2 RI Beaches Set To Open Weeks Early This Year

PROVIDENCE, RI — If you can't wait for your first Rhode Island beach day of the summer, you're in luck — a couple of beaches are opening early this year, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Wednesday.

Scarborough North and Roger Wheeler state beaches in Narragansett will be open weekends only starting Saturday, allowing bathers and loungers access weeks before the official start of beach season in the state.

Lifeguards will be posted and bathrooms and amenities will be open on weekends at both locations, officials said Wednesday.

The early beach access on Saturdays and Sundays will go until Memorial Day, when all beaches will be open daily until Labor Day.

These sandy stretches are "part of what makes living in the Ocean State so special," Governor Dan McKee noted — which is why he wants to "remind beachgoers that keeping our natural spaces clean is everyone’s responsibility."

"This weekend and throughout beach season, let's protect our natural heritage by helping keep Rhody litter-free," McKee added.

State beach season parking passes are available online for the 2024 beach season. Resident passes are $30, non-resident passes are $60, resident senior passes are $15, and non-resident senior passes are $30.

Discounted senior citizen state beach parking passes are available to people 65 or older.