Bass River Beach & Boat Launch – Smuggler’s Beach

Best Beach in Cape Cod. Fishing pier on Bass River. Sandcastles, plenty of parking for cars and trailers. Snack bar with full restaurant menu. Big jetty to walk on out to ocean. Lifeguards in season. Nestled amongst million dollar homes and 5 star hotels. Nice drive to beach. Boat ramp.

This is a great beach. There is a super well maintained boat ramp with a ton of trailer parking spots. There is also a good snack bar with a lot of options. The bathrooms near the snack bar are well maintained too. It’s a big beach with lots of room and a fishing pier at the mouth of the Bass River.

Family oriented beach. Parking reasonable $ 15 and you can use the parking pass at the beaches down the street. TOO MUCH SEAWEED. Don’t know if it’s a seasonal thing. Quite frankly ruined the beach experience for me.

Close your eyes and imagine the sound of the waves, children laughing and building sandcastles, and the warm breeze that passes by…
Those are the things I think of when going to Smuggler’s. :)
A couple of summers ago, my boyfriend, his family and I would go to this beach for a nice tan, a swim, and some r & r. I plan on going this summer because this beach is one of my top favorites! It is very crowded in the summer time due to all the tourists and residents with their beach stickers, but it’s worth going earlier in the morning to claim your spot!
Aside from the bountiful sunshine you soak up when getting a tan, the water is relatively warm for the summer months! That’s a win in my book because I’m really not a fan of frigid water temps. If you know someone with a beach sticker in South Yarmouth, carpool because there’s a fee if you don’t have one! The snack bar just added fish tacos to their menu aside from what they usually sell. The bathrooms near the snack bar is clean and has ample stalls as well.
I can still remember meeting up with the gang, sharing a few laughs, packing sandwiches, chips, beverages of our choice, sunscreen, beach towels and beach chairs… fond memories :)

Been frequenting this beach since I was a small child, since my summer home is close by. They always have beautiful water, and the people are genuinely friendly. The life guards don’t hassle, and the parking lots always have plenty of space!

Since my grandparents family summer house was about a mile or two from here, I’ve frequented this beach every summer since I was born. I am 26 now. As far as parking goes, they always had a town sticker that residents can apply for at town hall, but I did pay once this past summer so far when their car was unavailable and it was $ 15. Ouch! I don’t know the cost of the year beach pass, but I’d say if you’re going to be spend some time down the Cape — the pass works for several of the area beaches so you could jump around with it.
They have a boat dock to the jetty and a small pier. They also have a nice bath-​house and a snack shop there with some beach treats. The fries are good when you have the munchies! You can walk down along the shore line down past some of the local hotels/​motels.

This was my go-​to beach for much of my childhood and teenage years. It was the closest one to ride my bike to, and I loved it as much in winter as in summer (maybe more). Smugglers has good sand and nice water. It’s calm and usually there isn’t too much seaweed (depends on storms of course). They’re built a little walkway with benches near the parking lot, making the beach more accessible. There’s a seasonal snackbar/​bathrooms, etc. The jetty is great to walk out a bit and just sit and watch the boats go up and down Bass River. Go off-​season, avoid that parking fee, and have the place to yourself!

Crab nets, fishin poles, and boats! Oh my!

Smuggler’s Beach is a glorious spot to spend a glorious day. Located where South St and South Shore Dr meet, it is also known as Bass River Beach.
This beach has a large, paved parking lot, a concession stand, a boat ramp, bathrooms, a wheelchair ramp, trash cans and sitting benches. The swimming area is within bouys and also is protected by lifeguard stations (staffed seasonally). The only thing missing is a boardwalk with shops and carnival rides!
The sand is soft and easy on bare feet. The boats move in and out of Bass river all day and traffic to and from Hyannis harbor is also visible in the distance. The surf is tiny to flat, easy for all skill levels of swimmers but it’s not a surfing beach.
During the summer, you’ll need to pay a parking fee ($ 15 in 2010) or have a current Yarmouth beach sticker.

Probably the nicest, and certainly the most popular, beach in Yarmouth. The only downside is the $ 15 parking fee, but that’s pretty much the same everywhere on the Cape. The beaches with free parking are really not much.
Bass River beach is nice because it has some new amenities like changing rooms & toilets, ice cream /​snacks vendors, and volleyball setups. As the name implies its located at the mouth of the Bass River which has sailing boats coming and going, making for some lively scenery. The sand is fine & clean, and I found the water in mid-​July to be comfortably warm compared to other beaches I’ve been to in New England.