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Town of Duxbury - Beach Operations - Beach Update   6/3/2026 

Posted on: June 3, 2026 - 9:27am

Town of Duxbury - Beach Operations - Beach Update  

6/3/2026 

Summer Beach-Crossover Hours: 

Monday – Sunday: 8:00AM – 8:00PM 

Crossovers will be open tide, weather and avian activity dependent.  Please check the tidal charts for high tides prior to coming to the beach. 

 

Night-Time Driving Hours/Speed Limits: 

Per state & federal regulations regarding endangered/protected avian species that all recreational driving activity must stop at 8pm once chicks are present on the beach. This will apply to any open beach OSV & the backroad access/cut-outs.  

Speed limits may be as low 5MPH in many posted areas of the backroad and beach lots.  Please be mindful that DBR field staff, pedestrians and bicyclists utilize the roadways, and may appear around a corner or hard to see area.  Posted speed limits will be located along several areas of the roadways for safety. 

 

Updated Early Summer Crossover Status: 

Field Staff have advised that due to predation and our recent storm that several plover nests have been lost Due to those factors the estimated time of the early summer crossover closures have been updated again.  However, once a plover nest is lost, the adult plovers will attempt to re-nest, and this is occurring.  Multiple plover nests over the course of the next several weeks are expected to continue to hatch across the OSV beach area.   

Estimated closure dates of each crossover: 

  • Crossover 1 closed starting today Wednesday 6/3 due to avian requirements 
  • Crossover 2 is estimated to be closed by Wednesday 6/10 
  • Crossover 3 is estimated to be close by Saturday 6/13 

As plover chicks hatch, this will reduce vehicle capacity to any open crossover until each is closed.  Vehicle capacity numbers are subject to change daily as conditions are evaluated by Field Staff each morning to determine where OSV vehicles can safely operate on the beach. 

Current Vehicle Capacity as of Wednesday 6/3: 

  • Crossover 1- CLOSED- 0 vehicles 
  • Crossover 2 & 3- 170 vehicles 

Estimated Vehicle Capacity into this weekend/next week: 

  • Crossovers 2 & 3- 170 vehicles until Tuesday 6/9***Subject to Change*** 
  • Crossover 2 on Wednesday 6/10- estimated to be closed ***Subject to Change*** 
  • Crossover 3 on Wednesday 6/10-80 vehicles- expected to remain open into Saturday 6/13***Subject to Change*** 

 

Vehicle Operation in Restricted Areas of Beach 

Currently vehicles on the beach at Crossover 1 are unable to drive on the portion of the beach between Crossover 1 to Crossovers 2 or 3, and vice versa.  Once Crossover 2 closes on the estimated date of Sunday 5/31, these same rules will apply to vehicles on Crossover 3, as they will not be able to driver into the closed portion of Crossover 2. Beach Rangers will be stationed to monitor the areas of the restricted access points.  Saw-horses will also be placed on the beach to denote the areas that vehicles will be unable to access. 

 

Social Media Announcements 

Information on restricted areas, vehicle capacity allowances and OSV closures will be disseminated to beach permit holders as soon as applicable.   

Any available OSV vehicle access is split evenly between residents and non-resident permit holders.  Beach Ops will be checking permits and advising which crossover may be open to the 2 different types of OSV permit holders to evenly distribute them across any open crossover access point. 

Due to the challenging aspect of dealing with avian activity, we will determine each morning with field staff by approximately 8am, the following information that will be sent out daily via social media (X & Instagram) to permit holders on crossover access and vehicle capacity: 

  • What crossover(s) will be eligible to open if avian activity allows. 
  • How many OSV vehicles will be allowed at each open crossover to be evenly split between resident and non-resident permit holders. 
  • What time the crossover(s) will open. Any open crossover will close by 8pm unless circumstances due to avian species, tides or weather cause an earlier closure time. 

