Wells, Maine

— Moody Beach, backed by summer homes, with little parking for visitors

— Wells Beach, the major beach with some free but mostly pay parking, reached by a causeway from the town

— Drakes Island, across an inlet from the northern end of Wells Beach, and reached by a separate road from the mainland at the northern end of the town of Wells

The major destination for visiting beach-goers is Wells Beach, reached from US Route 1 by turning east on Beach Road (look for the Wells Beach Resort Campground on the west side of US 1, and the USA Inn on the east side). It's 4/5-mile (1.3-km) from the traffic signal on US 1 to the small commercial area at the center of Wells Beach.

The commercial area has restaurants, snack stands, a few lodging places, and a few free parking places. For a larger pay parking lot operated by the town of Wells, turn left (north) onto Atlantic Avenue as you come off the causeway and proceed to the northern end of the avenue, lined on both sides with summer cottages.

Note the 16 "Public Way" paths leading from Atlantic Avenue between the private cottages to the beach. They're useful if you own or rent a cottage, but not if you've arrived by car for the day, as there is no parking allowed on Atlantic Avenue.

At the northern end of Atlantic Avenue is a parking lot charging $8 per day for non-resident cars. The beach here, a short walk from the parking lot, is called Eastern Shore, and is the widest part of Wells Beach.

It should take less than 15 minutes to walk from US 1 along the Beach Road causeway to Wells Beach.

Wells has motorized public "trolleys" that circulate on routes through the town from the Chamber of Commerce Information Center on US 1 and down Beach Road to Wells Beach, trundling visitors to and from the beach.