Wayland Town Beach is the Town of Wayland's lifeguarded swimming beach on the North Pond of Lake Cochituate, run by the Wayland Recreation Department at 25 Parkland Drive. It sits in the Cochituate village section of town, at the north tip of a 625-acre lake made of three linked ponds (North, Middle and South) that stretch into Natick and Framingham. The lake was dammed in the 1800s as a water supply reservoir for Boston and is now used only for recreation. Framingham's Saxonville Beach is close by on the western shore of the same pond.

The beach is at the end of Parkland Drive, a short drive off Route 27 (Main Street) in Cochituate. Parking in the lot is free, and the town notes that plenty of visitors walk, bike or get dropped off, so a full lot does not always mean a full beach. The gate can be closed to new arrivals when the beach reaches capacity or during bad weather, and the town posts those closures through its beach alert subscription.

The roped swim area covers about 60,000 square feet off a sand beach of roughly 300 feet, with swim docks inside the ropes. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day weekend (May 23 in 2026) until about August 10; from August 11 to Labor Day the beach runs a post-season with no lifeguards, and swimming is at your own risk. Swimming is allowed only inside the marked area, and the rules ban diving off docks or boats, swimming under the docks, inflatables and water wings (pool noodles and USCG-approved life jackets are fine), dogs, alcohol and glass. Children under 11 must be with someone 15 or older, and kids 4 and under need a responsible person in the water with them. Each June the town clears weeds from the swim area by diver-assisted suction harvesting.

It is not free. In season, admission is charged per person, not per car: Wayland residents pay $5.00 a day and non-residents pay $10.00 a day, with a limited number of non-resident day passes sold each day. Children under 3 get in free. Season passes cost $50 for adults and $25 for youth and seniors who live in Wayland, or $75 and $50 for non-residents. On Memorial Day weekend, Juneteenth and the July 4th weekend, entry is limited to season pass holders, Wayland residents with a day pass, and their guests, so non-residents without a season pass should plan another day. The town does not post daily opening hours online; call the beach at (508) 655-8237 in season or the Recreation Office at (508) 358-3660.

The Health Department samples the swim area weekly during the season for E. coli and cyanobacteria. North Pond has had blue-green algae blooms that closed the beach, including a July 2021 closure, but the town reports 2026 as its fourth straight season without a closure, and the summer's tests stayed well under state limits. A state fish advisory covers all of Lake Cochituate because of PCBs, and fishing from the docks or shore is not allowed. Thunder clears the water for 30 minutes and lightning for an hour.

Beyond swimming there is a snack bar, restrooms with changing rooms and showers in season, a shaded picnic grove with charcoal grills (no propane), a new playground, half-court basketball, sand volleyball and a gaga pit. The beach rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, sailboats and pedal boats from $20 an hour, and a path next to the beach lets you launch your own non-motorized boat onto the lake.