North America's Top 50+ Beaches
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Muir Beach // USA
Jesse Wagstaff Twenty-five kilometres from San Francisco, Muir Beach is the first beach you'll come across heading north into Marin County. One of the cleanest beaches in California according to official data, it is a part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
While not the longest of beaches, at around 300 metres in length, it is wide, at 60 metres. The broad… read more »
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Pescadero State Beach // USA
Nick Amoscato A great all-round beach, Pescadero State Beach incorporates sands perfect for sunbathing with rocky cliffs, tidal pools, picnic facilities, and sites for shore fishing. The latter you might expect with a beach that takes its name from the Spanish for "the place to fish".
The beach covers a length of around a mile in total, divided into two areas separated by… read more »
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Tennessee Beach // USA
Fabrice Florin Tennessee Beach is located on the west side of the Marin Headlands in San Francisco's Marin County. It is named after the SS Tennessee, a ship which ran aground here in 1853 while trying to enter Golden Gate Bay. Though all 500 passengers on board escaped, its iron carcass can still be seen during the lowest tides of the month.
Only… read more »
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Gunnison Beach // USA
Richard Arthur Norton Washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gunnison Beach is a beach that is difficult to fault. It is situated within Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District, part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Its views include those of Verrazano Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York. During the summer months there are even… read more »
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Playa Carrizalillo // Mexico
ilf_ Playa Carrizalillo is one of the most popular beaches on the Puerto Escondido coast of Oaxaca. Located at the end of a bay of the same name, Playa Carrizalillo may only be roughly 100 yards in length but has the facilities much larger beaches would be proud of.
One downside is that the main access point to the beach is… read more »
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Apollo Beach // USA
Peter & Michelle S Located on Florida's eastern Atlantic coastline in New Smyrna, Apollo Beach is on the Canaveral National Seashore (National Park). Great for beach lovers, it has an endless strip of pristine golden sand and, being more secluded, it is one of the top nudist beaches in Florida. (This should not to be confused with the other Apollo Beach on Florida's… read more »
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Harris Beach // USA
© Bonnie Moreland Appropriately, Harris Beach is located within Harris Beach State Park, on Oregon's rugged southern coastline. It is just off the coastal Highway 101, north of the town of Brookings. Backed by verdant hills, this relatively quiet sand beach stretches for several hundred metres. Also relatively wide, a small gentle stream flows into the Pacific Ocean here, making it an attractive… read more »
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Akumal Beach // Mexico
© Alexander Shalamov Akumal Beach is located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum in the heart of the Riviera Maya on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is a long white sand beach that is lapped by the warm turquoise seas of the Caribbean. Behind the palm trees lies a charming little town that is well equipped to meet the needs of visitors.
Often seen… read more »
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English Bay Beach // Canada
© Kenny Louie / CC BY Originally known as First Beach, English Bay Beach is in downtown Vancouver along Beach Ave (of course!) between Gilford and Bidwell Streets. The curving sandy beach is where the shores of Vancouver meet the Pacific Ocean.
The eastern edge of the beach is bounded by the Stanley Park Seawall which is popular for walking, bicycling and running. This wide… read more »
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Jericho Beach // Canada
© GoToVan / CC BY Located just west of Kitsilano, Jericho Beach is a well-used sandy beach and grassy park in Vancouver. It's a great place for a picnic overlooking the water and watching sail boats in the waters of English Bay from the local Sailing Centre.
The beach is named after Jeremiah Rogers who ran a logging camp in the area in the… read more »
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Locarno Beach // Canada
© Jeff Hitchcock / CC BY Locarno Beach is on the Stanley Park Seawall just 7 km west of downtown Vancouver. It runs from Spanish Banks in the west to Jericho Pier and Park to the east.
This beautiful sandy beach is shaded by stands of tall evergreen trees and within sight of the high-rise architecture of the city. It was named after the Swiss… read more »
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Parksville Beach // Canada
© marneejill / CC BY Overlooking Lasqueti Island and the Strait of Georgia, Parksville Beach is a pristine sandy beach on east coast Vancouver Island. Sweeping views look out across the expansive ocean to the Coast Mountains on mainland British Columbia.
The clean sand here is ideal for young families to play. Access is via the Parksville Community Park which has children's play areas, water cannons,… read more »
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Qualicum Beach // Canada
© GoToVan / CC BY Qualicum Beach is located 48 km northwest of Nanaimo on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Bordering the Strait of Georgia, this beautiful beach has plenty of parking along the Oceanside Route (Hwy 19A) with a promenade, changing rooms, picnic tables and restaurants. The Qualicum Beach railway station is open from late May to September and is located on Beach… read more »
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White Rock Beach // Canada
White Rock Beach is actually a trio of beaches known for their fine weather and stunning sunsets. The beach is part of the Boundary Bay Wildlife Management Area.
Together, West Beach, East Beach and Crescent Beach make up White Rock Beach and between them they offer 5 miles (8km) of clean sand and ocean fun. An area known as "The Hump"… read more »
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Gimli Beach // Canada
© Robert Linsdell / CC BY In Norse mythology, Gimli is the most beautiful place in the afterlife so Gimli Beach has it lot to live up to!
Located in Manitoba, the heart of "New Iceland", the curving light sandy bay at Gimli Beach is pretty perfect, especially in summer. Earlier settlers brought their Icelandic heritage and traditions and they are remembered in the towering… read more »
