MARYLAND COASTAL GUIDES
St. Mary’s County beaches
Named St. Mary’s coastal beaches and separately identified tidal landings, launches, piers and booked guest shores.
START WITH YOUR DAY
Find your fit in St. Mary's
10 published guides in this county. Start with restrooms (6 qualifying beaches) or dogs allowed (4 qualifying beaches), then compare the named entrances. 1 guide has boat-only arrival: plan transport and the lawful landing separately. Feature counts describe documented routes, not all beaches or every entrance in the county.
Use the verified route features below to choose where to begin. Counts refer to beaches with a qualifying named entrance, not every entrance. These are planning details, not current opening or guard duty.
A few places to start
Starting points ranked by verified entrance facilities; these are not a county-wide quality ranking.
Point Lookout State Park Swimming Beach
Entrance: Point Lookout State Park Swimming Beach · documented managed shore arrival
Restrooms · Shower or foot rinse
Parking & entry: Managed parking · see admission
Check before going: Swimming is unguarded. Check day-use reservations and seasonal beach pet restrictions; the Bay fishing pier is a separate destination.
See entrance details →Elms Beach Park
Entrance: Elms Beach Park · documented managed shore arrival
Restrooms
Parking & entry: Managed parking · see admission
Check before going: Swimming is unguarded; December 1–March 31 is walk-in only. Dogs need a six-foot leash except when in the water.
See entrance details →Myrtle Point Waterfront Park
Entrance: Myrtle Point Waterfront Park · documented managed shore arrival
Restrooms
Parking & entry: Managed parking · see admission
Check before going: Swimming is unguarded; December 1–March 31 is walk-in only. Mapped steps and beach sand are separate from accessible parking.
See entrance details →Published St. Mary’s County shore guides
Elms Beach Park
A county Chesapeake Bay beach with swimming, fishing/crabbing, changing rooms, picnic pavilion and playground. Plan around seasonal vehicle fees and winter access.
Myrtle Point Waterfront Park
A county lower-Patuxent peninsula with several shoreline trails and unsupervised beach swimming. Plan around seasonal vehicle fees and winter access.
Snow Hill Waterfront Park
A county Patuxent beach with picnic pavilion, accessible playground and hammock grove. Plan around seasonal vehicle fees and winter access.
Greenwell State Park Beach
Greenwell’s Patuxent shoreline offers a designated beach for unguarded swimming, trails and paddling. Use the beach rather than unrelated pier/revetment routes.
Point Lookout State Park Swimming Beach
Point Lookout’s designated swimming beach lies on the Potomac side of the peninsula, separate from the Bay-side fishing pier and lighthouse tip. Plan around reservations, seasonal pet exclusion and unguarded swimming.
Newtowne Neck State Park Beach
Newtowne Neck is a coastal peninsula between Breton Bay, St. Clement’s Bay and the Potomac, with sandy shoreline and separate paddle-in campsites. Use current park maps rather than concept-plan amenities.
St. Clement’s Island State Park Shore
A boat-only Potomac island park off Coltons Point. Mainland museum/departure is not the island beach. Confirm actual water taxi and landing operation before booking.
Chancellor’s Point Natural History Area Beach
A small St. Mary’s River beach within Historic St. Mary’s City’s Chancellor’s Point Natural History Area. Booked primitive camping access is documented; ordinary unbooked day-use entitlement remains separate.
Camp MD Beach
A privately operated St. George Island/Potomac camping-and-cottage beachfront with paid day-visitor areas. Guest admission is distinct from unrestricted public shore.
Pier450 Guest Beach
A private Ridge waterfront hospitality beach. Booked motel guests may use its beach and kayaks; restaurant beach seating and fishing privileges have different scopes.
Coverage and evidence
Thirty-seven DNR observations were reviewed; inland St. Mary’s Lake is excluded and Great Mills precise tidal scope remains held. Water access does not create a beach parent, approved relationship or county completeness claim.
Source-listed public or managed guest arrival remains distinct from current operation. Keep county landing rules, state park restrictions and private operator conditions scoped to their own routes; no neighboring shoreline crossing or continuous accessible route inferred.
Map pins are approximate planning references. Check the exact guide for lawful arrival and manager notices. Forecasts, tide predictions, laboratory samples and warning flags retain separate sources and dates.