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    Crane Beach - Ipswich

    4.1 (223 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Michelle C.

    Still my Favorite beach! Beautiful, clean, and picture perfect. So peaceful watching the boats, planes, and seagulls flying around with the seagrass swaying in the breeze. Day pass $40/after 4pm $25 - Handicap parking, beach wheelchairs, and an accessibility shuttle from the parking lot to beachfront are available. Request at the beach store - Crane beach store 9-5 - chair & umbrella rentals - bath house, outdoor shower, tables, bathrooms - Crane Snack Shack - matted walkway to the beach entrance by the bathhouse Parking changes: Beginning Thursday May 16th, 2024, passes are released at noon on Thursday for the upcoming Friday through Monday, and Monday at noon for the upcoming Tuesday through Thursday. Advanced passes are required for daily admission.

    Bridge to beach
    Arthur K.

    Crane's Beach is kind of a legendary place. It's a huge beach at the end of a rocky road in Ipswich. Parking is regulated and you need to have an electronic ticket to park. They have changing/rest rooms. There is a Shake Shack with a short but fun menu. Then there is the beach, which stretches widely in both directions. It's quite beautiful and serene. Recommended.

    Enxhi B.

    This was a very pretty beach. The sand was so nice and soft, it was actually nice to walk on. The water was ice cold lol. It was really nice and peaceful though. Would definitely recommend. Parking is overpriced though and you even have to book parking ahead which is silly.

    Bea T.

    This is still the best beach in New England!!! Clean, soft sands, and I am delighted to be part of the trustees of the reservation to access such a beach and Other spectacular places in New England that are preserved! I swear you are in another world when you come here and it may be a little pricey to get in so encourage you to join the membership! they have different levels so check out which one they have on their websiteb display is clean, clean clean and beautiful!

    Krista R.

    Beautiful. Very peaceful. I bet it gets busy in the summer. I've been to many beaches, but Crane beach's bathroom is one of the cleanest beach bathrooms I've ever been in. Had about 10 stalls to change your clothes. Plenty of parking. Very well maintained.

    Horseshoe crab shell
    Emma J.

    Best beach on NS! Of course you have to sort out paying during the summer season and reserving spot online but it's def worth it (or free for trustees members.) The sand dune hiking path is amazing and you can get a really decent workout in since you're trekking through sand and small hills. If you start the trail towards the left (closer to the beach) you can take a few side trails off of that if you get tired of the trail and don't want to do a complete loop. The beach is plenty spacious and fairly long. You can find sand dollars, hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs and so much more at low tide! The bathrooms are nice too and the food shack looks good (never tried it.) definitely come here for a beach day!

    Karina G.

    The most beautiful beach I have visited in the states. The sunset is to die for. The water is not aggressive and very much enjoyable. The sand felt great. Not too many shells like in Martha's Vineyard - shells at the Martha felt like they were going to slash my feet lol Anyway, make sure you get your parking pass days before if possible to ensure your entrance. We loved our visit so much we wanted to go back the following day but it was at capacity.

    Interesting way to keep track of the environmental changes
    Ellen K.

    $10 admission per vehicle for non-members. A great area to be active as the dunes do put some effort on your muscles. Even on a windy day, the views were great and picturesque. Plenty of parking was available, but only one bathroom was open so a line did accumulate among the few people who were in the area on a Thursday afternoon. We walked around a part of the Green Trail (1.7mi) but other longer and shorter trails are available.

    Alyssa F.

    Heaven on earth!!! Crane beach is my happy place, especially after Labor Day when the crowds die down and the beach becomes even more peaceful. This beach is pristine, with no trash at all and clean facilities. They even have a food kiosk if you're feeling hungry on the beach. Things to note: first, check their Twitter feed to seed if the green heads (annoying biting flies) are out and the state of the parking lot. They're really good about updating their Twitter. I would recommend avoiding the beach during peak green head season, it's just not pleasurable. For the busiest weekends in the summer, the parking lot does fill up and they won't allow any more cars into the beach. If you check Twitter ahead of time, you'll be all set. Second, guard your belongings from the precocious seagulls. They're BOLD here. If you leave your towel for a walk down the beach, they will go through your belongings and steal your food. I recommend bringing bags that zip! This really is a great beach. You can't go wrong with a trip to Crane!!

    Sophia F.

    Super expensive parking but if you can come with friends it is so so worth it! Tip- they drop the tickets every Thursday which is nice that it doesn't sell out in may for the summer! This beach is super clean and super beautiful, the water was not filled with seaweed and was just delightful to be in (of course it was cold). There's also tide pools on one end and you can see two currents clashing together it's pretty cool. Definitely recommend this place! Also their bathrooms are so nice - like spa nice considering it's a beach - though be warned it's not sewage like with a flush, basically just a pit.

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    2 years ago

    A beautiful beach and dunes. Knowledgeable Guides. The crane mansion is impressive from the outside (not open in the winter)

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    Crane Beach - Ipswich Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Crane Beach - Ipswich

    Does the online day pass reservation include the cost of parking, or would I be buying the pass and also paying to park?

