Nahant Beach

Nahant Beach is a DCR ocean beach at 1 Nahant Road in Nahant, part of the Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation. From May 23 to October 12, DCR charges $10 a day to park for Massachusetts plates and $40 for other plates, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In 2026 lifeguards were on duty every day from June 13 to September 7, and dogs are not allowed on the beach from April 1 to September 15. Breakheart Reservation's free freshwater beach at Pearce Lake is the inland alternative a short drive away.

Where It Is

DCR's address for the reservation is 1 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01908. DCR invites visitors to take a dip in the Atlantic along Long Beach, and lists the reservation as open year-round, with summer as the time to visit and escape the heat. DCR marks it transit friendly and wheelchair accessible. The reservation continues along the Lynn shore, where DCR's swim table also lists Lynn Beach and Kings Beach.

Parking at Nahant Beach

From DCR's page:

• Fee season: May 23 to October 12, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Massachusetts plates: $10 a day.
• Other plates: $40 a day.
• Resident status is decided by the vehicle's license plate.
• Pay by mobile with the YODEL app.
• A DCR annual parking pass or lifetime senior pass (Massachusetts residents) covers the fee.
• Street parking is available along Lynn Shore Drive.

Outside the fee season and hours, DCR lists no daily charge. Compare Breakheart, where DCR charges nothing at either lot all year.

Lifeguards and Swimming (2026)

DCR's table of guarded beaches for 2026 lists:

• Nahant Beach: opened May 23; lifeguards on weekends and holidays May 23 to June 12; full coverage seven days a week, 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., from June 13; coverage ended and the swim area closed September 7.
• Lynn Beach and Kings Beach, Lynn Shore Reservation: opened May 23, unguarded, closed September 7.

DCR notes the schedule can change with staffing.

Facilities

DCR lists athletic fields, a bandstand, boat ramps, a first aid station, a picnic area, restrooms, a scenic viewing area, showers, a playground and a visitor center. Activities include swimming, tennis, baseball and softball, soccer, running and walking, biking, motorized and non-motorized boating, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, hiking and educational programs.

Accessibility

• Accessible causeway, picnicking and restrooms.
• Accessible parking and curb cuts at access points 2, 7, 8, 9, 14 and 16.
• Beach mat, seasonally.
• Beach wheelchairs at the Carbone Lifeguard Station at access point 7, seasonally.

Rules

• No alcohol.
• No littering.
• No dogs or other pets on the beach from April 1 to September 15, except service animals.

The reservation is open sunrise to sunset.

Lynn Beach and Kings Beach

The same DCR reservation runs along the Lynn shoreline. DCR's 2026 table lists Lynn Beach and Kings Beach as designated swimming areas without lifeguards, open May 23 to September 7. Searches for "lynn beach" and "kings beach lynn" usually mean this stretch of DCR shoreline. For lifeguards, Nahant Beach is the guarded beach in the reservation.

A Note on "Short Beach"

DCR's swim table has a "Short Beach," but it is in Revere and Winthrop, part of DCR's Winthrop Shores Reservation, not in Nahant. Nahant has a beach locally called Short Beach as well; DCR's Nahant page does not cover it, so check the Town of Nahant before you go there.

Nahant Beach or Breakheart?

• Nahant Beach: ocean swimming, showers and boat ramps, with a parking fee in season and no dogs on the sand in summer.
• Pearce Lake at Breakheart: a freshwater lake beach with lifeguards in season, free parking, a playground and forest around it; no showers listed by DCR.

For another big DCR ocean beach, see Revere Beach; for more nearby places, see things to do in Saugus.

Before You Go

Call DCR at (781) 595-0063 for conditions, and check DCR Park Alerts for closures. Bring a YODEL account set up on your phone if you plan to pay by app.