Grays Beach Rd, Kingston, MA 02364, USA
https://kingstonrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14735
Owned By: Town of Kingston
Town park and small beach with playground, athletic courts, paved walking loop, picnic area, and seasonal restrooms. Open to the public year-round. Resident ($15) and non-resident ($30) parking stickers required from April through October.
Features
The park features a playground, a picnic area, numerous benches, a large grassy area with a small stage, basketball and tennis courts, a paved 0.25-mile walking loop, and a sandy beach with a small boardwalk. Train enthusiasts might appreciate watching the MBTA Commuter Rail pass by. Restrooms are open 9am-5pm in season (April-October), and weather permitting.
This is Kingston’s only public beach. To purchase a parking sticker, visit this link.
According to the article “Kingston Business History” by the Kingston Business Association, the Gray’s Beach area was likely a summer encampment for the Wampanoag. This was evidenced by excavations nearby that revealed soil layers and shells. Later is was part of Kingston’s shipbuilding industry. The 19th-century Rocky Nook Wharf, owned by Joshua Dela and his son Benjamin, outfitted ships. First ships were constructed upriver, then hauled downstream at high tide by oxen to a cove by Loring Rocks, where their masts were stepped. Outfitting came next: a warehouse on site stocked the goods required to prepare a ship for a sea voyage.
The town purchased the Gray’s Beach property from Paul Delano in 1937, to create a public beach. The WPA undertook the project, which involved filling a swamp, removing marsh grass and rocks, and felling trees. (This was before the Clean Water Act prohibited such activities.) The bath house was constructed in 1950, and Gray’s Beach soon became a popular attraction, with swimming rafts and a concession stand soon to follow. The playground was added in 2002, courtesy of Friends of Gray’s Beach, along with improvements in accessibility, erosion control, and amenities.
Trail Description
A wheelchair-accessible, 0.25-mile walking loop extends around the grassy area and along the edge of the beach.
Habitats and Wildlife
The grassy park, dotted with cedar, pine and maple trees, offers ocean frontage and a broad view of Kingston Bay.
Historic Site: No
Park: Yes
Beach: Yes
Boat Launch: No
Lifeguards: In season.
Size: 6.5 acres
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Parking: Ample on-site parking, sticker required April-October.
Cost: Open to the public year-round. Parking sticker required April-October.
Trail Difficulty: Easy
Facilities:
Fenced-in playground, shaded picnic areas and picnic tables, numerous benches, a small stage, tennis and basketball courts, boardwalk, sandy beach, seasonal restrooms, 0.25-mile walking loop, trash receptacles.
Dogs: Leashed dogs allowed on grass area and walkways only.
Boat Ramp: No
ADA Access: Yes
Scenic Views: Yes
Waterbody/Watershed: Kingston Bay watershed