Charlestown Breachway

I’m hesitant to write this review as the Breachway is hands down my favorite beach in the state (on the «mainland,» anyway). A gorgeous stretch of public beach that isn’t overcrowded or densely populated with families and teens, the Breachway is a true escape from the headache of the normal state beach scene in the middle of the summer.
Here’s the reason — the lot is so small that it can only accommodate a maximum of 75 cars, if that. You have to get there before 9am or after 4pm if you want to get a spot. Even then there are times that you will be turned away and that makes it even better; the ratio of sand to beach goer is perfect, you can bet on a minimum of 10′ between you and the next group.
There’s obviously more to this beach than just the limited parking and uncrowded sand. The water here is unlike any other beach within a 20 mile radius. A brilliant blue-​ish green, you have to see it to believe it. And when you do, take in the silhouette of Block Island, just a few miles across that ocean blue.

One of the best beaches in RI! Parking can be difficult on a busy day, but well worth the effort.

This is a beach/​campground combo as many others have stated. I arrived near sunset and many saltwater fisherman were arriving to walk out to the breakwater so if you like fishing at the beach then this place is for you! A strong tide was running around the breakwater so plan your sinker weights accordingly.
As far as a beach it was nice but not WOW for me. The beach is clean. It has quite a slope and drop-​off when entering the water, so maybe not for people with small kids. You can see many cottages in the background and the parking lots is very busy with all the RVS. I think Second Beach, Napatree Point, etc are all nicer.

Sand
campers
and
breaches
The Charlestown Breachway Beach is a lovely and interesting place. The beach was officially opened in 1951 but also has a RV campground that holds up to 75 campers and a cool breachway that was opened in 1958 that connects Ninigret pond to the open ocean.
The area has great salt water fishing, and a little boat ramp to launch small craft from. Of course you can also get ocean access on other parts of Ninigret Pond and go through the Breach. The breach is a whole lot of fun in a kayak because at times the currents can hit 6 knots and when the tide and wind are opposite some huge standing waves that can literally break over your head might develop. Probably a good idea to know what you are doing in a yak if you mess around the breach.
The beach is very pleasant and usually has pretty strong waves with occasional real ripping wave action. Fun to play in but can be a bit much for little kids and older people.
The one big negative is the lack of parking. The few parking lots in the area get filled up pretty quickly and if you want to use this beach or breach in the summer you better show up early.
A lovely beach and area that is cool all year long. It has some distance views of Block Island about 12 miles south and fascinating views of the extreme tides that can come screaming out of the breach during the right times. A whole lot of things to do here, but just remember that water keeps it’s chill all year long.

Great break. Hardly any rocks to walk on which made walking around easy. Parking was terrible people parking and taking up 2 spaces per car, that was not so good.

How have I never been here? HOW? A downright gorgeous stretch of beach, not sure how crowded it gets during the day, but when I arrived around 7:30PM to watch the sunset there were very few people here and the water was an amazing shade of deep blue-​green. And you can camp here! I need to buy a camper now. I was heading home after a busy day in the Westerly area and made a last minute executive decision to zip down this exit, and am so glad I did.

The best camping bargain ever! $ 14/​day to camp oceanside cannot be beat!
Be forewarned, weekends are packed literally like sardines. You must be adept at maneuvering your RV amongst other RVs, boat trailer traffic, beach-​bound pedestrians. Sites are very narrow when it’s this busy. Plan to have just enough room for your table and chairs. You may not be able to fully open your awning or slides without encroaching upon your neighbor.
Sites emptied out as the work week progressed so we will probably opt for our next trip to start on a Sunday night or a Monday. We met very friendly fellow campers, were glad quiet hours were enforced, didn’t have an issue with the composting public toilets.
There was a very bad storm with 83 mph gusts. The area lost power and had many downed trees. While it didn’t last long — maybe 30 – 45 minutes, with «the worst of it» lasting 10 – 15 minutes — many had damage to their awning — and/​or had their awnings completely ripped off. There is no protection from the elements. It is essentially a mid-​sized parking lot. Pay attention to the wind and weather — prepare to secure your stuff and be safe.
PS it is not child friendly — besides the beach, there’s nothing for them to do and it is isn’t safe for kids to walk around the lot unsupervised.

This is primarily an RV campground located right on the beach in Charlestown, RI but it is also a public recreational beach and fishing/​boating area as well. I stayed here recently over a weekend for three nights (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night) so my review will mostly talk about this place as a campground. For starters it is $ 14 per night for Rhode Island residents and $ 20 per night for anybody from out of state. With that said be aware that this is a very bare bones campground. They offer you nothing except a parking lot next to the beach to park your RV in. No showers, electric hookups, or running water of any kind. This place gets 3 stars from me for location only. The campground staff and amenities get zero stars. They have outhouse bathrooms that work to compost the waste that goes into them however these are only for the beachgoers. The campers who are paying to stay there are not allowed to use the outhouse bathrooms. I actually had a staff member bar me from using the bathroom. Also several times when returning to the campground I got stuck behind a line of people who were waiting to check in at the entrance. When I went around one time I had a rude staff member give me nasty attitude telling me I had to wait in the line to get back in to the campground. Are you serious? Have the people checking in pull over so they don’t block the entrance! It is not that hard!
The beach here is really nice but all of the staff members here are rude and the place implements weird policies on campers.

This needs to be added to the «camping» search for Unilocal
We stayed adjacent to the ocean’s outlet and it was so quiet and serene. There were only two other campers who were spread out. So out of the entire lot there were only three of us. Incredibly quiet minimal foot traffic. $ 20 for out of State residence. Incredible views and peaceful, 100% boondocking if you don’t bring what you need you don’t have it. Only drawback is that you had to turn off your generator at 8 pm which I thought was way too early.

