Herring Cove Beach

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Herring Cove Beach is the primary ocean beach of Provincetown and one of the finest gay beaches in the United States, located within the Cape Cod National Seashore approximately two miles west of the centre of town. The beach faces west across Cape Cod Bay rather than the open Atlantic, which gives it calmer water and the famous Provincetown sunset views that make it particularly valuable as an evening destination. The gay section is at the south end of the beach — an informal designation that has been maintained by the community for decades without signage or enforcement, through the simple social mechanism of people knowing where to go. In July and August, the south end of Herring Cove is one of the great outdoor gay social spaces in America: a long stretch of sand occupied by thousands of people, the Cape Cod National Seashore protecting the dune landscape behind the beach from any development, and the afternoon light on the water producing the quality of illumination that has made Provincetown's light famous among painters for a century. The beach is accessible by bicycle along the Cape Cod Rail Trail extension, by the Provincetown shuttle bus, or on foot. The National Seashore parking area has a fee in season. The beach has lifeguards, facilities, and a snack bar. For visitors to Provincetown, an afternoon at Herring Cove — combined with the Boatslip tea dance — constitutes the essential summer day.