How to Get to North Beach & Monomoy: Chatham’s Boat-to-Beach Shuttle Guide
Ask any Chatham local where to spend a perfect beach day and you’ll hear the same answer: the outer beach. North Beach and the sands around the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge are the Cape at its wildest — miles of open Atlantic beach, no crowds, no parking lots, water on both sides. There’s just one catch: you can’t drive there. Here’s how to do it right.
Why the outer beach is worth it
Chatham’s barrier beaches sit between the harbor and the open Atlantic. Because they’re reachable only by boat, they never get the towel-to-towel crowds of the drive-up beaches. What you get instead: room to spread out, sandbars and warm tidal pools for kids, surfcasting without an audience, seals cruising the break, and some of the best shelling on Cape Cod. It feels like your own private island — because for the day, it basically is.
How to get there: the boat-to-beach shuttle
Our boat-to-beach shuttle runs all day from Outermost Harbor Marine, dropping you on the outer beach in minutes and picking you up at the time you choose. No boat license, no navigating the ever-shifting Chatham bars (leave that to captains who run them every day), no dragging coolers down a long access trail — the boat brings you basically to your towel.
You pick a departure time and a pickup time when you book, park at the marina, and go. It’s the closest thing Chatham has to a beach teleporter.
What to bring
- Everything you’ll want for the day — there are no snack bars, restrooms, or rentals on the outer beach. That’s the point.
- More water than you think, plus shade if you have little ones — an umbrella or pop-up makes the day.
- Sunscreen, and then more sunscreen. The reflection off open water and white sand is no joke.
- A trash bag. Everything you carry on, you carry off — this is protected shoreline and we all keep it pristine.
- Sturdy footwear for hot sand and a light layer for the boat ride home.
Timing your day
Morning drop-offs get the calmest water and the coolest sand; afternoon pickups let you stay through the best of the day. If you’re hoping to explore sandbars and tidal pools, check the tide chart and plan around low tide, when the flats open up and the shallow pools warm quickly — kid heaven.
Safety notes from our captains
- The outer beach faces the open Atlantic — swim on the harbor side or in the shallows if you’re with kids, and respect the surf.
- Seals are a constant, wonderful presence. Give them space on the sand and in the water — they’re protected, and it’s their beach too.
- Keep an eye on your pickup time and be at the drop point a few minutes early. The bars shift and our captains time the runs around them.
Make a full day of it
Plenty of families pair a morning seal cruise with an afternoon on the beach — the boats leave from the same dock, and the combo makes for about as complete a Cape Cod day as we can imagine.
Book your beach day
Reserve your shuttle times online — summer days fill up, especially around holidays. Questions, big groups, or want us to add seats to a run? Call the marina at (508) 945-2030. We can often add extra trips on busy days.
Quick answers
Can you drive to North Beach in Chatham? No — the outer barrier beach is reachable only by boat. The shuttle from Outermost Harbor Marine is the easy way over.
Are there bathrooms or food on the outer beach? No facilities — pack in everything you need and pack out your trash.
How long is the boat ride? Just minutes — the marina sits right inside Chatham Harbor, closer to the outer beach than any parking lot.
Is it good for kids? Wonderful — especially the harbor-side shallows and low-tide pools. Bring shade and water.