From TIDES
TIDES is a team affiliated with Real Broker MA, LLC, a licensed Massachusetts real estate brokerage.
Photo: NewtonCourt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Demarest Lloyd State Park sits at the end of Barneys Joy Road in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where the Slocum River empties into Buzzards Bay. It is a state beach, run by DCR, and plenty of people find it because Horseneck was full.
Parking. Daily parking fees ran May 23 through September 7 in 2026, at $12 for a Massachusetts plate and $40 for an out-of-state plate. Resident status is decided by the license plate on the car, not by your driver's license. The $60 annual MassParks pass is sold only to Massachusetts residents, and your license and your vehicle both have to be registered here. Outside the fee season the gate is often shut and people park along the roadside, so leave the entrance clear and do not count on restrooms or showers. Call before you drive in the shoulder season. The summer number is (508) 636-3298 and the winter number is (508) 363-8816.
The tide. At low water the bay pulls back off a series of sandbars and you can walk out a long way in shin-deep water. That is the whole appeal, and it is why a mid-tide to low-tide arrival beats a high-tide arrival if you are wading. Check a tide table for Buzzards Bay before you pick a time. DCR warns that this beach has cobblestones, and water shoes are not a bad call.
The rules. DCR prohibits flotation devices, boogie boards, skim boards, and kite surfing, bans landing powerboats or jet skis on the beach, and requires a valid Dartmouth shellfish permit if you want to dig. Dogs and other pets are not allowed on the beach from April 1 to September 15, service animals excepted.
Horseneck. Horseneck Beach, a short drive west in Westport, runs two miles of surf at the mouth of Buzzards Bay. It charged $14 for a Massachusetts plate and $40 for an out-of-state plate, with its fee season running May 23 through October 12. Horseneck cost $2 more than Demarest's $12, so the real gap was the season: Horseneck collected through October 12, while Demarest stopped on September 7. Horseneck is the pick for waves and a bigger lot, and Demarest is the pick for flat water, shade at the picnic tables, and a smaller crowd.
Read the full guide, with the gate hours, how to pay for a daily pass, and what else to do within ten minutes of the beach: Demarest Lloyd State Park parking, tides and rules
We work this side of Dartmouth year round. Private ways, private wells, and flood zones all come up out here, and we are happy to walk you through them. If you are thinking about buying out here, we would be glad to talk it through, and our buying page is a good place to start: buying with TIDES
Equal Housing Opportunity.
Demarest Lloyd State Park, South Dartmouth MA