Great beach but a bit over crowded due to the campground near by.

Beautiful beach and the breachway itself is really pretty. I like that the breachway gives people a place to fish so the douchebags who usually do it at the beach while people are swimming stay away. It’s a bit out of the way to get to but nice. I like a wider stretch of beach myself, so I prefer East Beach

Best RI Beach award goes to Charlestown Breachway. Quiet, Relaxing, Absolutely Beautiful.

I’ve been here twice when time and circumstances conspired against me and resulted in us arriving to find my favorite beach already full. Though not my first choice, this beach has turned out to be a good alternative.
Like my other regular Charlestown spots, the waves are pretty small (unless there’s an offshore storm), but the beach appears to be family-​friendly, well maintained & (life)guarded, gradually sloping, and light on seaweed & rocks (though maybe slightly more than my fave). In addition, the new bathhouse (just off the parking lot) with real (though still green) toilets and outdoor rinsing showers are welcome improvements over my first visit.
There are also nearby canoe/​kayak rentals and a restaurant, which I suspect will make this area worth exploring further.

This was my first time visiting Charlestown Breachway and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The beach is very narrow and on a slight slope. There is also a line that you are not allowed to pitch umbrellas, which I thought was weird, until the tide came in and we saw a bunch of sunbathers get drenched.
PROS: Very quiet if you show up before Noon. Clean. Nice view. Smoke-​free. Huge waves.
CONS: $ 20 parking on the weekends. The beach is quite narrow, so once more people show up you end up laying ass to ass with some family with 5 kids. I know they have bathrooms somewhere, but I didn’t see them.

Awesome beach! I drove from Boston and it was worth it, will definitely return. I recommend beach shoes as there is a rocky strip when entering the water. Bring snacks and an umbrella and ENJOY!

Before you think I’m a hater, I do think this is one of the prettiest shore views in Rhode Island. I just don’t think it’s the best beach in the world.
Beautiful golden sands and light blue waves stretching all the way to the breachway. The breachway itself is also very serene with the rocks lining the waterway and the natural untouched shores on the other side. I think you can see Block Island across the water, and little ferries gliding too and fro.
Sea-​newbies beware, TONS of seaweed. And not the big kelpy kind that you can avoid, but tiny free-​floaty spidery hairs that completely cover your arms and legs when you emerge. Maybe I was just there on a particularly high volume day, but I can’t imagine that’s the case when the side beach has a sign that says «public sands below seaweed line» and there was already a heavy population on the shore. I’m not confident that I would get in the water again… but the sand is where I belong anyway.
Biggest con for me, cost. Free beach but $ 15 parking tag on a Friday and $ 20 on a weekend. It’s nice, but for a long drive and minimal beach activities, it seemed a little excessive. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that I felt like I was trespassing in front of the private beach houses as I was wandering the shores below the dividing seaweed line. I’m guess I’m not an elitist when it comes to natural wonders.

I visited Charlestown Breachway today for the first time in my 10 years in RI. I’m a big ol’ beach bum — love it. Any chance I get, I’m laying my fat ass in the sun, soaking up the rays.
I’ve been going to East Matunuck for years now; after visiting many of the other beaches in that area, East Matunuck had become my favorite… until today. My friends friend lives in Charlestown and frequents the Breachway; they were headed there today so I decided to switch up my routine and meet them there.
I pulled in the lot just in time as I was one of the last two lucky enough to get a spot; this was at 9:45 a.m. The parking lot is small, which has it’s ups and downs. The up being that there are only so many people allowed in the lot which means a much less crowded beach. The down being that if you don’t get there early enough, you may not be able to enjoy the Breachway.
The sand was clean, hardly any rocks (compared to many other local beaches.) The water was super clear and almost blue! The beach area is a good size, but not too big where you will forget where your spot is when you’re walking back from the restrooms.
There are several free standing port-a-potty’s near the entrance. I used them twice today and they were clean. There is no running water, but they do offer hand sanitizer. Also, your # 1’s and #2’s are being composted beneath you. How green of them!
I will most definitely be coming back to the Breachway more often than not this season.

I liked this beach better than any other beach I have visited thus far in Rhody and Mass. Charlestown Town beach is a small public beach. I saw 2 places advertising parking. THe one we parked at was $ 10 but right across the street from the beach and there were restrooms for the beach in this parking lot. The other was a short walk to the beach but was only $ 8.
The sand is the lightest I have seen at any other beach and is made of larger pieces so your feet sink WAY into the sand when the tide rolls in. There is a slight slope down to the water so the views of the ocean from any place you may choose to rest your sunburnt bum on the sand are gorgeous!
I went on a Saturday at noon and we still found parking (which seemed to be a miracle) but the public part of Charlestown beach is kinda small so it did seem rather crowed. Although there were a lot of families, no one bothered anyone else. No one’s music was excessively loud and there are waste bins provided for any trash. It is a really clean beach. They have one drink and one popsicle stand as well.

First review!
Charlestown Beach/​Breachway is a lovely area. The beach is somewhat steep with generally moderate to good-​sized waves. I have fun memories of my mom getting tumbled by a wave and all but losing her shirt (it was Oct.), trust me, she had a blast!
Stunning vistas along the shoreline. Great fishing opportunities along the breachway.
This beach has extremely limited parking so coming EARLY is a must. It is somewhat isolated, with no services nearby (restaurants, etc). There are newer bathrooms on site, and are eco-​friendly.
The beach is part of the RI beach pass, I love it here — very peaceful during the week. Definitely one of my favorites!
There is also a campgroung adjacent. But for those expecting a wooded, shady area… NO! LOL It’s a parking lot with RV’s jammed in. The main appeal here is the proximity to the ocean, swimming and fishing. Still, very clean and kept up nicely.