Long Sands Beach and Short Sands Beach, York, Maine
York Beach is a huge tourist destination so there is plenty to do here! There is a playground here that my in-laws love to bring the kids too. Parking is easy and there are a lot of swings and slides for the kids to enjoy. Then you take a quick walk downtown to grab some ice cream after the trip! We usually don’t go to York Beach during the summer and many of the stores aren’t open in the winter which is why I’m definitely not an expert on York Beach. Check out the town website on York Beach for more info.
Long Sands Beach
We love York Beach in the off season and at low tide of course! The beach is very walkable and is a long, flat, beautiful walk. There is a bathroom facility open in the summer that is in the middle of the beach. To the north of the bathrooms there is a little bit more beach, especially at high tide. South of the bathrooms is mostly rocks at high tide. As the tide comes in you might get pushed out, so make sure you check the tide schedule before heading here for the day! You can also see Nubble Lighthouse in the distance from the beach.
Parking at long sands beach
There’s some street parking for Long Sands beach that is easy to park at and walk down the stairs to the beach. During the summer months of May 15- October 15 you have to pay $2/hour to park and sometimes it can be hard to find a spot but. In the off season there’s an abundance of free parking! We went to Long Sands at 11:30 on a Tuesday morning last summer and the traffic was too much for me to handle! There was not one parking spot available and beach was so crowded! We drove north to Short Sands Beach in the hopes to find parking but there wasn’t any parking there either and I don’t have the time or patience in the car with 3 kids to try and find parking spots. There was a lot of crying and disappointment that morning so we ended up going on a car ride north to Two Lights State Park.
Check the tide schedule
Make sure you look up the tide schedule before heading to both Long Sands and Short Sands Beach. There’s hardly any beach at high tide! The beach is very limited at high tide but there is so much room to spread out at low tide. Low tide at Long Sands also has a lot of tide pools and rocks exposed for the kids. If you do set up for the day at either beach make sure you grab my favorite beach blanket! I’ve tried many beach blankets on wet low tide sand and they don’t hold up. They get very wet and heavy, but I’ve had this one from pottery barn for 6 years and recently bought the exact same one to freshen it up because I love it that much. It has just sold out, so check out my tips page for my other recommendations!
Short Sands Beach
Short Sands beach is a fun area to park your car and enjoy a full day (but make sure you get there early in the summer). There’s a playground for both smaller and bigger kids, which I love, right next to the beach parking lot. I also like the option at Short Sands to check out the shops and get lunch if the tide comes in and it gets too crowded. If you are walking around the shops be sure to check out my friend’s store, Beach Bum Threads. They have another location in Perkins Cove in Ogunquit as well and I got to be in a photoshoot for their fall line last year! Use my code, mymainebees, online for 15% off!
Playground at Ellis Park at Short Sands Beach
This playground is so nice! UPDATE as of May 2024, the playground is closed for construction. It looks like some of the big structures are staying, just some updates to the seesaw and smaller play areas!
The playground is really big with two different structures and swings and a see-saw. It is easy to get to since it is right next to the parking lot and beach. I also love that the whole playground has sand as a base instead of wood chips! Also the views of the ocean and beach are beautiful! There are bathroom facilities open in the summer in the parking lot next to the playground.
Parking at Short Sands beach
Right next to Short Sands Beach and playground is a large parking lot. There’s plenty of self pay stations for the summer months and it is $2/hour to pay to park. You have to pay from May 15th-October 15th 8am-10pm. I love going in the off season to put that money towards coffee and donuts! Check out more info for parking here.
Nubble Lighthouse
Nubble Lighthouse is a short drive from both Long Sands and Short Sands Beach, as it is right in the middle of both. So go check it out if you have time and check out my blog post on it! Below is the link.
