Matapeake State Park

Ok so this is not quite the «beach», but if you live in DC and need a quick get away with a toes in the sand option than this is your spot. There are two entrances, one for the beach and one for fishing. We had fun at both, at the beach we flew our kite, had a picnic, made sandcastles and got plenty of time in the water (it being the bay makes it a little easier for my 3.5 year old boys). At the second entrance we of course went fishing and I caught my first Rockfish (Yay!!). It’s a nice long pier with plenty of spots to fish and all day parking for $ 10. You can also launch your boats from this pier. I will definitely come back again with the family.

Pretty nice small beach area where the sand is not Oompa Loompa orange like sandy point… it’s across the bay bridge n like 17 mins from Queenstown Outlets.
It looks like your going into a business area, then you turn into the parking lot n walk about 100 yards to the beach. It’s a bit hidden from view.

This place is worth the drive from Prince George’s County to enjoy the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and give my doggie some great exercise and fun. She loves swimming so much that I have to make her take breaks. She also gets to play with other dogs who show up with their owners. I enjoy the gorgeous view of the Bay and the bridge, as well as the calm of hanging out by the water.
When I don’t want to be around as many people, I head south to Terrapin State Park. But since I usually go during the week and not on weekends, Matapeake isn’t that crowded.
One star dropped off the rating for trash. But that’s something I blame on the inconsiderate visitors who drop litter and don’t pick up after their dogs. I hope the required Queen Anne’s County parking fee goes toward maintenance, and I don’t mind paying it. I bought the yearly one. It would just be so simple to PICK UP YOUR TRASH, PEOPLE. It’s not extreme, but there’s just enough to be annoying.
One peeved reviewer mentioned that there’s no place to dump poop. It’s not hard to carry your waste out with you. How spoiled can you be? But in actuality, there are trash cans inside the fence and next to the parking lot.
Getting the parking pass also isn’t hard. There are applications in a dispenser that show the locations that sell them. One is a gas station right down the road from the beach. I always get deli sandwiches from them when I’m leaving the beach.

Got a $ 50 dollar ticket for «Parking at a beach without a beach permit». It’s a shitty public beach with no place to dump dog poop.
I arrived at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening. Where to pay for that permit?!

I was here on May 26, 2014. It was crowded with people absolutely everywhere. You have to have a permit for your vehicle. It’s $ 5 for a Maryland resident and $ 10 for a non-​resident. If you cross the Chespeake bridge add another $ 6 to your budget. The beach is small. Part of the beach is a dog beach. It’s unfortunate, but there was a lot of trash that washed up. I saw two people that didn’t bother picking up the poo from their dogs. I’m not that excited about this beach. I was sad to see aersol cans, tampons, wheels, and glass. I’m amazed kids swim here without shoes. I was also here on May 24, 2014. I arrived at 9am and the beach had trash everywhere. I also want to mention that on Memorial Day hundreds of people trespassed and got away with it. The park service seems to have a real lack of interest in taking care of the beach. What are these park fees actually paying for??? Oh, and some folks were cleaning off their feet in the fountain. Classy! I won’t be coming here again.

To be clear, I am reviewing this as what we use it for when we go, which is the DOG BEACH area:
As far as dog beaches or areas for dogs to swim in the entire DMV area, this is as good as it gets. I have a black lab mix who LOVES to swim, and I have explored every swimming spot/​beach I could find (through word-​of-​mouth and my own ridiculously extensive research) over the past year and half or so. I live in Northern VA and the drive – about one hour, the exit for the beach is just over the Bay Bridge – is totally worth it. From the parking lot, you follow a path through the woods for about a 5 – 7 minute walk which opens up onto the «dog section» of the beach. Technically there is no barrier between the dog section and the human section, but people leave a space between so it’s clear. There are no fences so if your dog is prone to run away this would not be ideal, but for me and my friends and their dogs who will stick around us, this beach is perfect. Plenty of room for the dogs to frolic and swim, a beautiful view of the bridge, and you can bring your towel/​chairs and picnic stuff and just relax on the shore or even go in and take a dip with your dog.
Whenever we’ve gone there have been a handful of other people with their dogs but never so many that is seems crowded. Everyone is laid-​back about the dogs being off-​leash and venturing over to other peoples’ areas. If the dogs seem to get along, they even get into games of chase and playing together!
All in all there is not much more you could expect from a dog beach. Plus, it’s free! Definitely a place you have to check out if your dog likes to swim!
UPDATE as of 5/​24/​14 – I have learned that this beach is no longer free as of this spring. It is now a $ 10 entry free. Won’t keep me away! ;)