    It includes the cost of parking.

    Hello! I'd like to meet a friend who has a pass to the beach at the entrance. Can I safely park my car outside the ticket gate to the beach? Please let me know. Thanks so much!!

    Hi Iris, there is no public parking outside the beach gate, and the Ipswich Police Department do ticket violators. Every vehicle entering the beach needs a Timed Entry Pass, and drop-offs are not allowed. This and other FAQs are here:… Read more

    Will Cranes beach still honor the trustees GoPass I acquired from my local library?

    Hi Chrissy! Because we don't have an easy way for the passes to be redeemed with our new online ticketing platform yet, we aren't accepting GoPasses this year for discounted Crane Beach entry. However, they can be used for free entry at Castle Hill… Read more

    When will The Trustees be able to respond to emails?

    Hi Maura, With so much demand for the great outdoors, our membership, ticketing, and general emails have experienced unprecedented volume for several months. The good news is that staff are responding to emails every day, and we are making progress… Read more

    Heading there tomorrow. How are the greenheads this week?

    It's been a gentle year for greenheads, and the season is on its way out. With the breeze, you shouldn't have much or any problem. Enjoy your visit!

    Can somebody please help me with directions Revere?

    Take Rt. 1 to I-95/Rt 128 North. Stay on Rt 128 (DO NOT FOLLOW I-95 towards New Hampshire!) From 128 North, take Exit 20A, follow Rt. 1A north for 8 mi. to Ipswich. Turn right onto Rt. 133 East and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn left onto Northgate Rd. and… Read more

    Is it open to public during this time?

    Hi there - we are not open to the public at present. Please check our website or our social media accounts - we'll post there as soon as we have a plan/date to open. Thank you!

    I am aware the beach closes half an hour after sunset. Is there a reduced or waived fee if you arrive late, say, after 5:00 in the evening?

    There is not. The price is what it is.

    If you arrive as late as 11 am, is there still plenty of parking?

    Check their twitter account. They give parking updates on there. I arrived at 10:45am this morning and the parking lot was full - they were directing people away from the beach at an intersection 3 miles away.

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    Review Highlights - Crane Beach - Ipswich

    Walk the beach towards the mouth of the Ipswich River and then loop through the Crane estate for a once in a lifetime experience.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Coffin's Beach

    Coffin's Beach

    4.2(5 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    I love this beach and it is my favorite beach in New England. The beach is impeccably clean…read morebecause most of it is maintained by private beach associations. The sand is beautifully fine and soft, unlike many of the rocky beaches in New England. I have passed out a great number of times in this sand with a hangover... nothing feels better when working off a night of drinks. Leave your boogie board at home, because there are no waves at this beach. It is wonderful to walk this beach. It is about a mile and a half from end to end. At low tide you can walk over to Wingaersheek beach and head out on the sand bar. Just be sure to make it back relatively quick since the tide comes in fast. The water doesn't get deep fast. In fact at low tide you have to walk very far out to get over your waist. This is really good for small children, but it can get annoying for grown ups who just want to cool off and not walk a half mile to get deep enough. There is also no undertow at all and this is also great to keep kids from getting swept out to sea. The beach is not crowded at all since the people that come are mainly residents and vacationers and there is no public parking. What you lack in eye candy is made up by not having to listen to other people's pain in the ass kids. If you do have some brats nearby, there is tons of room to move your stuff to. There are no concession stands, public parking, public access or lifeguards, but there is peace, beauty and quiet. The only warning is that like other beaches beside salt marches, the beach gets green head flies from the first full moon in July until the first full moon in August. For some reason between those two full moons... these huge vampire flies infest the Gloucester and Ipswich beaches. If you forget your bug spray, you might as well leave... they suck that much and they can ruin a trip for the unprepared. They are the most painful bitches that will have even the most reserved cursing like Ralphie in the Christmas Story... they are relentless just like horseflies but the bite is more painful.

    Coffin's beach is almost 2 miles of white fine powder sand - surrounded by beautiful white sand…read moredunes. It is a very flat beach and when the tide goes out the beach is well over 500 feet deep and it exposes a large multi acre submerged rock (called Bald Rocks) where kids and adults alike can explore and find lobster, crabs, star fish, sea urchins, sea clams, horseshoe crabs. The beach is so vast and expansive you can literally sit 100 yards away from the next person if you so choose. Parking is an issue - but you can park at the next door public beach Wingaersheek and walk over the rocks that separate the private beach from the smaller public beach. At low tide you can walk in the sand. Sand bars allow you to walk out 100's of yards at low tide and be in only waist deep water. This beach is very kid friendly as there is no real current and no rip tide. Access in and out are limited so that a child who isn't being watched has little opportunity to leave the vicinity. Overall I would say this is the best beach I have had the opportunity to visit and it's a hidden treasure as few people other then the local residents use this natural wonder. Another thing to see is the 1000's of sand dollars which are easy to find at low tide - especially in the sprint and early summer before the tourists and summer residents collect them! Just be sure not to take the black ones as they are still alive!

    Crane Beach - Ipswich - beaches - Updated May 2026

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