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Beach Wheelchairs at Cape Cod Beaches: Where You'll Find Them

Wondering which Cape Cod beaches have sand and surf beach wheelchairs for you to use at no cost?

If you've been searching for this information, you've probably discovered that it's not easy to find online.

So, I’ve done the research for you — checking lots of resources and speaking with local officials, lifeguards, and beach attendants to gather all the details.

Where to Find Beach Wheelchairs
in Each Cape Cod Town

Here's a town-by-town list of beaches on Cape Cod with all-terrain and/or floating wheelchairs:

Barnstable-Hyannis

• Sandy Neck/Bodfish - Sandy Neck Beach Road, West Barnstable; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers, snack bar;(508) 362-8300
  
  
• Craigville Beach - 997 Craigville Beach Road, Centerville; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, snack bar across the street; (508) 790-9888
  
  
• Veterans Beach - 480 Ocean Street, Hyannis; lifeguarded, accessible restrooms, showers, picnic area, grills, playground for the kids; (508) 790-9885
  
  
• Keyes/Sea Street Beach - 175 Ocean Avenue, Hyannis; lifeguarded, restrooms, shower, picnic area, grills; (508) 790-9886
  
  
• Kalmus Beach - 670 Ocean Street, Hyannis; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers, snack bar, picnic area; (508) 790-9884
  

• Covell's Beach - 857 Craigville Beach Road, Centerville;  lifeguarded, restrooms, shower; (508) 790-9887 (resident parking only)
  
  
• Dowses Beach - 348 East Bay Road, Osterville; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers; (508) 420-2403 (resident parking only)
  
  
• Hamblin's Pond (fresh water) - 415 Route 149, Marstons Mills; restrooms; (508) 420-1862 (resident parking only)
  
  
• Lake Wequaquet (fresh water) - Shootflying Hill Road, Centerville; restrooms; (508) 362-5953 (resident parking only)

Wheelchairs available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the number listed above with any questions.

Bourne

• Monument Beach - 22 Emmons Road, Bourne; lifeguarded, restrooms, concession stand

A Mobi-Chair is on location at the Monument Beach lifeguard house between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm, July 1st-August 11th (dates subject to change)

Before July 1st and after August 11th, Monument Beach patrons can request to borrow the Mobi-Chair by visiting the Harbormaster Shack at the end of the dock or by calling the marina at (508) 759-3105.

Brewster

• Breakwater Beach - Breakwater Road, Brewster; restrooms 
  
  
• Paine's Creek Beach - Paines Creek Road, Brewster; restrooms
  
  
• First Light Beach (residents only) - Mittens Road, Brewster
  
  
• Long Pond (fresh water) - Crowell's Bog Road, Brewster

For Mobi-Chair use at Breakwater Beach, First Light Beach or Paines Creek, call (508) 896-4546 (weekdays) and (508) 240-4946 (weekends).

For Mobi-Chair use at Long Pond, see the lifeguard on duty.

Chatham

• Harding's Beach - 385 Hardings Beach Road, Chatham; lifeguards, restrooms/bathhouse, snackmobiles
  
  
• Oyster Pond Beach (salt water pond) - 80 Stage Harbor Road, Chatham; restrooms, picnic area
  

Beach wheelchairs available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Chatham Recreation & Beach Department at (508) 945-5175 with any questions.

Dennis

• Corporation Beach - 250 Corporation Road, Dennis; lifeguarded, restrooms, rinse-off tower, concession stand; motorized beach wheelchair may also be available here
  
  
• Mayflower Beach - Dunes Road, Dennis; lifeguarded, restrooms, rinse-off tower, concession stand
  
  
• West Dennis Beach - West Dennis Beach Road, Dennis; lifeguarded, restrooms, rinse-off tower, concession stand
  

To reserve a beach wheelchair at Corporation or Mayflower, call (508) 385-1558. To reserve at West Dennis, call (508) 760-6240. With general questions, contact Dennis Beach Department at (508) 760-6162.

Eastham

This beach is managed by the National Parks Service:

• Coast Guard Beach - 2 Ocean View Drive, Eastham; lifeguarded; rest rooms, changing rooms, rinse-off-stations

Contact Cape Cod National Seashore at (508) 255-3421 or (508) 487-1256 with any questions.

These beaches are managed by the town of Eastham:

• First Encounter Beach - Samoset Road, Eastham; restrooms
  
  
• Campground Beach - Campground Road, Eastham; restrooms
  
  
• Cooks Brook Beach - Steele Road, Eastham; restrooms; rinse-off facility
  
  
• Wiley Park (fresh water) - off Herring Brook Road, Eastham; lifeguarded; restrooms
  

Beach wheelchairs available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Eastham Beach Department at (508) 240-5974 with any questions.

Falmouth

• Bristol Beach - 76 Menauhant Road, East Falmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station
  
  
• Chapoquoit Beach - 104 Chapoquoit Road, West Falmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station 
  
  
• Falmouth Heights Beach - 261 Grand Avenue, Falmouth;  lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station 
  
  
• Megansett Beach - 230 County Road, North Falmouth;  lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station 
  
  
• Menauhant Beach - 663 Menauhant Road, East Falmouth;  lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill statione
  
  
• Old Silver Beach - 296 Quaker Road, North Falmouth;  lifeguarded, restrooms, changing facilities, water refill station 
  
  
• Stoney/MBL Beach - 38 Gosnold Road, Woods Hole;  lifeguarded, restrooms 
  
  
• Surf Drive Beach - 56 Surf Drive, Falmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms, changing facilities, water refill station 
  
  
• Wood Neck Beach - 33 Woodneck Road, Sippewissett; lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station 
  
  
• Grew's Pond (fresh water) - 416 Pumping Station Road, Goodwill Park, Falmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms, water refill station

Beach wheelchairs must be reserved by calling (508) 548-8623 at least one day in advance. They are available for delivery to all 10 Town beaches from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Availability will be adjusted due to staffing changes beginning in mid-August.

