Nahant Beach (Parking Section 12)

Managed by The Swim Guide - Massachusetts

As a non-profit, Swim Guide depends on donations to help millions of people connect to clean water.

Nahant Beach is part of the Lynn Shore/Nahant Beach Reservation operated by the MA DCR. It is a beautiful sandy beach facing Nahant Bay. It is open year round, dawn to dusk. Boat ramps provide public access to Lynn Harbor.

Ball fields, raquetball and tennis courts are available near Nahant Rotary. A tot lot is located near park headquarters at Ward Bathhouse where a visitor center, showers, and sanitary facilities are available free of charge. A comfort station is located at Long Beach in Nahant Beach Reservation and lifeguards supervise areas of that waterfront during July and August. There is a $3 fee for parking in the main lot at Long Beach, 8:00am - 6:00pm, May - Sept.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on July 28th, 2022. The Swim Guide - Massachusetts updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on August 1st, 2022 at 3:10 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

27°C

Mostly clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Local boards of health and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation conduct the vast majority of beach water sampling in Massachusetts. Most marine beach samples collected at public beaches are analyzed at Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) contracted laboratories. Under the beaches acts, MDPH is responsible for ensuring the regulations are adhered to by beach operators and local boards of health and providing technical assistance where needed.

In the Nahant region water is tested on a weekly basis. The testing frequency depends on how likely the beach is to have water quality issues. Infrequently used beaches or beaches that historically have had very few, if any, water quality issues are tested less often, while high-use or historically problematic beaches are tested more often. Detailed information on testing frequency is made available in the information listed for a particular beach.

The water is tested for Enterococci to determine water quality in brackish and marine water environments. Enterococci is a group of bacterial species typically found in human and animal intestines and are therefore present in sewage. Enterococci is also referred to as indicator organisms. Indicator organisms are used to predict the presence of pathogenic, or disease-causing, organisms associated with fecal contamination.

Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday during the swimming season.

A beach is marked Green when less than 104 units of Enterococci / 100 ml of water is present in a single sample, or when the geometric mean of 5 samples contains less than 35 units / 100ml of water.

A beach is marked Red when more than 104 units of Enterococci / 100 ml of water is present in a single sample, or when the geometric mean of 5 samples contains more than 35 units / 100ml of water.

A beach is marked Grey when there is no current or reliable monitoring information available.

Water Quality Graph