crescent beach state park

Great beach with a beautiful view of offshore islands, woods and lobster boats. The beach is large enough to not be too crowded even at it's busiest time. There a picnic table and grills as well as a snack bar during the season.

A tried and true beach experience...well maintained...gorgeous sandy beach. Large parking area...small fee to enter. You can tell immediately that they work hard to keep this beautiful beach and its amenities in perfect condition. There are clean restrooms...A plus for any beach area. There are several pathways and areas with picnic tables...some with great shade for relief from the heat and sun. You can walk the soft sandy beach for what seems like miles...also a pretty path up a bit higher from the beach...fun to walk and full of nature and superior natural resources. If you walk to the end of the beach on one side, you arrive near Kettle Cove...if walking the other way, you will come to beautiful rock formations and several small coves...great for beach combing. There is a refreshment building and the food is pretty good and fairly priced...it is standard beachy summer food. But you can bring your own picnic lunch as well as soft drinks, water, and iced tea. Of course, the beach and ocean are the stars...A safe and beautiful environment...great for all ages. We like to go on weekdays a bit off season and walk for hours...an invigorating healthy hike with ocean views unparalleled.

very tidal need caution with young children. The great thing is there are lots small pools around they can swim in. Great bathrooms and changing areas. Clean beach . I only wish they did not charge to get into the parks. Put this on your list for summer of 2015. Enjoy!

CB State park has one of the finest beaches in the State -- Safe for everyone, incl small children. Bring a picnic lunch to spend the day watching lobster boats, sailboats and tanned bodies!

This was very disappointing and is in fact a very expensive car park at $12. We expected more than a car park with toilets and just a nice place to walk. Keep your money in your pocket and go to the many free seaside car parks in Maine that have nicer views, walks and picnic spots which are better than this one. Even the observation tower was closed! Try the Nubble Light for example.

I will start by saying that my girlfriend and I frequent this beach because it is only about 15 mins away. We like the beach itself,except there is quite a bit of seaweed! It is a nice long beach though,and it handles quite a crowd,especially lately. We like the fact it is clean,decent restrooms,and a snack bar! You usually can't go wrong with a State Park,and it follows here. We see people of all ages here,popular with families it seems. We enjoyed our summer here,every other weekend this year! Check it out!

We went to the beach on a whim, and the views were fantastic! We could see a town in the distance to one side and mountains on the other side. When we arrived, the mountains were covered in fog, so it was pretty cool to see! Unfortunately, we happened to go during the low tide, and without water shoes, getting to the water is difficult because the sand turns into rocks that go on for quite some distance. There was a fee for entering the park, but it was nice and clean, there was a snack bar, restrooms, and full showers, so I think it was worth it. Oh, and just as a side note, we went on Labor Day and there was still plenty of parking and plenty of room on the beach. If I lived in the area, I would be there quite often.

I have the benefit of having family that lives in Portland and they know all the best places. Kettle Cove is adjacent to Cresent Beach. It's a smaller beach in a small cove with it's own parking lot right there. Please keep your expectations realistic. I see many reviews here that "there is a lot of seaweed" or "the water is COLD." It's Maine!! What did you expect? Palms trees and 80 degree water? The sand is soft, the breeze keeps you cool even on a hot day, and the view is spectacular and picturesque with the lobster boats moored just outside the cove.

This was a nice beach adjacent to Inn by the Sea with a long quiet stretch perfect for a walk. At the end of July virtually no one was on the beach or at the state park, where there are some lovely secluded picnic table nestled in the woods just behind the sand.

Tons of parking, lots of sand, lifeguards, bathrooms, and inviting water on a cool day. This is a good State Park in Cape Elizabeth not too far from Portland. Scarborough Beach may be nicer and bigger, but there is more parking here and on a crowded day, that matters a lot. Plenty of room to walk from one end to the other and Kettle Cove is a nice place to explore as well as that's on one end of the beach.

We visited this beach and took a nice walk over the rock formations that look like lava rock. it was a cooler time and didn't go in the water but we got some nice pictures of the island and lighthouse in the distance.

Our visit to Crescent Beach State Park was lovely. It was conveniently located to Portland, and there are not a lot of sandy beaches in that area so it is a good place to know about. There is a day fee, but at most other public beaches your pay for parking anyways and there are some amenities. There is ample parking, adequate bathroom and changing rooms as well as a snack bar and lifeguards. Other reviewers have commented on the seaweed and there is a fair amount of it on the beach and yes the water is cold. Also, you are in Maine on the North Atlantic so expecting more temperate water is not realistic. My nephew enjoyed playing the water and the rest of us enjoyed listening to the waves and soaking in the sun! I would definitely go back in the future.

Cold ocean water, but lobster (working) boats anchored in the bay make great photography! Saw many kayakers enjoying the bay's calm waters. The shore did not have rocks, shells, or much of interest for beachcombing.

Located about 8 miles south of Portland, Crescent Beach State Park is one of several Maine state parks with a beach. Besides swimming and sunbathing, activities include sea kayaking, birding, fishing, picnicking, and walking on paths. The beach is a mile-long crescent. There are restrooms and a food service concession. The parking lot is large.It’s a pretty nice white sand beach, but seaweed can be an issue. And, being in Maine, the water can be cold. I think the best thing about this beach is that it is rarely crowded, unlike Old Orchard Beach and Wells Beach which are very popular with vacationers. 2014 DAILY USE FEES$4.50 - Adult Maine Resident$6.50 - Adult Non-Maine Resident$2.00 - Senior Non- Maine Resident $1.00 - Children ages 5 - 11 FREE - Senior Maine Residents age 65+FREE - Children under age 5Crescent Beach State Park continues into KETTLE COVE STATE PARK, one of MAINE’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS, which also has a beach. Kettle Cove State Park is so secret that it does not appear on the pick list of state parks at the website for Maine’s Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry that administers the state parks. It is listed only on the page for Daily Use Fees under the Maine State Park Passes, Fees & Rules category. It’s basically the same beach as Crescent Beach only it does not have amenities. During our visit there, we saw a fisherman drive a truck onto the beach. He and my party of three were the only people there. Crescent Beach State Park is very close to Two Lights State Park, Cape Elizabeth East Light and Cape Elizabeth West Light which are near the Lobster Shack at Two Lights at the end of Two Lights Road. See my reviews on these attractions. I recommend having a meal at the Lobster Shack after a day at the beach. Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park also in Cape Elizabeth is just minutes away. Spring Point Ledge Light, Fort Preble, Portland Harbor Museum, Portland Breakwater Light a/k/a Bug Light, Bug Light Park, and the Liberty Ship Memorial are clustered together within 1+ mile of each other in South Portland which is about 7 miles away. See my TripAdvisor reviews on all these attractions. And, from Bug Light Park, Portland's Old Port and downtown areas are only about another 15 minutes away.During our most-recent visit, we actually did it all on a full daytrip that lasted from morning until 7:00 PM with stops for lunch and a quick, light supper. But, we've been here several times before.Visiting all these places could become a three-day weekend trip for out-of-staters. If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.

The park is nice over all but, the beach was not the cleanest, lots of seaweed on shore and rolling in with the waves, virtually no shells, just rocks, some cool loking rocks, but just rocks! It has lots of picnic areas, decent bath houses and plenty of parking. Out of staters pay $6.50 per head. Oh, and the water was COLD!!! I would guess around 65 deg.