Fortune’s Rocks Beach

Beach is great! Absolutely beautiful; water is very clean and the sand is like powder. However there are no restrooms, only outhouse/​portos which are filthy! They obviously do not empty them daily and the amount of fecal material is disgusting. My family and I were so disappointed. We could not believe how bad it was. Very unsanitary for such a nice beach! Honestly this situation needs to be addressed daily. It was overflowing in one of the toilets

Personally, I consider this area to have two different personalities: first, there’s Fortunes Rocks Beach, near Etherington Pond, that has parking (as long as you have city parking permit from Biddeford — I believe it’s $ 15 for one for the summer), a wall of rocks, beach, then ocean; but, to the north of that is an area sometimes referred to as Biddeford Pool Beach.
It’s where route 208 LITERALLY comes to an abrupt end. After you cross a small bridge, you an either go left to the expensive houses of Biddeford Pool, left to Fortune Rocks, or foward where there’s an extremely small parking area with maybe 10 or 12 spots and a tremendous amount of posted signs like:
— «June 15^th to Labor Day, Permit Parking Only, 8am to 5pm»
— «NO PARKING 9pm to 5pm YEAR ROUND»
— «RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING ONLY UNTIL 12 NOON»
(Side note: I don’t understand how these three signs really work together).
— «Beware of nesting piping plovers»
— «This is a tobacco free beach»
— «DUNE GRASS. NO TRESPASSING»
Now, if you can park there sometime during the supposedly allocated times for the community (I’m still not sure how I haven’t been towed here yet, because I’m positive I’m misreading the signs somehow), you should. Because when you crest that wooden walkway on the small hill you will see one of the most amazing views of your life:
Uninhibited Atlantic Ocean 180° in front of/​around you.
It’s one of the biggest visual wow-​factors in the state, if you ask me. And a place I often take my landlocked visitors or my sea-​deprived little sister who now lives away. Because, honestly, every sense is attacked with ocean when you get here. The sound of the waves roaring, the smell and taste of the salt, the breathtaking view, and the feeling that all is the right with the world (because how can anyone be stressed when something so enormous, timeless, and changeless like the ocean is at their fingertips?). We often come here during off-​season hours (again, when I *think* I’m allowed to be) to just walk up and down the sandy beach to take photos, talk, or collect perfectly smooth beach stones…
because it’s serious balm to the soul.
(I still haven’t seen a Piping Plover yet, though!)
Without a doubt, one of my favorite places in this beautiful state — take the trip, I promise you it’ll be entirely worth it!

Stunning, quiet and peaceful. Lifeguards on duty, parking permit required — available at Biddeford town hall. Kind of a pain but ok if you plan in advance.
The surf is a bit rough, might be too strong for small children. Water is cold, too!
Not much sand at high tide, porta potty on site. Worth a trip!

Quiet.
Not crowded.
Great for walking– 2 mile stretch, kayaking, sunbathing, no too wide but soft sand & sea grass/​dunes beyond.
Swimming can be iffy bcz of the seaweed factor but otherwise it’s excellent as the beach curves like a ½ moon w rocks on the both sides.