North America's Top 50+ Beaches
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Newport Beach // USA
Mitch Barrie Home of the biggest recreational harbor on the west coast, the classic California surf town of Newport Beach offers sandy beaches, water sports, and incredible views of the sunset. This is a place you will never run out of ways to fill your day, and you can experience a real slice of Southern California beach life.
The sand stretches for… read more »
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Seabright Beach // USA
Mike Fernwood Situated just along the coast from Main Beach and the boardwalk, Seabright Beach runs from the mouth of the San Lorenzo River to the entrance of Santa Cruz Harbour. The beach is accessed via the western end of East Cliff Drive, near the Museum of Natural History, and where there is free parking.
Seabright Beach is a wide stretch of… read more »
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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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Higgs Beach (Key West) // USA
Cristo Vlahos Set between Smathers Beach and Fort Zachary Taylor Beach is the somewhat lower key and smaller Higgs Beach. A very pleasant stretch of perfect white sand backed by tall palm trees Higgs is everything you would expect from a tropical beach.
However, not everything is as it seems - in fact the sand is actually imported from the Caribbean,… read more »
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Coney Island Beach // USA
Brooklyn's iconic seafront is home to a generous stretch of sand backed by a boardwalk and vast array of amusements. This is the beach people instantly think about when you mention NYC beaches, and judging by the summer crowds it is the one they go to as well!
Only marginally less busy than nearby Rockaway, Coney Island beach is guaranteed… 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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Lighthouse Point // USA
© Stu99 The beach at Lighthouse Point forms a dog-leg around the southern and western end of Lighthouse Point Park, in the East Shore district just south of downtown New Haven. This city beach is therefore an ideal spot from which to admire the natural beauty of Long Island Sound, in addition to Five Mile Point Light, a lighthouse dating from 1847.
Lighthouse… 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 »
