2022 Rhode Island State Beach Guide: Hours, Parking Passes

NEWPORT, RI — Just in time for the unofficial kickoff to summer, beach days are coming back to Rhode Island.

Most state beaches in the Ocean State reopen for the season Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Two Narragansett beaches — Scarborough North and Roger Wheeler — opened earlier this year. Here's a little about each of Rhode Island's state beaches:

Charlestown Breachway (Charlestown) — This beach offers beautiful views of Block island Sound and is one of the best salt water fishing spots in South County. Keep in mind, the parking lot is small and fills up quickly on hot days. The beach is located at 1 Burlingame State Park Road.

East Beach (Charlestown) — East Beach is one of the least developed beaches in RHode Island, so if you're looking for pure serenity, this might be your spot. There's limited parking and a half dozen changing rooms. As the easterly extension of Quonochontaug Neck, the beach is a three-mile-long barrier that separates Ninigret Pond from the ocean.

East Matunuck State Beach (South Kingstown) — This beach has more than 144 acres and offer a modern beach pavilion powered by wind and solar energy. It can accommodate a lot of people, because of its large parking lot. There's also public restrooms, outdoor showers, and food and gift concessions. The beach is located at 950 Succotash Road.

Misquamicut State Beach (Westerly) — This beach is a half-mile long and has modern facilities, including a playground, concessions, outdoor showers and shady gazebos. The beach is located at 257 Atlantic Ave.

Roger W. Wheeler State Beach (Narragansett) — This beach is popular for children with young children because of its gentle surf, playground and pavilion with kid-friendly, educational activities. State officials said the lifeguards at this beach are highly trained and alert. The beach is located at 100 Sand Hill Cove Road.

Salty Brine State Beach (Narragansett) — This beach is small. It's barely the size of a football field, but it has a gentle surf and is close to the Galilee docks and several seafood restaurants. It's also great for young children. The beach is located at 254 Great Road.

Scarborough North State Beach (Narragansett) —

This beach has a bit for everyone. Whether you like sun bathing, people watching on the boardwalk or picnicking in a shady shelter, there are plenty of options at this beach. The beach is located at 970 Ocean Road.

Scarborough South State Beach (Narragansett) — With close to 16 acres and over 1,000 feet of beach frontage, this spot consist of two beaches, the former Olivio's and Lido's beaches. The beach has public restrooms, outdoor showers, wheelchair accessibility and a large parking lot with room for RVs and buses. There's also food concessions and shaded gazebos. The beach is located at 970 Ocean Road.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management encourages beachgoers to buy their parking pass online, in advance, to help cut down on traffic at the parking lot. Resident, non-resident and senior passes are on sale, both for the full season or a single day. Parking fees will be in effect from Saturday until Labor Day.

2021 beach parking fees

• Daily parking, residents: $6 weekdays, $7 weekends and holidays
• Resident season pass: $30
• Daily parking, non-residents: $12 weekdays, $14 weekends and holidays
• Non-resident season pass: $60
• Seniors aged 65 and older get a 50 percent discount on all parking fees
• No-cost disability parking passes are available to those who qualify. Call 401-667-6200 for more information.

Carry-In, carry-out

All Rhode Island state parks and beaches have a carry-in, carry-out policy, meaning visitors are responsible for taking all their trash home with them. The policy has been in place since 1992.