Harwich

• Bank Street Beach - 16 Bank Street, Harwich Port; lifeguarded, restrooms
  
  
• Earle Road Beach - 30 Earle Road, West Harwich; lifeguarded, restrooms 
  
  
• Pleasant Road Beach - Pleasant Road, West Harwich; lifeguarded, restrooms 
  
  
• Red River Beach - Uncle Venies Road, Harwich; lifeguarded, restrooms 
  
  
• Long Pond (fresh water) - Long Pond Road, Harwich; lifeguarded, restrooms 
  

See gate guards or lifeguards to request wheelchair use. Contact Harwich Recreation Department at (508) 430-7553 with any questions.

Mashpee

• South Cape Beach State Park - 668 Great Oak Road, Mashpee; restrooms
  

Contact the office at (508) 457-0495 to reserve in advance.

Orleans

• Nauset Beach - 250 Beach Road, Orleans; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers

Wheelchair available on a first-some, first-served basis. Contact Orleans Natural Resources/Beach Dept. at (508) 240-3790 with any questions.

Provincetown

• Herring Cove - Province Lands Road, Provincetown; lifeguarded, restrooms, showers, changing rooms

Wheelchair available on a first-come, first-served basis. Ask a park lifeguard staff member when you arrive. Contact Cape Cod National Seashore at (508) 771-2144 with any questions.

Sandwich

This is a Massachusetts State Park beach:

• Scusset Beach State Reservation - at the end of Scusset Beach Road, Sandwich (on the "mainland" side of the Cape Cod Canal); lifeguarded, accessible restrooms, showers, playground for the kids

Wheelchair available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call (508) 888-0859 with any questions.

For town-managed beaches in Sandwich:

Beach wheelchairs may be signed out from the Sandwich Recreation Department.

Call the Rec. Department at (508) 888-4361 for information about where the town's beach wheelchair may be used and how to reserve it.

Truro

• Corn Hill Beach -  Corn Hill Road, Truro; portable restroom is the only service/amenity here
  
  
• Head of the Meadow Beach - Head of the Meadow Road, Truro; lifeguarded, restroom 
  

Wheelchairs available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Truro Beach Office at (508) 487-6983 with any questions.

Wellfleet

• Gull Pond (fresh water) - Gull Pond Road, Wellfleet; lifeguarded, restroom
  

Contact Wellfleet Beach Department at (508) 349-9818 with any questions.

Yarmouth

• Smugglers (Bass River) Beach - South Shore Drive, South Yarmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms/bathhouse, accessible fishing deck
  
  
• Seagull Beach - Seagull Road, West Yarmouth; lifeguarded, restrooms/bathhouse

To use a beach wheelchair at Smugglers or Seagull, see the gate attendant when you arrive at the beach.

For more information, or to use a chair at another town of Yarmouth beach, contact the Recreation Department at (508) 398-2231 ext. 1520, or stop by the Department's office at 424 Route 28 in Yarmouth, Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

More About Beach Wheelchair Use

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Availability

Beach wheelchairs are generally available daily during the summer months, typically from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when lifeguards are on duty.

However, each town, the state, and the Cape Cod National Seashore set their own schedules. And availability can change from day to day due to staffing issues, weather conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.

So it’s always a good idea to check ahead to confirm if a wheelchair will be available at your chosen beach on the day you plan to visit.

Reservations

Some towns allow (or may require) you to make a reservation to  use their beach wheelchair. If so, try to reserve as far in advance as possible.

Fees

As I mentioned earlier, there’s no charge to use the wheelchairs. However, you might be asked to sign a waiver of liability and provide an ID/credit card as security for the timely return of the chair in good condition.

Chair Type

Most beach wheelchairs are manually operated. As far as I know, Corporation Beach in Dennis is the only location on the Cape with a motorized beach wheelchair.

Assistance

A staff member will show you how to use the chair.

But for users who aren't able to independently transfer in and out of the chair and operate it safely on his/her own, a capable adult must accompany the wheelchair user at all times, both in and out of the water.

*On a personal note: I’ve heard some very concerning stories from local lifeguards about people leaving a friend or family member alone in a floating Mobi-Chair in the water.

Unexpected conditions like boat wakes, wind gusts, or leaning can cause the chair to tip. So please, please, please ... stay with the user and keep him/her safe!

Parking Fees

During normal beach hours, most of the beaches listed above have paid parking. 

The only exceptions I know of are: 

• Scusset Beach State Reservation in Sandwich and South Cape Beach State Park in Mashpee. Parking fees are waived for anyone with a disability license plate or placard, a Purple Heart recipient license plate, or a disabled veteran license plate.
  
  
• Coast Guard Beach in Eastham and Herring Cove in Provincetown. Parking is free for holders of U.S. National Parks Passes including the Access Pass — a free, lifetime pass available to U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents who have been medically determined to have a permanent disability.

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