Long Sands Beach

A timeless question is whether a spectacular sunrise on a beautiful beach or a spectacular sunset on a beautiful beach is better. The answer is both. Both are better. The weather on the first weekend in October was warm, cloudless, and with the light breeze, sublime. Our hotel, the Sea Latch Inn, was just a few steps from the sand. In fact, we had a fantastic view of the ocean from our 2nd-floor room. I recommend the place! As the sun set, the sky and sand filled with pastel colors, and the moon rose over the ocean. We held hands, walked on the sand, and listened to the waves softly lapping at the beach. At dawn, the sun rose over the water, and we walked again, sharing the sand with shorebirds, tiny crabs hiding among the rocks, a man practicing Tai Chi, and a broad, flat beach that invited an early morning walk before coffee on our hotel room balcony. It was idyllic, and we will be back.

This has been our family's favorite beach since 2007. We come up every fall and enjoy the area and this beach. I prefer the rocky section. My kids prefer the sandy beach. We all win with Long Sands. ❤️ Accessible. Easy parking (pay through the app).

Beautiful sandy beach. We went after Labor Day and there was no problem parking. I wouldn’t go during the summer months. Nice, clean bathhouse. Easy pay at Kiosks. Nice long range view of Nubble Lighthouse.

York Beach holds a really special place in our hearts and is easily my wife’s and my favorite beach. There’s just something about it that feels both relaxing and fun at the same time. The views are beautiful, the beach is clean, and it never feels overwhelming like some larger tourist spots. Get here early for parking! It fills up fast. Being close to town is a huge bonus too, with great food, ice cream, and little shops within walking distance. Every visit feels familiar, peaceful, and memorable. York Beach is a place we’ll always come back to.

We were visiting the area with our two nine year olds and this beach was recommended to us, and certainly didnt dissapoint. Parking could be difficult depending on time of year and time of day. We went early and arrived around 11am and were able to find parking. Its an app based meter system so you will have to spend a few minutes figuring it out. It wasn't outrageous cost wise, $9 or so for a few hours. Note if you going all day, there are all day parking lots that were advertised for $30 nearby which is clearly more bang for your buck. The nice thing about the street parking is that it's right along the beach, which made shuttling things very easy. The beach was pretty clean, no real trash to speak of, but they also dont have bins, so everything you bring, you take away. Mind the tide. When we arrived it was high tide so the was fairly close to the beach access stairs. When we left it was going out and I bet there was an additional football field worth of beach in front of us. If it was going the other way and you aren't paying attention you could lose stuff to the ocean. The water is frigid. The board at the lifeguard stand said it was 55 degrees. Sounds nice on a hot day, but the temperature swing is extreme when you go from the beach to the water. We still got it and swam, but be prepared. The beach wasn't real rocky, it consisted mostly of smooth gray and brown sand mixture, which made it easy on the feet. The waves were great for low key surfing or Boogie boarding. Certainly it was a great spot for our family.

Very nice clean beach right next to public road. Parking is free on the right side and it's right next to the road. Usually not as crowded as it's sister beach "Short Sands" so there's plenty of room to roam around.

Lovely, clean, and narrow beach that is a bit rocky, but ideal for walking and beach reading. We came in the Fall, so it was much less crowded than the summer months. There are free public restrooms here as well. Parking is available along the street. You need to use the ParkMobile app to pay for time.

York Beach… a nice sandy beach with water so cold only Canadiens and Polar bears would love it. Waters were clear and clean, nice beach for this region. Just makes me miss Santa Rosa Beach.

We live here, have the advantage being able to walk to the beach. The longer we lived here, the more I love this area. The waves are awesome, the amount of beach available during low tide is awesome for sports and games on the beach. High tide can be a bit tight and parking is tough, get here early.

Beautiful long strip of beach--if you can find parking. Limited hourly parking located on the street, but it disappears quickly. Lots of white sand, but also a lot of rocky areas to dig around in if that's your thing. View of the Nubble Lighthouse in the distance. Can get very crowded and because it's one long flat expanse there's no sense of privacy anywhere.

Is Long Sands Beach long and sandy? I don't know. The internet says it's supposedly two miles of "beautiful white sand and good surfing." You can also see Nubble Light in the background. Ahhh, Maine at its most idyllic. However: the beach is COMPLETELY non-existent at mid to high tide. Yes, there is a beautiful expanse of sand, but it gets swallowed up by the ocean as soon as the tide starts coming in. There's a sharp, dangerously rocky descent leading up from the sandy beach to enormous, and awkwardly wide-but-not-wide-enough, cement stairs (for lack of a better word). So, basically, loads of people just sit on these weird stairs all huddled together waiting for the sea to go back out. And if you try to go into the water during this high tide, everyone stops and stares at you. "Foolish," they think as you slip, slide, trip, and dislocate your toes trying to navigate the aforementioned and unseeable-during-high-ride, nearly 90 degree rocky descent. Oh, and the amount of bees and black flies is out of control. I have no idea why anyone would ever come here when there are so many better beaches... but have at it tourists. This local gal is gonna keep to her less crowded, less dangerous beaches (that actually have a beach).

