Kalmus Beach

In the winter (as of my first trip here) it’s quiet and peaceful. There is t a lot of people and the sea birds just pop by occasionally. A very nice place to go if you’re on the cape in winter.

This was a good beach, but not our favorite. Our vacation rental was not far away, so we walked. The sand was soft and not too rocky. What we did like was the large size and the fact that we had a good breeze the entire time, which keeps you from getting too hot. Water was gentle.

What a nice break from the chaos next door at Craigville! Very spacious. Calm water. GREAT snack bar that has HUGE variety including fruit and kind bars and salad! Not too over priced and takes cards.
Bathroom was a little gross but what can you expect?
Water was very seaweedy — not sure if that is normal but we swam anyway!

Great beach for little ones and those who aren’t a fan of big waves. Very small roped off area in which to swim and very shallow water (to the left of the beach house). My understanding is that there are more waves to the right of the beach house but also a lot of seaweed. I guess you have to decide what you prefer. Wear sandals or water shoes-​lots of shells and rocks.

What a nice relaxing beach near Hyannis. My family and I visited a few times during out stay. It cost $ 20 to park (but the house in which we stayed had a parking pass). There is no fee after 4pm. The beach is wide so there is plenty of room to spread out. Also it wasn’t very crowded. The sand has a lot of shells and some seaweed so be careful walking. We collected a few pretty shells which made as nice keepsakes. The water was fairly calm during the week we were there and the temperature was not as frigid as the water near Provincetown. The bathrooms are clean and there are a few picnic tables as well.
Overall a nice beach (as long as you don’t mind shells) to spend time with family and friends.

Beautiful beach but it’s $ 20 to park on in season weekends and $ 15 during the week. They stop charging at 4 pm. It was clean, uncrowded (went on a Sunday in June) and very quiet. Three star rating is due to heavy restrictions — cannot throw a frisbee, bring a dog, even on a leash, play ball or fly a kite.

Best beach for shells. Actual water is not as good as Nauset beach. Go after 4pm and the parking is free.

So, the parking lot is huge and the $ 15 fee lets you go in and out all day and to the other beaches. However, this beach will not be on my list to go back to next year. There are a ton of rocks on the bottom and the water is full of seaweed. The sand is not groomed at all, so it is full of all kinds of stuff. And since the ferries from Hyannis to Nantucket go by, the water is pretty suspect in its cleanliness.
If you live around the area, it might be nice, but I’m sticking to Red River in Harwich.

Super quiet
$ 15 to park for the day
Calm water
Snack bars
Bathrooms
Lifeguards
Rules against throwing balls/​frisbee (which I like)…not a fan of trying to catch some rays with my eyes closed fearing that I’m gonna get hit in the head with a stray football.
All of these things were wonderful about the beach… the bad thing is (@ least the day we visited)…a TON of SEAWEED!!! Like a ton… everywhere in the water… soooo…I was not willing to venture out into the water past my thighs; which was a bummer. Aside from that… it was great.

Hidden gem on Cape Cod! After reading the reviews here on Unilocal we decided to give this beach a go last minute and I have to admit, we were pleasantly surprised!
We originally set up camp on the right side battling the unforgiving wind and choppy waters. We decided to walk around to the beach on the other side which is where we found a perfect spot. Secluded, clean beach with soft sand and warm water.
Bath house was better than most, plenty of parking, and a snack bar with a shaded picnic area. Just add sunshine and you have yourself a perfect day at the beach!

I used to live in the townhouses on the water so know the beach well. Off season, it’s a gem on the Lewis Bay side. So pretty. The sound side is where windsurfing rocks on a southwest day. I attended a windsurf clinic yesterday. I have not been here in high season for 11 years but yesterday was lovely.

This beach was GREAT. Calm water, snack bar, bathrooms, lifeguards and when we went, not that many tourists/​anyone really on the beach. True, there was a summer camp learning how to play soccer, but for two hours we had NO ONE on the beach with us (other than those summer camp kids and they were ar enough away to pretend the beach was all ours.) Definitely would go again!

Kalmus Beach is my favorite among Barnstable’s public beaches. Craigville is the most crowded and has the best surroundings. Sandy Neck has the most character, but also the most rocks. Hathaway’s, Keyes and Veteran’s are the other public beaches, but they aren’t as nice.
Parking at Kalmus is easy, especially on a weekday. There are two sides to the beach, and I usually choose the ocean side (the right side when you enter the parking lot). The ocean side beach is a popular windsurfing spot, and there will be more waves.
I park as close to the bath house as I can. There is a concession stand (the Snack Shack), but I usually pack a cooler. Parking is $ 15/​day, or you can buy a $ 50/​week pass at The Hyannis Youth & Community Center (site of the former green Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Rink building).
It is pretty cool to walk out on the jetty that divides both sides of the beach, but be careful!

Beach is a bit rocky and the water is a little seaweed ridden, but c’mon it serves it’s purpose. Busy enough but not overrun with tourists or loud teenagers. The snack shack ups the appeal of this beach in case you didn’t pack a cooler or for some reason a meatball sandwich on the beach in the middle of summer sounds like a good idea to you.

I really enjoyed this beach, fairly small but it didn’t get crowded. The sand was very soft and they had a bath house for bathrooms. No sea shells but only $ 15/​day for parking.

Peaceful beach on the Cape, with room to spread out and relax. Not as rocky as a lot of the other Cape Cod beaches I’ve been to. Not a bad option if you want a quiet place, there isn’t much going on around walking distance business wise.