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- The Cape Ann dog beach calendar: every town, every date
The whole year
The Cape Ann dog beach calendar: every town, every date
Every town on and around Cape Ann writes its own dog beach rule, and none of them line up. This page puts them in one table and walks the year month by month, so you can see where a dog can be on the sand on any given date. Each beach has its own page with the detail; this is the overview, verified in fall 2026.
The calendar
Every town's dog beach dates in one table
The table lists what each town or landowner posted at the time of writing, fall 2026. Gloucester runs a season with a date split, Rockport a summer ban with a leash or voice control rule, Manchester-by-the-Sea the shortest season with a license requirement, Essex a three-month ban with no leash law, the Trustees a leash at Crane, and Beverly posted hours instead of a season.
Every row is only as current as the source behind it. Towns move dates, add fees, post storm closures and fence nesting areas, and the sign at the beach outranks any website, including this one. Use the table to plan the week and the town's page to confirm the day. Where we could not verify a beach-specific rule, the row says so and sends you to the town.
- Gloucester: October 1 to April 30, even dates Good Harbor, odd dates Wingaersheek
- Rockport: closed June 1 to September 15, leash or direct voice control otherwise
- Manchester: Singing Beach October 15 to April 14, licensed and vaccinated
- Essex: closed June, July, August; Crane: leashed October 1 to March 31
- Beverly: posted hours by season at Lynch Park and Dane Street
| Beach | Town | Dogs allowed | Conditions at the time of writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Harbor | Gloucester | October 1 to March 31 | Even-numbered dates only; closed from April 1 for piping plovers |
| Wingaersheek | Gloucester | October 1 to April 30 | Odd-numbered dates only |
| Plum Cove, Cressy | Gloucester | October 1 to April 30 | Off-season, no date rule |
| Niles, Pavilion | Gloucester | City ordinance | See the city's beach page |
| Long Beach | Gloucester and Rockport | Each half by its own town | Read both towns' pages and the sign |
| Front, Back, Cape Hedge, Pebble | Rockport | September 16 to May 31 | Closed June 1 to September 15; leash or direct voice control |
| Singing Beach | Manchester-by-the-Sea | October 15 to April 14 | Licensed and vaccinated; two dogs per person; walk-on fee while staff are on duty |
| Town beaches, Centennial Grove | Essex | September 1 to May 31 | Closed June, July and August; no leash law |
| Crane Beach | Ipswich (The Trustees) | October 1 to March 31 | Leash required |
| Lynch Park, Dane Street | Beverly | Posted hours by season | See Beverly Recreation |
Month by month
Where the sand is open, September to August
September opens the year. Essex beaches reopen on the 1st with no leash law, Rockport's on the 16th under leash or voice control, and Gloucester, Crane and Singing Beach stay closed until October. On October 1 Gloucester's beaches, Crane Beach and the odd and even rotation open, and on the 15th Singing Beach joins. From mid-October to the end of March every beach in the table is open, and a Gloucester dog can be on sand every day by alternating Good Harbor and Wingaersheek.
April thins the list. Good Harbor and Crane close on the 1st for the plover season; Singing Beach follows on the 15th. Wingaersheek carries Gloucester alone through April on odd dates, with Plum Cove and Cressy on any date. May belongs to Essex and Rockport, plus Beverly's hours. On June 1 Essex and Rockport close, and for June, July and August no Cape Ann town beach in the table takes a dog; Beverly's posted summer hours are the only sand within reach.
- 01
September 1: Essex reopens, no leash law
- 02
September 16: Rockport reopens, leash or direct voice control
- 03
October 1: Gloucester and Crane Beach open; even dates Good Harbor, odd dates Wingaersheek
- 04
October 15: Singing Beach opens, licensed and vaccinated, two dogs per person
- 05
April 1: Good Harbor and Crane close for the plover season; April 15: Singing Beach closes
- 06
May 1: Wingaersheek, Plum Cove and Cressy close; June 1: Essex and Rockport close
- 07
June, July, August: no Cape Ann town beach; Beverly's posted hours only
What the year asks of your dog
The odd-even habit, plover fencing, and a coat that meets salt eight months a year
The habit that makes the calendar work is the date check. Odd or even decides the Gloucester beach; the 1st and the 15th of certain months decide whether a town is open at all. Then the plover season: from April 1, fencing and closures for nesting birds appear on sand across the region, and a roped area is closed to dogs even on an open beach. Our piping plover page explains what the fencing means and why Good Harbor goes first.
Eight months of salt water and cold sand ask something of the coat and the feet. A dog that drinks from the surf is sick later, so fresh water goes in the car for every trip. Salt left in the coat dries the skin, sand between the toes rubs pads raw, and winter sidewalks add de-icer on the walk back. Rinse at the car, towel the belly, check the pads, and treat a bath as part of the beach day.
- Check the date before you drive: odd, even, and the 1st or 15th
- From April 1, treat any fencing as a closed beach
- Fresh water in the car for every trip
- Rinse, towel and check pads at the car, then a bath
How Dogtown fits
A year-round plan: daycare for the closed months, a bath for the open ones
Dogtown at 210 Eastern Ave is open Monday to Friday 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM, all year. In June, July and August, when the table is empty, daycare is the beach: a full day is $42, a half day $33, the full-day 10-pack $380 and the unlimited membership $700 a month, in playgroups of 7 to 10 dogs on the turf yard with pools. The Pup Van collects from Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way; elsewhere, ask us for pricing.
From September to May the fit is the bath and the odd-date gap. A bath-only groom is priced by size from $55 to $95 and needs no evaluation. On the dates your beach is closed, a daycare half day or an at-home walk of 20, 30 or 60 minutes at $25, $35 or $55 fills the gap; ask us whether we cover your address for walks. Daycare, stays and walks begin with a free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Each row in the table has a page of its own with the season it was verified and the source behind it; use this page to choose the beach and that page to check the rule.
At Dogtown
Twelve months, one plan
Daycare when the table is empty, a bath when it is full, and a walk or the Pup Van for the days in between.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is there any Cape Ann beach open to dogs in summer?
Which beach opens first in the fall?
How does the odd and even day rule work?
When does plover season close the beaches?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- City of Gloucester: beaches, detailed information
- Town of Rockport: regulations for public beaches and parks (PDF, rev. 2025)
- Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea: dog licenses
- The Trustees: guidelines for dog walkers
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Every date, every beach, one plan.
Book a free evaluation and the closed months on this calendar turn into daycare days, with the Pup Van across Cape Ann for $10 each way.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