One of my favorite things about Long Sands is that it's dog friendly in the early mornings and evenings during the summer months, my dogs LOVE walking the waters edge and meeting other dogs. Parking is atrocious in the summer unless you're there extremely early, but the beach is clean and it's got a nice view of the Nubble Lighthouse in the distance. The bathrooms have recently been remodeled, they're much nicer than Short Sands.

That Steff person who wrote the awful review needs to put down her pipe or whatever it is that she's been hitting. Long Sands is really nice. I've been to many different beaches in a variety of states and honestly overall I'd say this is one of the best I've been to in some categories. As a Long Islander, I'm excited when I'm at a beach where I can actually go in the water and not have to worry about being drowned (or at least dragged) by a rip tide or bitten by a shark, sadly those things actually DO happen pretty frequently every summer on Long Island. Every time I've been to Long Sands, the water is very calm and you can wade far out or swim without feeling like you're going to die any minute. It's not crowded compared to many other beaches I've been to. There's some lifeguards. A clean bathroom. Food service across the street. You do have to pay for parking, but no stupid beach passes required like they do in Jersey. The beach is clean, no trash. It's family friendly, not loud, I haven't seen any scumbags around. The sand isn't white and as beautiful as some places, but oh well. The sunsets and views are nice. It's not as hot as a lot of other places. Seems to be dog friendly, lots of dogs out playing. The tide goes in and out like, you know ... a BEACH. I grew up on an island surrounded by countless beaches and the crazy thing is that they all get bigger or smaller depending on the tide. This isn't a new phenomenon. That attention-seeking wino must have been digging deep for material. We laughed about it all weekend on our trip! The treacherous rocks and non-existent beach, GTFOH. Seriously. It's nice. Go.

Has capacity to be very crowded. A very popular area beach! But once there, you will zone out in your own little universe. The natural beauty & fresh air is mesmerizing. MANY restaurants & shops along the beach. GREAT experience.

Great beach had the hard wet sand great waves clean water had lots of fun only drawback to this beach is that at high tide u run out of real estate and end up on the rocks waiting for tide to go out a bit. If u can get past that which we did it's a great beach

The prettiest public beach in Southern Maine that hasn't lost its primeval or pristine landscape. Parking is a challenge, but sometimes the local residents will open their driveways for $10 for the day which is reasonable compared to filling the meters every couple of hours. Route 1 along the shoreline is bike friendly. Pack a lunch, this beach hasn't been littered with the common tawdry boardwalk you'll find in other areas - that will be just one of the many reasons you'll love it here.

Back in time. Worth a gander just for the houses alone! Beach street is lined with old beach "shacks" which have remained the same since they were built. Very cool. Not a bad beach either ;)

This beach will spoil you for all others. If you like having space to sprawl out, pretty Maine vistas to gaze upon, a clean restroom close enough, zero obnoxious beach party types, family-friendly, and great waves for body surfing -- Long Sands Beach is for you. I mean...errrrr....avoid at all costs because I don't want this secret to get out!

I love Long Sands. It's not congested and ideal for strolls on the beach or reading a book. Amazing for a public beach. Bring snacks and drinks- the restaurants are far away from this portion of the beach. If you are looking for a non crowded beach, this is it.

No beach at all. Just salty water. Very wet. Could not get my umbrella to stay still and my chairs kept floating away. Edit: the water seems to be moving away and the beach is underneath it. Sand is wet but firm. Umbrella planted firmly.

This is a great beach for families and singles alike. It seems to draw a more laid back set of families with calmer children that make single beach-goers like myself, not so worried about catching a frisbee or sand bucket to the head. The beach itself has great parking access, is extremely clean, and absolutely beautiful. The sand is nice, there is always plenty of space and is never cramped. The town is cute with plenty of tasty food places and ultra-fresh taffy shoppes. It is also a great place to bring food to picnic, if you need anything in the way of meat, The Meat House in York has amazing picnic foods, wines and beers as well as being super friendly and helpful with food and finding things in the area.

This is a wonderful, usually pristine, beach and we come here every year for our family vacation. This year it is very disappointing. There is a huge bloom of seaweed that gets pushed to shore with every tide. I can handle this: it is the ocean, after all. What is disappointing is that the town is making no effort to clean the seaweed off the beach in the mornings except for a very small slice of sand near the bath house, leaving the majority of this beach unusable. It's a shame, really. Many people are heading to Wells. Maybe they do a better job taking care of their beach.

