Scarborough Beach State Park — Attraction in Scarborough

The beach itself is 5 star fantastic, but the parking/entryway is in desperate need of an overhaul

Let's start positive, the beach. As you approach youre greeted by awesome little food kiosks (smoothies, coffee, snacks, fries, fried dough) and a small rental shop (boogie boards, chairs, umbrellas, etc) as well as a bathroom & changing area complete with fresh water spigots for rinsing sand away. The bathrooms are... "rustic", but they do the job.

The beach itself is quite large & even on the busiest days leaves ample room if you're willing/able to walk a bit down either side. Waves can be pretty good by New England standards, with surfers often enjoying them. The beach is mostly fine sand but has areas with tons of extremely cool rocks (be forewarned, you're not allowed to take any as souvenirs!)

Now the not-so-positive... the entrance bottlenecks traffic into a single lane where the slowest moving humans on earth inform each driver that its cash only, which causes a massive delay in a world where most folks are looking to swipe & go. They have an atm outside that people will literally leave their car (w the line stretching behind then) to withdraw the necessary funds. The longest we waited in line was about 45 minutes

There also seems to be no system/method for tracking the occupancy/vacancy of parking spots... we've been directed to the overflow lot across the street which doubles the long walk only to find numerous open spots available much closer (but they'll still charge you the same amount, regardless how far you have to trudge)

Overall its an amazing beach & well worth checking out... just be prepared for a possibly frustrating entry, a potentially LONG walk depending how (un)lucky you are with parking, & for the love of GOD bring cash...

Today on May 15th 2024 I attempted to enter the state park I was stopped at the shack by the worker there. He saw dog in my car and immediately told me no dogs allowed. Told him that my dog is a medical service animal and that he is an extension of me My dog carries medical supplies and medical documentation and contact information . He told me the manager does not allow dogs at the park. He continued to ask me for documentation to which I replied, you cannot ask me that. People with service animals do not carry documentation around with them. The only thing that you can ask is what does the dog provide. He Continued to tell me how to handle my dog. I will be talking to the ADA regarding this state park. Unbelievable. Deny me entry because I rely on an animal for my medical condition....

They need bathrooms. The outhouses stink. In the heat, they are disgusting. The beach needed a good combing. The teenaged lifeguards seem to spend a good part of the day tooling around on SeaDoos or jet skis. I guess it's good because if they need to use it to rescue someone, they should know how it will handle in all kinds of conditions. They can't know if they don't experience all kinds of conditions. I might just be jealous of them, too. Seems like a whole lot more fun than what I'm paid to do. Even the outhouse, all the crispy seaweed in and on the sand, and a bit of jealousy didn't ruin our perfect beach day. One of the best places for a soul-calming day of fun...