Cold Storage Beach

Named after a long-gone ice house, this bay beach sits near the Sesuit Harbor area. Smaller and less visited than the big Dennis bay beaches, with great walking at low tide.

Cold Storage Beach sits at the East Dennis end of the bay, named for the cold-storage ice house that once stood here when fish were packed in lake ice and shipped from Sesuit Harbor. The parking lot is tiny — perhaps fifteen cars — and there are no amenities to speak of, but for residents who know it this is the Dennis bay beach: quiet, often empty, with views east toward Brewster and west toward the more famous Mayflower complex. Like all the Dennis bay beaches it has a huge tidal swing; low tide reveals a half-mile of firm flats laced with eelgrass, hermit crabs, and tide pools warm enough to dip a toddler into. Bring everything you'll need. Best at sunset on a clear evening in early September, when the crowds have left and the bay turns molten gold.