Ocean City, MDmikes.beach.guide

Maryland · Atlantic coast

Ocean City, Maryland

Ocean City has ten miles of free public beach, from the Inlet to the Delaware line. The 2.9-mile Boardwalk runs along the south end, and Assateague’s wild horses are just across the Inlet.

Family Off-season

Today’s outlook

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Best stretches and who they’re for

Ocean City is one long town beach, numbered by street from the Inlet north to the Delaware line. The beach is free. The Boardwalk covers the south end, 2.9 miles from the Inlet to 27th Street. South across the Inlet, Assateague Island is a state park and a national seashore, with wild horses on both.

Ocean City and Assateague

  1. Inlet and downtown Directions Boardwalk · Inlet Lot
  2. Midtown past the Boardwalk · beach mats
  3. North End quieter · beach mats
  4. West OC Park-n-Ride Directions free parking
  5. Assateague State Park Directions bathhouse · horses
  6. Assateague Island National Seashore Directions wild horses
  • Streets count up from the Inlet. The Boardwalk ends at 27th Street.

Boardwalk · busiest

Inlet and downtown

The south end of the Boardwalk, with the beach patrol’s headquarters at 109 Talbot Street and the Life-Saving Station Museum at 813 S. Atlantic Ave. Trimper Rides and its 1912 carousel are at the south end of the Boardwalk, at 700 S. Atlantic Ave. The Inlet Lot’s first 30 minutes are free, accessible spaces included; pay before you leave. Bikes and Class 1 e-bikes ride the Boardwalk any time from the Tuesday after Labor Day to the Friday before Memorial Day; in summer, midnight to 2 p.m. only. Other e-bikes are never allowed on the Boardwalk.

Past the Boardwalk

Midtown

North of 27th Street the Boardwalk ends. Beach mats at 30th, 40th, 48th, 59th, 66th, 70th, 81st, 89th and 94th streets. The Convention Center and Welcome Center are at 4001 Coastal Highway, on the bay side at 40th Street.

Quieter · mats

North End

The 100s streets up to the Delaware line, with beach mats at 120th, 130th, 139th and 145th streets. Northside Park, home of Winterfest of Lights, is on the bay side here.

Parking and getting around

  • Streets and town lots — May 22–Sept 30: $3.50 to $4.50 an hour daily, depending on the block. April 1–May 21 and Oct 1–31: free Monday to Thursday, $2.50 to $3.50 an hour Friday to Sunday. Special events add $1.50 an hour. Pay with ParkMobile, Passport, the app or the QR code.
  • Inlet Lot — first 30 minutes free, then $4.50 an hour May 22–Sept 30 and $3.50 an hour Friday to Sunday in spring and October (free Monday to Thursday then). An unpaid stay is billed by mail for the time owed plus a $25 fee, rising to $50 after 30 days.
  • West Ocean City Park-n-Ride — 12848 Ocean Gateway: free parking with a shuttle to the South Division Street Transit Center, May into October.
  • Beach Bus — Coastal Highway end to end. $4 rides all day, exact cash or a City Hall bus pass; children 42 inches and under ride free. Winter schedule Oct 26–Apr 11, 2027: about every 30 minutes, 6 a.m.–1 a.m.
  • RVs — May 1–Oct 31, RVs and oversized vehicles need a permit to park on town streets and lots, except at the 100th Street lot and the West Ocean City Park-n-Ride.

Beach rules

  • Beach hours — open 5 a.m. to midnight. No sleeping on the beach 10 p.m.–6 a.m., and no sleeping in a vehicle anywhere in town.
  • Dogs — on the beach and Boardwalk only Oct 1–Apr 30, leashed while walked in town; clean up after them.
  • Tents and canopies — tents with sides are banned. Canopies must be open on all four sides, no bigger than 15 by 15 feet, 3 feet from the next one, behind the lifeguard stand, and attended before 10 a.m. Baby tents up to 3 feet each way are fine.
  • Alcohol — no drinking in public.
  • Surf fishing — banned on guarded beaches from Memorial Day weekend Friday to Sept 30, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and within 50 yards of people on the beach.
  • Horseback riding — Nov 1–Mar 30, 6 a.m.–5 p.m., from 27th Street south to the Inlet jetty, with a permit: $20 a day or $50 a season.
  • Beach wheelchairs — at street locations from the Inlet to 145th Street; call the beach patrol at 410-520-5231, or reserve through the Welcome Center at 410-289-2800.

Assateague State Park and the National Seashore

Guarded in summer · bathhouse

Assateague State Park

7307 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin Directions. Day use 7 a.m. to sunset, year-round. Entry is $5 a person from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and $5 a vehicle the rest of the year. Lifeguards Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. From May to October, an accessible bathhouse has toilets, sinks, family restrooms and baby changing stations. Don’t stop or park along the roads for the horses; stay at least 40 feet away, a bus length, and lock up your food.

Wild beach · horses

Assateague Island National Seashore

The Maryland district sits south of the state park. A private vehicle pass is $25 for 7 days; the annual park pass is $45 and covers the Maryland and Virginia districts. Check NPS current conditions for lifeguards and beach status. NPS warns that currents here can be strong. Pets are banned on the whole Virginia end of the island, even in your car, and on the Maryland beach from the state park north to the Ocean City Inlet. Keep at least 40 feet from the horses.

Official sources for beach safety

  • Ocean City Beach Patrol — guards every day from Memorial Day weekend to the third Sunday after Labor Day, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. The guards are off duty for 2026 and return Sat May 29, 2027. Swim only when a guard is on the stand. 109 Talbot Street, 410-289-7556. Surf report
  • Semaphore flags — the arm-waving from the stands is the guards signaling each other with semaphore flags.
  • Alerts — NWS Wakefield beach forecast for rip currents and surf; Ocean City evacuation routes.
  • Assateague conditions — NPS current conditions for lifeguards and over-sand vehicle zones.
  • Tides — from NOAA’s Ocean City Inlet station.

Notes before you pack

Dogs

Dog season is October to April

Dogs can join you on the beach and Boardwalk Oct 1–Apr 30. From May through September, take them to the town’s dog playground at 94th Street, bayside, which is open year-round. On Assateague, check each park’s pet rules before you go.

Parking

Free Monday-to-Thursday parking in spring and fall

Streets and town lots are free Monday to Thursday from April 1 to May 21 and Oct 1 to 31.

Swimming

Guards return May 29, 2027

The beach patrol has finished for 2026. Until then, no stands are staffed on the town beach.

Where to base yourself

Downtown

On the Boardwalk, walking distance to the Inlet, and the busiest stretch in town.

Family

Midtown

Past the Boardwalk, on the Beach Bus line. With little kids, start here. Beach mats at nine streets from 30th to 94th make the walk to the water easier with a stroller.

Family

North End

Quieter blocks near the Delaware line and Northside Park, at the far end of town from the Boardwalk.

Quiet

Keep planning

Ocean City weather

Hourly and seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service for the Inlet.

Beach headlines

Closures, storms and changes on beaches worldwide, newest first.

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Every Mike’s Beach Guide destination, A to Z.

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