Crescent Beach State Park

I spent many a relaxing afternoon at Crescent Beach this summer, enjoying the natural beauty of Maine and wishing I could stay here forever. This is my go-​to beach when I’m staying in Portland and after careful consideration, here’s my pro/​con list.
Pros:
–Huge parking lot
–Beautiful views
–Nice, soft sand
–Lots of picnic tables
–Snack bar with surprisingly good food (try the fries or the soft-​serve!)
–Random swing set
Cons:
–On nice days, it can get crowded
–The part of the beach near the entrance is Kelp City
–Will make you want to move to Maine and live here forever!
As you can see, the pros clearly outweigh the cons, so I suggest coming here before it gets cold again!

One of our favorite Maine beaches. Excellent parking at a reasonable rate. Nice bath houses (cold showers with curtains, toilets, sinks) and a Snack bar with limited hours. If playground groups and group homes are visiting the beach, the snack bar lines are long. A couple picnic tables located near the snack bar. Decent food selection for a beach (burgers, hot dogs, fruit, candy,
Chips, beverages). If eating your food on the beach, keep your eyes open for sea gulls who would like to steal your food. Using a tote bag or Cooler is recommended or hold your food. You can always find a spot on the sand. Fun for walking or jogging if the tide is on the lower side. With proper footwear, the rocks at one end can be climbed. Some pretty rocks and shells can be found for collecting. The water can be a tad bit cold as with many Maine beaches but your body will adjust.

Every southern Maine resident knows about Crescent. It hasn’t really changed since I first recall coming here when I was about 4. (I’m 31 as of next month.) They have facilities for both male and female. I don’t think they have non gender areas for changing, but in my experience, places like this let you go where you feel and present yourself as needing to be. (Tho as a non-​transgendered person, I admit I’m not speaking first hand here.)
Coolers are allowed, but a snack bar/​shop still remains by the changing area. Parking is not overly ample, but it can get very crowded very quick in summer. (Read as July and the first week of August.)
There is a charge for non Maine residents tho. Which irks me a bit, since I no longer technically qualify, but it goes toward park maintenance and restoration, so I let it go as a minor annoyance.
It used to a real trip to get there from where we lived, but it’s now a stone throw from my folks house, so we go when we can.

Nice beach, but if you’re from California, it may not seem particularly special. Exorbitant entrance fee – we paid $ 19 for one day ($ 6.50 per person), though it’s less if you’re under 12 or 65 & older. Wouldn’t return because of the fee.

Nice little public beach with tide pools. Lots of rocks and seaweed but I have been spoiled by the Caribbean beaches. They have a snack bar if you did not bring your own cooler of food and beverage. Nice facilities.

I have lived in Maine for a little over 7 months now and I am really glad I found this beach! There isn’t much scenery and clean beaches from my neck of the woods, but Crescent Beach is quite the contrary.
For starters, you’ll pay an entrance fee of $ 4.50 per person if you’re a Maine resident, $ 6.50 if you’re not, and a whopping $ 2.00 for the elderly! Move to Maine so you’ll pay less… just an option :) Park passes are available at
.
There is ample parking which is great because you’re not forking out $ 15.00 or more for that.
This gorgeous beach has a lot to offer. From the hot sand between your toes as you walk around, to the beautiful scenery as you tan or people watch, to the the rock climbing to the right of where you are and, the blast of cold water as you take a plunge… it’ll be a fun day! You’ll definitely like tanning at this beach on a hot day, but don’t forget the sunscreen and aloe like I did! Like I said, I’ve only been in Maine for not too long and this is the first beach that I fell in love with.

Another great find thanks to Unilocal reviews. This beautiful and quiet beach was the perfect spot to relax during our trip to Maine. Parking lot is HUGE and it wasn’t crowded which is what I love! I’m anxious to go back to relax there and enjoy the beautiful ocean views away from the crowds!

This beach and state park have it all! Great for kiddos, bathrooms on site, lots of parking (not long trek to the beach with all your gear) AND a snack shack! It’s all right there! Crescent Beach is beautiful and laid back and you only have to pay a small entrance fee.

Beautiful, beautiful, Crescent Beach.
There’s a full concession stand, clean changing rooms and bathrooms, vigilant life guards, and of course the gorgeous beach!
The beach is roughly a mile long and in the shape of a, ready for it… crescent! There’s boulders on one end great for kiddies to climb on, and the other end just sort of tapers off into the water. The sand is lovely. Nice and fine. There are somewhat rockier sections, but it’s New England after all. There’s also some seaweed on the sand, but the maintenance crew does a good job of keeping it under control.
In addition to the beach, there are some great walking trails to explore. The drive in from the entrance is also quite nice, cutting through a patch of forest, with thick woods on either side of you.
The only question I have about Crescent Beach is how it’s not more crowded. Sure, it gets busy during the peak summer days, but my wife, toddler, and I went there over a dozen times this summer, and not once did we struggle to find a parking spot or a nice patch of real estate one the sand.
My family and I built some wonderful memories there this year, and as Summer draws to a close, I’m already feeling nostalgic about them. I can’t wait to make some more next Summer.

We may have timed our visit to Crescent Beach perfectly: 4pm on a Friday, after spending some time earlier in the day at Old Orchard Beach. Crescent beach was just what we were looking for: quiet, scenic, no crowds, white sand. The entrance fee is worth it. We will definitely come back if we find ourselves in the area again.

Nice beach only 15 – 20 min from downtown Portland. There may be an entrance fee but their system was down when we arrived so we didn’t have to pay. There’s lifeguards, plenty of parking and restrooms w. showers to rinse off. Great for a daytime getaway if you’re visiting Portland and it’s close to Two Lights State Park.

A gem of a beach. Never crowded, nice changing rooms and showers, plenty of picnic sites with charcoal grills. Windy, but with great views. Highly recommended.

One of the more low-​key beaches in this part of Maine with ample parking, a snack shack, and lots of space.
The beach is rather rocky by the water (as in, there are lots of stones), so I don’t know how anyone gets into the water.
Nonetheless, it was a non-​pretentious beach with lots of repeat beachers.