 

Limited OSV Vehicle Access Information/Process 

When vehicle access is severely limited due to a smaller number of vehicles allowed on any open OSV crossover, and especially on a great warm day, this can often lead to potentially chaotic scenes and safety hazards for permit holders, visitors and staff.    Beach Operations will be onsite to assist, direct and help as much as possible and the information below will allow permit holders to be prepared as much a possible on those days of great weather, with very limited OSV access. 

Due to the limited amount of OSV permitted vehicles that are allowed to enter the OSV due to avian restrictions, we ask that you arrive as early as can be once an announcement is made. More than likely any open crossover(s) will open sometime between 8am and 9am, but may be delayed further to do field staff assessments. Please do not drive down the backroad and wait outside the closed crossover(s). You will be sent back to the parking lot to wait behind other vehicles. The backroad is an active roadway that needs access for emergency vehicles, and Saquish/Gurnet vehicles. It is not a parking lot, and therefore vehicles cannot stop and wait for Rangers to open a crossover. OSV permitted vehicles will need to wait in the resident lot in the morning so that Beach Ops Rangers can check your permit, and get an accurate count of how many resident and non-resident vehicles are in the parking lot to ensure we are evenly splitting the access to the crossover(s). 

Please check in with a Beach Ops Ranger at the guard shack at the Powder Point Bridge to determine if the OSV is full or has available space. We do not have areas to wait in the parking lot if the OSV is full. OSV drivers must understand that not all OSV drivers that show up may be able to access the open crossover(s) due to the limited number of vehicles allowed. Please show patience with Beach Ops Rangers as they do their best to provide you up to date information. With so few vehicles authorized to access the OSV, you must assume it will fill quickly and remain full throughout the time period it is open. 

Beach Ops will be adding additional Rangers to work during limited crossover openings to adhere to required state/federal regulations for protected avian species. Beach Ops Rangers will monitor areas of the beach to ensure that OSV vehicles do not inadvertently enter restricted areas on the beach. You may observe saw-horses, rebar, cones and signs denoting areas that cannot be entered. Beach Ops will also assign a Ranger to the entrance of any open crossover to ensure compliance with the 50/50 rule to evenly split resident and non-resident OSV permit holders on the beach. You cannot save/reserve spots on the beach for other vehicles if they are not there at that time on beach. This is a first come, first served access. We have no reservation system in place. OSV drivers must be aware that we cannot determine how long someone will remain on the beach for one of the few allotted spots. This could be a few hours or all day. 

If you are able to access the open crossover(s), you will be allowed to have dogs that must remain leashed. However, if you bring your dog(s) to the beach, and it is full, you cannot have your dog(s) use the front oceanside resident beach or bayside beach if you have to park at the resident beach lot for resident OSV permit holders or the Northern lot for non-resident OSV permit holders. Leashed dogs are allowed on the roadways, and the bayside beach behind south of the Powder Point Bridge shack small parking lot. 

The non-resident parking lot will be north from the Blakeman’s Restaurant parking lot. The entry point will be at the northern end where Beach Ops has 2 large trailers parked. We will have a sign that states ‘Non-Resident Parking”. Beach Ops will have a Ranger at the entrance checking permits.  

As a reminder, leashed dogs are unable to walk thru portions of the crossover beach, where vehicles are not allowed to enter due to plover chicks in the area.  Leashed dogs must remain within areas only where the OSV vehicles are currently allowed. 

We appreciate your cooperation and patronage to Duxbury Beach. We are fully aware that the limited OSV access, or full closure is not ideal to permit holders, but Beach Ops and DBR will do their best to provide what OSV access we can under difficult circumstances of protecting state/federal avian species along with public recreational opportunities. 

 

Crossover 1 Soft Sand/Equipment & Guidelines for OSV Operation 

Crossover 1 has always been considered a sand trap and is more prone to vehicles getting stuck in the extreme soft sand that accumulates at the bottom of the crossover entry/exit access point.  Currently we have it closed due to multiple vehicles getting stuck in the sand when it was open.  With a restricted area in place that does not allow currently for driving from Crossover 1 to Crossover 2, we would normally have vehicles getting stuck at exiting Crossover 1 to backup and then exit of areas less prone to soft sand at Crossover 2 & 3.  With the current restricted area in place, we lost that option. We will open it to OSV drivers when needed to assist with OSV access for permit holders to utilize, but each driver entering must be aware of the risk, that their vehicle has enough clearance in soft sand, and that the driver is confident in driving that area.  Beach Rangers will be at the entrance when it is opening and speaking with the driver and ensuring each vehicle has the proper equipment. 