I came here to fish and didn’t catch anything except horseshoe crabs. I’m not going to hold it against this place though as it’s not the pier’s fault the fish weren’t biting that night. I’ve been to much worse fishing piers. This one is long, well lit, has benches, and nearby bathroom facilities. You do pay $ 10 to park (good for 24 hours). Or you can be ghetto and wait for someone to leave and beg them for their parking stub.
I might be back if I hear the fish are biting.

Pro — Dog Friendly Beach. Water is pretty shallow.
Con — Big darn flies that will bite you.

Not great as a swimming beach. Near low tide, the water is maybe 2 feet deep — I prefer deeper water, like 4 feet, when hanging off a tube. And the beach can be crowded with campers from the nearby camp. And there’s no lifeguard. And on 9÷7÷12 when I was there, the bathrooms were closed. I’d suggest going elsewhere, like Sandy Point, for the beach. Also, the beach sometimes closes early due to weddings held on the property. If you’re thinking about doing a late afternoon visit, contact them first to see if the beach is closing early.
The «dog beach» is small and there seem to be few users. Your dog may have more fun at a regular dog park, with more room to roam. Alas, your dog may not even want to be in the water.
If you want to fish/​crab or launch a boat, that’s a separate part of the park, and I have no experience on that side. Note to crabbers: The pier seeems higher than at Romancoke, so be sure to have enough string/​rope.

When our power went out for the foreseeable future this past weekend, we packed the dog up and headed out to Matapeake to cool off.
Parking is in a gravel lot, with overflow going into the grass beyond. Hard to turn around if you don’t find a spot in the lot.
Dogs are not allowed to walk through the main entrance so you have to take a dirt trail through the woods, which was blocked by some fallen trees when we were there (due to the storm that rolled through the night before). Kind of a pain. We walked through the public beach on the way back to our car and no one complained.
The beach was nice enough. It’s not sectioned off from the public beach so if you have a dog that likes to wander, keep an eye on them. The people we met were friendly and had well-​behaved dogs. Our dog didn’t go into the water very far because she’s a sissy, but others were playing fetch and having a ball.
Overall, I liked it. It only took us about an hour and 15 minutes from Arlington and it’s nice to be able to bring the dog with us.

we didn’t feel like driving to the all the way to the shore so we thought we would check out this dog beach. it was a perfect way to spend the day with the pups! do make sure to bring your cooler, beach chairs etc. b/​c not much there. there was no parking fee for the beach. we stayed at the best western in kent narrows (a short drive) and went back the next morning. loved it!
i highly recommend for dog owners its a perfect get away being only 1 hour from dc!

This state park offers one of the largest fishing pier that faces into the Chesapeak Bay and a boat launch. Parking for car and trailers is ample here. The daily fee is $ 10 a vehicle. The fishing is good here but you gotta watch out for the crowds here.

This dog beach is a sandy beach that allows well-​behaved dogs off leash to romp and play in the water and/​or other dogs. Great view of teh Chesapeake and it’s simple to get to. Just follow the south end trail next to Matapeake clubhouse. The short trail goes off into the woods and ends at the dog beach. You can bring your beach gear and dog toys and stay awhile or just hang for a bit and take a long walk with your pup. No costs, no fuss, but be sure to clean up after your dog. If you’re coming from Annapolis (or other parts west of the Bay bridge), the toll is $ 2.50 for cars; there is no cost going back west. :)