Betterton Beach MD

The Sass flows west into the bay, about a third of the way down the bay, where the bay is about a third as salty as the sea.

The Sass itself is tidal freshwater: Betterton was once a resort, the beach to go to before the Bay Bridge was built and everyone went to the seacoast.

Betterton gets enough freshwater outflow from the Sass that it does not get the sea nettle (they sting!) infestation much of the rest of the Bay is subject to.

Betterton beach is quiet on weekdays, or the off season, but this tiny beach can be as crowded as an ocean beach on a holiday weekend (that's what the locals told us anyway).

While the view to sea is pristine, and you can see some fine sunsets, behind you is the town of Betterton. While it's not exactly the awfulness that is Ocean City, it's not a nature reserve (my preferred kind of beach) either.

The coarse orange river sand is groomed (we saw the tracks of what I can only describe as a "sand zamboni") to eliminate trash and sandburrs (watch out for them in August and September).

There is a bathhouse, restrooms, shady picnic tables, and quiet bay waters. Nice place to pitch your umbrella and towel and chill.

Bonus: gulls, ospreys, cormorants and the local turkey and black vultures that hang out on the pilings. Those I have enjoyed from my kayak farther up the Sass at Turner's Creek. Nice day trip from southcentral PA or MD.

This was our first expedition to specifically look for sea glass. We stopped in Tolchester found some pieces and raced here because Betterton has potties and Tolchester does not.

Between the two places we must have found four dozen pieces. Each of us found at least a dozen pieces in the hour or so we were at Tolchester... and a dozen or so more at Betterton (we were there much longer, several hours).

We only found a couple larger pieces, most were small.

They ranged from nicely rounded to very fresh, sharp and shiny.

I suspect it would be a great place to check out in the winter, or after a storm, when nearly no one except locals goes there. You might wade into the water and sift among the bay pebbles in the shallows to see what you find.

Great little day trip, good facilities (as with all public facilities, sometimes you get to the restrooms/showers behind the moron who had the diaper explosion and didn't clean it up).

Lovely picnic spot, nice place to chill on the beach, swim, or just float.

Lady was swimming with her Chesapeake Bay Retriever (who later came up, leaned on me, demanded doggie rubs, and told me I really needed to make sure I adopt a Chessie some day)(but nooooo, I only keep pointy eared husky type dogs!)(wait, can you do scootering and urban mushing???).

I don't know what the sign said about dogs, but as with most of MD, lovely retrievers were everywhere, off leash, but very polite. If your dog isn't perfectly obedient, bring it along, keep it on a leash.

Again, this is tidal freshwater, so dogs won't drink it and barf in your car...