It is hard to imagine many places a dog is happier than at a beach. Whether
running around on the sand, jumping in the water, digging a hole or just lying in the sun, every dog deserves a day at the beach. But all too often dog owners stopping at a sandy stretch of beach are met with signs designed to make hearts - human and canine alike - droop: NO DOGS ON BEACH. Below is a quick traveling tour of America's beaches with each state ranked from the most dog-friendly (****) to the worst (*).
The rocky coast of Maine (***) is mesmerizing to look at but doesn't leave much
room for sandy beaches. Dogs are generally banned from the beaches at the many
small state parks along the Maine coast, but dog owners will find more friendly
sands on the town beaches. Around Portland, the state's biggest city, and the tourist
towns of the Southern Coast dogs are often allowed on the beach anytime Labor Day
to Memorial Day and in the mornings and evenings during the summer. The
spectacular Acadia National Park is one of America's most dog-friendly national
parks but does not allow dogs on its beaches.
It is lucky for dog lovers that New Hampshire (*) has only 18 miles of coastline. State
beaches and parks don't allow dogs on the sand at all. If you must stop in New
Hampshire, try the Grand Island Common in New Castle or Foss Beach in Rye during
the off-season from October to late May.
Around Boston, the beaches of the North Shore are off-limits to dogs during the
summer but other towns in Massachusetts (****) are more generous - dogs are
usually allowed year-round with restrictive hours in the summer. Cape Cod,
however, is the best destination for beach-loving dogs in New England. Cape Cod
National Seashore, America's first national seashore, allows dogs on the beach
anytime outside the swimming areas (and not on the trails). The curviture of the
Cape limits sightlines down the beach and gives the park the impression of being
comprised of a series of dune-backed private coves. The two tourist islands off
southern Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, are both extremely dog-
friendly - on Nantucket, dogs can even take the shuttle to the beach.
The beaches of Rhode Island (**) are kept dog-free during the summer but if you
take the ferry to Block Island, dogs can enjoy the black sand beaches throughout the
year. In Newport, you can take your dog on the fabled Cliff Walk (poop bags are
provided at the trailhead) through the backyards of America's rich and famous. The
hike begins at Bailey's Beach, which welcomes dogs from Labor Day to Memorial
Day.
The sandy beaches of Connecticut (*) are not known for being dog-friendly. But
many aren't that friendly to people either, with restricted access being common. If
your dog is hankering to try the benign waves of the Long Island Sound, stop in
Groton. Dogs are not allowed to experience America's most famous beach at
Coney Island in Brooklyn.
The further east you go out on Long Island the more dog-friendly New York (**)
becomes but whether on the north shore or south shore you can find a place to get
your dog to the sea. Dog owners must pass on the prime destinations at Jones
Beach and Fire Island National Seashore until reaching the Hamptons, where the tails
of surf-loving dogs will start wagging. Many towns in the Hamptons offer dog-
friendly sand and at Montauk, on the very tip of Long Island, several beaches allow
dogs year-round, including Gin Beach on the Block Island Sound. The wide, white-
sand beaches of the Jersey shore are some of America's most popular and there isn't
much space for a dog to squeeze into in the summertime.
Most of the beaches in New Jersey (***), including the Sandy Hook Unit of the
Gateway National Recreation Area, open to dogs in the off-season. Summertime
visitors should take their dogs to Island Beach State Park, one of the last
undeveloped stretches at the Jersey Shore. Pets are allowed on the non-recreational
beaches in this ten-mile oasis. Dogs will never get to trot down the historic wooden
planks of the Atlantic City boardwalk, however - no dogs are permitted on the
beach or boardwalk of the Grande Dame of America's seaside resorts. Dogs are also
not allowed anywhere in the Victorian village of Cape May but dog lovers can travel
south of town to Sunset Beach, a sand strip at the southernmost point of the Jersey
shore that is actually on the Delaware Bay. In the water offshore of "Dog Beach" are
the remains of the Atlantis, a unique concrete ship built to transport soldiers in
World War I.
Off-season, the sandy beaches in Delaware (****) are a paradise for dogs. Two state
parks, Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore, both welcome dogs between October
1 and May 1. During the summer season dogs can also share the beach with their
owners on select stretches of sand in Delaware state parks. In Cape Henlopen, the
80-foot high Great Dune is the highest sand pile on the Atlantic shore between
Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras. The concrete observation towers standing as silent
sentinels along Delaware beaches were built to bolster America's coastal defenses
during World War II. Summer vacationers can take dogs on the Dewey Beach town
beach in the mornings and evenings. Along the Delaware Bay just north of Cape
Henlopen you can find several beaches that offer frisky wave action and wide swaths
of sandy beach - and best of all there are no restrictions against dogs on the bay
beaches.