Per the Town of Duxbury Beach Rules & Regulations guidebook, each vehicle operating on the OSV must have the following: 

  • All off-road vehicles must have 4WD and the proper tire pressure for beach conditions (15PSI), as this pressure will lessen damage to beach roads and crossovers and promote a safe and comfortable ride.  
  • All off-road vehicles must be properly equipped before they are permitted on the beach, and vehicles may be subject to inspection for the following equipment at any time:  
  • shovel 
  • tow rope, tow strap, or chain 
  • spare tire & jack 
  • 18” square plywood support pad or traction pads 
  • tires that are properly pressurized for beach conditions 

Vehicles lacking this equipment or tire pressure may be cited and/or refused entry for any missing items. 

 

Vehicles Stuck in Sand 

Due to liability concerns, the Town of Duxbury does not tow or remove vehicles that become stuck in the sand. Vehicle operators must be responsible for operating their vehicles in the proper gear, have the ability/knowledge to drive properly on the sand, and have the required equipment to remove themselves from the sand if their vehicle becomes stuck. 

Most if not all tow companies are now refusing to come assist drivers who become stuck in sand on the beach. Beach Operations staff will come assist drivers as much as possible if they do become stuck, but we ask that drivers be aware of issues that may occur on the beach.  Recently we have had several vehicles stuck in sand in which the driver did not have their vehicle in 4WD, did not have the required equipment in order to free themselves and had their tires fully inflated.  Tow companies that have come out have charged $500 or more to help remove the vehicles from the sand. 

If stuck, do not spin the tires. Let air out of your tires and try again. If your car frame is touching the sand, stop everything and follow this procedure: 

  • Jack up each wheel and fill in the holes under each tire; 
  • Drop the tire pressure further and attempt to back up the car about 15 feet; 
  • Fill in all holes
  • Proceed forward 

Northern Lot for Non-Resident OSV Permits: 

The Northern Lot will be utilized for non-resident OSV permit holders for overflow parking when the crossovers are closed or severely restricted due to avian closures.  We will have a porta potty available in the lot for patrons.  The lot is just north of the Blakeman’s Restaurant parking and Beach Rangers will be directing/checking permits when it is open. 

 

Walk-On Resident Beach/Back-Road Cut-Outs: 

When Crossovers are closed due to avian activity, this can often create confusion that the entire Duxbury Beach is closed. The only closure will be for vehicle access on the OSV beach where the chicks are present and are in danger of being near vehicles. The walk-on beach, resident and non-resident permit parking northern lot, and backroad/cut-outs will remain open for permit holder use. 

The backroad/cut-outs will remain open during the summer from 8am-8pm for OSV permit holders, and will remain open for during the time that crossover access is closed. This will allow for those OSV permit holders that want to park in an open cut-out an opportunity to utilize the limited backroad parking for the summer months for recreational activities.  

 

Duxbury Beach Reservation New Public Access Dashboard- Avian Update: 

DBR has a new link attached below for the public to utilize to retrieve real time data on avian activity, recreational activities that are allowed or may be restricted. Please click on the link below to access information from DBR. 

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/6a9bd186cfc642c3b7bd33f15a5c1356

Symbolic fencing for protected avian species, consisting of green rebar, twine and signage has been installed by DBR/Beach Operations staff along the entire stretch of the beach on the upper portion of the dunes. These areas will be adjusted and moved out as additional nests are located on the beach. Areas behind the symbolic fencing represent closed areas where there is no public access to people or dogs. 

Please be sure to monitor our X feed for the most up-to-date information including any operational updates: https://twitter.com/BeachDuxbury. 

 

As always, we appreciate your continued cooperation in adhering to all signage and directives from Beach Rangers and DBR Personnel.