Salisbury Beach State Reservation

July 11, 2020 Sunny

Salisbury Beach on the north shore has one commercial section with a lively boardwalk, and a State Reservation section which preserves dunes for nesting seabirds. We visited both on a day after a tropical storm touched down on the east coast.

There is plenty of parking in the State Reservation. The bathrooms are clean, and there are showers and changing rooms (changing rooms are closed due to Covid-19). The facilities were clean. Further on, there is a sun deck with picnic tables overlooking the beach. No kiosks and no commercial establishments, so any food has to be brought in from outside the State Reservation.

The views from the sun deck are beautiful.

We went when the tide was high, and the beach was narrow. The sand was nice but not very fine. Water was chilly and waves were rough, due to the aftermath of the tropical storm. Locals told us that usually the waves were much gentler.

Only a handful of swimmers in the water as it was really cold. The beach dropped off steeply so it quickly got deep. It would not be a good place for little kids and families. However, the big waves made it more fun and exciting for our kids.

The Mounted Police headquarters are nearby, and we saw a patrol on the beach.

After spending some time in the water body surfing, the kids retreated to building sand castles, which worked very well as the sand was a bit coarse.

We also visited the commercial part of Salisbury Beach. There is an outdoor seating area with a stage and surrounded by businesses selling hot dogs, fried dough, fried seafood, and ice-cream places. We had dinner there and walked on the boardwalk.

The boardwalk is raised so there is a great view of the beach on one side, and bars and game arcades on the other side.

Overall, Salisbury Beach is a beautiful beach with a lot of entertainment and food choices. The water is cold in July. Perhaps it warms up later in the summer? It is a fun place for teenagers. The State Reservation portion is more peaceful and perfect for adults to sunbath, relax, and read.

• The beach is really beautiful and clean, but the water is a little chilly and it’s steep. Probably better for older kids and adults.
• Water is too cold, perhaps year round? Good place to relax.
• The waves were really big and the water was cold, but we (I) made a volcano.
• the waves at the beach were really huge, but we lost balance a few times.
• The waves had a riptide and it was cold but the fun part is we got to throw sand at seagulls till our dad said we can’t throw so we built a volcano.

For more information: Salisbury Beach State Reservation official site.