This is a terrible beach. Too much sun, way to far to walk at low tide and no take out service. Stay home never come here. ;)sarcasm. I love this beach , its a great place for children because of the depth of water. There is not a vicious tide or wave. Its all enjoyable !

My favorite beach. Always clean and beautiful and lowtide is awsome for bikeriding. High tide is good for bumping into cute guys. Great spot for watching hot surfer, the next best place is Cali. Bring your kite! Great views of Boon Island and the Nubble light house!

I went to this beach with my wife and 3 kids and it was great. The beach is big, offers plenty of space to play games, swim, and relax. Everyone I encountered was very nice as well. There are plenty of food shops within walking distance which is a plus. The one negative I would say is the public bathroom situation could be improved. There is limited occupancy for such a big beach. Other than that I would highly recommend to go with your family...worth driving the extra time.

Great beach- waaaaay better experience found here than in other York areas- very clean, not commercialized, very safe and relaxing experience. Is a bit rocky in some areas so if it's high tide and way crowded, you might sit on rocks, so bring chairs for sure. Next to Wells Beach this is my 2nd favorite beach in Maine! Love it and can't wait to go back.

There is absolutely NO WHERE TO PARK! Only 1 lane to park & very costly. VERY CROWDED. Not enjoyable. Beach is wet, can not put a towel down, rocky. Long must mean how far you have to walk to get to the beach. I would not recommend this beach. Hope you dont have to go potty or change cause there is one bath house VERY FAR From parking. More stress than relaxation here. Dont go to Long Sands beach. Also usually too cool to swim.

This beach is okay, but I highly recommend checking the tides before you go. If you are there during high tide, you will get pushed back on to the rocks. The sand get completely covered. The sand itself is very nice, and the beach is definitely a nice beach. I went on a hot Sunday and there was plenty of metered parking right along the beach. Yeah it stinks going back to the car and stuffing quarters in the meter but it's way better than paying an ass load for parking like a lot of the beaches on the North Shore. There are a few places around to eat and there is a surf shop where you can get lessons. The water was cold but nice with not a lot of rocks or seaweed and the waves were pretty good. I would have given this beach five stars if it weren't for the high tide issue.

What a lovely antidote to any kind of stress. Sand on this long stretch is packed with deeper bands of sand close to the road. At dusk, there were lots of walkers and families. Kicking a soccer ball is easy on the hardpack close to the water, and little kids with buckets and shovels lingered in the deeper sand. Dogs are allowed here as long as they are on leash. On this particular evening, leashes were more likely draped over a dog owners' shoulders as the doggies romped in the water and with their doggie friends. A wide sidewalk that runs along the length of the beach at the roadside welcomes bikers and walkers alike. And, of course, the indigo of the cold Maine waters cannot be matched.

A nice long beach with few ammenities but good sand and nice water. If you are into sun and sand and are not looking for beach food or amusements this is the place.

Despite it being a very Long Beach, it is still extremely touristy and crowded. Very little free space to relax. A lot of noise. Also, during high tide there basically is no beach to lay down on, you instead have to sit on the rocks, which can be dangerous for children. Additionally, cars are parked all on the road next to the beach, so if you get a hotel "next to the beach" your view will be blocked off vehicles. Also, you have to pay 20 rallies for parking, and good luck finding any.

Great for the kids....little tidal pools for the kids and there Re little fishies in the tidal pools. Te kids love this! This is my first time at york beach, in fact vacationing in maine ever for that matter. I do want to say the seagulls are not nice to the fishies in the tidal pools cuz the got eaten and almost made the kids cry. Other than all that thisbeach is great and totally pay attention to the tides....low tide best otherwise you be on the rocks, literally.

Very nice and pretty beach, and quite clean. Parking is along the road, but is metered, so I generally don't stay for more than a few hours here. It's just not that kind of beach that says "welcome and stay all day", unless you're staying somewhere nearby. Do go visit the lighthouse nearby, called Nubble Lighthouse. I don't believe its open to the public, but one can walk all around it.

Long sands is a fantastic beach, just a stones throw away from short sands its less rockier and a lot less crowded, only downside is parking..which is street side and if you don't get there early you'll be frustrated.

Best beach!! Nice and clean and nice friendly families hanging out. In the morning before 8 am dogs can play off leash and it's great!!!

Brought our 2 dogs here for a few fun beach hours, this was their first time ever and we can't wait to go back. Everyone who has their dog there was friendly and had them under control. It was a great experience. The beach was very clean.

This is my favorite place to come, especially at night. It's peaceful, clean and relaxing. It's a great place to end a date or just get away to clear your mind.

Not my favorite beach it is always very crowded and filled with surfers and paddle boarders which makes it hard for kids to swim, also a bit rocky! I would much rather go to York harbor beach!