outside rinse showers, rustic bathroom & change area on National Seashore side.

Endless stretches of white sand, dunes and waves. Who could ask for more?

We parked on the far end of the lot and walked over the dunes to our spot on this beach, rather than entering at the main entrance. Hiking over the sand dune is a workout but worth it! Definitely less crowded on that side of the beach. The waves were great for boogie boarding too a couple of the days we were there. Also has bathrooms which is a plus.

Literally less than 5 minutes away [Truro Vacation Rental ID 15035]. Ocean beach huge waves due to storms out in the sea.

It's wide and well-guarded, with adequate parking in both the town and the NPS lots (and there are showers at the NPS lot, although closed this year). And on the bay side, nothing beats the sunset at Corn Hill. Also, be sure to check out the bike path at High Head and hike out to see the seals.

Love this beach because of the daily sandbar created with the tide for everyone to splash in. Also, the seals after a 1-2 mile hike to the left, are a bucket item for everyone to see. The water is crystal clear.

Head of Meadow is our favorite beach. Due to the nice sandbars, the waves are gentle and there aren’t many rocks. And for whatever reason, Head of Meadows is always a bit warmer than the other National Seashore beaches

The town beach side has flatter access to the beach. This is a gorgeous natural beach with cliffs in the back. We got to see seals, tons of bait fish balls and even a whale right from shore!

Get the town beach sticker if you can. It is much easier to get up and down to the beach and less crowded on that side.

Take a 20 minute walk NORTH and see HUNDREDS of seals just chilling on the sand bar in their natural habitat. Breathtaking.

There is a huge tidal pond at this beach, which makes it especially good for families with kids.

The picturesqe beauty of the grasses, dunes, expansive beach area and the waves with both the wind and sun was exquisite!

It always changes year after year, plenty of room and bathrooms are new
Tip would be to go early to pick a spot

Beautiful beach. Not overly crowded and right around the corner!! [Truro Vacation Rental ID 15035]

no words, just have to experience it

So beautiful and clean. A good-sized parking lot and well-staffed with lifeguards. No concessions - bring food and drink. Abuts a new bike trail great for walking as well.

We just, this year, discovered this GEM of an ocean side beach! To this point, I had been a BAY (Campground Beach) fan - because our kids were small and experiences at Nauset Light, Nauset and Coastguard were COLD water, ROCKY bottom, CROWDS, and difficult parking. Head of the Meadow is simply BEAUTIFUL - wide open, plentiful parking, easy access to beach, fine white sand, shallow water with tide pools at low tide and the water temp is tolerable! Great boogie boarding too. There's some small rocks at the water's edge but once you get beyond them, you're fine. A new favorite for sure.

At Head of the Meadow enjoy the soft sand between your toes as you enjoy walking the beach and taking in the views of the Atlantic and Dunes.
Easy access from the parking lot and very clean.
If you are visiting for the week and plan on going to the beach often, I recommend getting a weekly beach pass.

This is a favorite beach of many years and much less crowded in June. Just beautiful, but beware of seals since sharks are often after them. Of course the bayside is also lovely.

The beach is somewhat secluded. We have been vacationing for years at Cape Cod and only discovered it this year. It is not advertised as other beaches are. It is only 30 minutes from Orleans.The sand is wide and so long. You can walk for miles and have the whole beach to yourself. There are numerous sand bars and the seals come in close to the beach and sometimes sun themselves on the sandbars. There are pools within the sandbars for safe swimming/wading for children. New washrooms & change rooms were installed in 2018. The best beach on the Cape. Well worth the drive.

Great beach - immense stretch of sand and easy to get to. Can walk for miles in either direction. You might find some seals nearby. Go after 4:00 and go to the Residents Only side and walk directly on the beach.

Our favorite beach. Not too crowded, beautiful long beach with great tidal pools at low tide. Clean facilities and plenty of parking.

The ocean and tide pool are perfect for big and little swimmers.

This beach was great and because my friend is a military dependent, it was free. :) Nice shoreline along with a tidal pool for the young children to play in. Attentive lifeguards and a nice, clean beach.

Beautiful clean and sandy beach.
Great place for little kids and lots of fun the boogie boarders.

We love this beach because it has the most amazing sandbar and great waves. The calm and shallow water in front of the sandbar provides hours of fun for toddler while the waves entertain the older kids and parents! There are lifeguards both on the beach and the sandbar.

