This is the first time I have written a post that I worry will make locals legit angry. I had seen some dreamy Instagram pictures of the Bass Hole boardwalk, so my daughter and I stopped by on our way home. We had been in the Yarmouth area for years and I had never even heard of it. I was pretty blown away by what I found. Let me tell you what makes Bass Hole so special.
1. The boardwalk
The boardwalk extends out over a marsh. When the tide is out, you can watch all of the little crabs scurrying around. When the tide is in, you are walking over water. No matter what time of day it is, it will be beautiful. Look out for the osprey nest with the mama tending to her chicks.
2. Sand bars
Grey’s Beach itself is a small crescent shaped beach with two lifeguards on duty. When the tide is out, the water lowers just enough to expose several sand bars allowing families to spread out and find their own private area for kids to dig and play. It is also a great area for kayaks and Sups as the receding water turns to river like passages.
There were signs warning of rip currents and even sharks when the tide comes in. Click here for a tide chart.
3. The picnic area & playground
Just as you enter Bass Hole, there is a shaded picnic area with a couple of grills. Groups should make reservations. There isn’t much to the playground, but it is a fun place for kids. There are benches strategically placed in shaded spots to cool off and a small field perfect for throwing a Frisbee.
4. Clean bathrooms
Right between the beach and the picnic area were nice clean bathrooms that were not port-a-potties. Maybe this girl is easy to please but I appreciated not having to hold my breath due to the stench and the running water to wash my hands.
5. Free parking
This might have blown my mind the most. The parking was free?! I was in such disbelief that I even went and asked the lifeguard. Most Cape beaches charge $20-30 for parking so this was pretty great, especially because we were really just coming for the boardwalk and didn’t plan to stay long. There was even an ice cream truck parked in the corner just waiting for us. I mean, could this place get any better???
I was there during the week after the 4th of July. It was a nice and sunny day and half the parking lot was empty. But, just a word of warning, I saw posted on the town Facebook page that they were going to start towing cars that were parked illegally. It sounded as if the parking lot was full, so people just started making their own parking spots by blocking people in etc. Don’t be that person. Don’t ruin a good thing for everyone. This place is perfection and we don’t want it to change.
So apologies to the locals for letting the cat out of the bag, but Bass Hole & Grey’s Beach might be Cape Cods best kept secret, especially for families.