VIRGINIA COASTAL GUIDES
Westmoreland County beaches
Compare named coastal shores and their exact public or conditional arrivals. The guide explains which managing authority, guest conditions and entrance restrictions apply at each location.
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Find your fit in Westmoreland
8 published guides in this county. Start with dogs allowed (1 qualifying beach), then compare the named entrances. 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.
Choose the exact shore
Public roads, preserves, privately operated resorts, boat landings and nearby businesses have different permissions. A facility or activity at one is not inherited by another; a booked guest route does not create a free public crossing.
Every published Westmoreland shore guide
North Beach / Colonial Beach
A named town beach near Colonial Avenue, described by the town as quieter than the boardwalk area. Town sand rules and paid parking are separate from neighboring private property.
Downtown Boardwalk Beach / Colonial Beach
The town’s downtown Potomac beach beside the Taylor Street boardwalk area, with a listed bathhouse and nearby shops and food. Town beach rules and parking charges apply.
Irving Avenue Beach / Colonial Beach
A named Potomac beach along Beach Terrace and Irving Avenue in a residential part of town, with nearby restrooms and the Cannon War Memorial. Follow town beach rules and signed parking.
Castlewood Beach / Colonial Beach
The town’s southern Irving Avenue beach, near Castlewood Park and its restrooms and picnic/play facilities. The separate Monroe Bay launch and dog park do not resolve the conflicting beach dog rules.
Westmoreland State Park Day Use Beach
The park’s separately named day-use Potomac beach with nearby picnic/bathhouse facilities. Construction can reduce views, access and park capacity; this is an unguarded shore without a designated swimming area.
Fossil Beach / Westmoreland State Park
A separate hike-in Potomac beach reached by the park’s Big Meadow Trail, associated with fossil and shark-tooth searching. Current construction notices and cliff/shoreline restrictions must be checked before the walk.
Stratford Hall Beach
A paid-admission Potomac beach within Stratford Hall Historic Preserve. Walk only within the permitted rope barriers; swimming, deep wading, beach fishing and watercraft launching are prohibited.
Potomac River Beach / George Washington Birthplace
A public Potomac beach within George Washington Birthplace National Monument, open Wednesday through Sunday. Swimming is discouraged because of currents, underwater hazards and water quality; the sandy shore has no toilets.
Coverage and evidence
These 8 guides do not certify exhaustive county shoreline coverage or today’s opening. Historical access observations and monitoring stations remain separate; planning pins are approximate shore references, not navigation waypoints, surveyed boundaries or permissions.
Exact scenic-photo rights, current seasonal facilities and unresolved named arrivals retain their own follow-up work. Typical clarity, shore snorkeling, offshore excursions, full nudity and female-topless use are independently researched; unsupported features never become positive filter matches.