Head of Meadow of the Meadow in Truro and Herring Cove in P Town are our two favorites. You can’t beat HotM for beauty. HC parking, on the right, is the most convenient in the Cape if you get there early enough to get it.

The beach is gorgeous with large dunes and beautiful views. The seals were hanging out in the sand bar and pools.

Bring binoculars and a pack to stay awhile. Park on the far end and walk down the path and up over the dune, you won't be disappointed.

Never saw so many seals on the sand bar, day after day.

The light at Head of the Meadow beach is really beautiful, especially towards the late afternoon.

Not too crowded and no big rocks at the edge of the water. Sandbar and tons on seals !

We've been going to this beach for some 25 years - it's always changing and has that old Cape feeling even though the recent sandbars and small pools of water attract more families than in previous decades. We stay on the National Seashore side but take our stuff down on the mobi-mat at the Town side of the beach. There is also a hot dog and taco truck there and an ice cream dude that comes around twice a day. Rare on the ocean side of the Cape.

Great tide pools for the younger kids, as well as decent waves for older kids looking to boogie board!

Head of the meadow beach in Truro is where the seals come to rest! Our very favorite! Great surf! Very peaceful. Not crowded.

Always easy to get parking, beautiful dunes, young families and a steady stream of seals swimming by.

Scenic beach with beautiful dunes. Get there early for parking.

We had the ability to park in both the National Parks lot and the Town lot which was awesome because we had guests with National Park passes and guests with a Town pass!

Beach great for kids - awesome surf! everyone enjoyed the taco food truck and ice cream man too. a must go!

The various tides offer great dunes and safe areas for smaller children.
Best of both worlds: Waves for surfers and boogie boards and at low tide a water basin protected by a sand bar.
Get Cape Cod National Seashore Season Pass ($60): Unlimited parking access to Coast Guard, Marconi and Nauset Light (to name a few0.
At National Parks get campfire pass for evening beach fire (only 3 available per beach per day)- no cost. Go early in the morning b/t 7:30-8am. Offices opens at 9am.

Beautiful, natural, less people

It's a little bit of a drive, but you can always get into the parking lot, which is often a problem at Nauset Light. Also, Nauset Light was quite rocky this year, whereas Head of the Meadow is sandier.

We love all of the National Seashore beaches, but this was our favorite this year. No rocks, perfect fine sand and not crowded at all!

The best of all beaches after 9 years of returning to the Outer Cape. It has consistenly been the best for the surf, the sand bar, skim-boarding, the sandcastles and the respectful crowd.

Head of the Meadow is the perfect beach for us. It combines the surf you expect at the National Seashore with the calmer tide pools and sand bars that develop as the tide goes out. With 2 boys (11 and 13), this means that we don't have to have an eagle eye on them like we would at a beach like Marconi. The lifeguards are totally on the ball and attentive as well. Lastly, the taco truck that parks on the Truro town beach side is delicious.

This beach is our favorite beach on the Cape. The untouched beauty of the seashore is breathtaking! We enjoy early mornings there with our breakfast and coffee while the kids run and explore!

Any of the Cape Cod National Seashore Beaches are beautiful, but this one is my favorite with its sand bars and dunes and lovely views.

The beach is clean with a nice surf on most days to body surf. If you are lucky you may see seals cruising by. Like most beaches you may need to bring along some fly spray.

I saw dunes, and hills with waves and calms. I found sea glass...I live in Florida with some of the highest rated beaches and this by far was the most picturesque.

Beautiful beach. Great dunes and sandbar.

We went to the National Seashore side and the far north side of the parking lot with the path through the dunes to the unguarded area. We had the beach to ourselves most days compared to the large crowd just 1/4 mile away at the Truro side of Head of the Meadow. There were no rocks, large tidal pools to play in and lots of seals to watch. The unguarded beaches are dog friendly as well.

Beautiful sandy beach and the Truro area had a matted walkway. We were able to get a fire permit and really enjoyed having a fire at the beach, watching the seals playing off the shore and there was a nice sandbar when the tide was out.

We loved the seals at low tide at Head of the Meadow beach and the Province Lands bike trial is awesome.

Visited Head of the Meadow for the 1st time this year. During low tide there is a shallow strip of water between beach and sand bar that appears, making it perfect for families with little ones.

We loved the low tides and sandbars. Great waves. Bike path right there as well.