North America's Top 50+ Beaches
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Thornton State Beach // USA
Peter Kaminski Birds in search of a tasty morsel can be seen along the shoreline of this brown sandy beach just south of San Francisco. Positioned below tall bluffs, this park is popular with hikers, boasting equestrian trails on the bluff terraces high above the waterline. There's only a few parking spots nearby and the locals like it that way so… read more »
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Hermosa Beach // USA
Hermosa's two-mile swathe of golden sand is one of the most popular stretches in Los Angeles County.
With 94 acres of beach to stretch out on and top-notch conditions for surfing, it attracts visitors of all ages.
At the heart of the beach is the historic pier, which has had pride of place for more than 50 years. If you fancy doing… read more »
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Pacific Beach // USA
Fastily Pacific Beach is the name of both the beach and this neighborhood of San Diego. Known locally as P.B. this stretch of sand runs between La Jolla and Mission Beach.
At the heart of Pacific Beach is the Crystal Pier which dates back to the 1920s. The main beach is the area to the south of the pier, whilst the other… read more »
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Fairfield Beach // USA
© Joe Shlabotnik Fairfield Beach comprises approximately five miles of wide sandy beach on Long Island Sound. It forms a narrow spit or peninsula which runs continuously between Pine Creek Point to the south and Shoal Point to the north, the closest stretch of land to Penfield Reef.
Fairfield Beach's Long Island Sound location has made it a prime spot for building, with almost… read more »
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Pleasure Beach // USA
Bill Pleasure Beach stands guard at the entrance to Bridgeport Harbour. On the same narrow barrier beach peninsula as the better-known Long Beach, Pleasure Beach has a much more natural appearance. Its pale sand is mixed with shingle and pebbles from Long Island Sound, alongside occasional pockets of coastal grasses and areas of washed-up seaweed.
Brought back to life in 2014,… read more »
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Bowman's Beach Park // USA
Mark Sherman Several miles in length, Bowman's Beach sits on the Gulf of Mexico on the southern shores of Florida's Sanibel Island. Situated on one of the quieter parts of island, with just one main road heading north, Bowman's Beach is close to both JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and the lagoon-like waters of Clam Bayou.
Roughly ten minutes on foot from… read more »
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Redondo Beach // USA
btwashburn Forming the third point in a triangle alongside San Francisco to the north and San Jose to the east, Redondo Beach is part of a continuous string of sand beaches on Half Moon Bay that each have their own name and ambience.
One of the quieter stretches of bleached sand on the bay, Redondo Beach is still close to a variety… read more »
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Calusa Beach // USA
Lying close to the southernmost point of Bahia Honda Key, one of the Florida Keys, Calusa Beach comes complete with palm trees and white sand gently-sloping into warm azure blue waters.
One of just a handful of great beaches in the keys, and one of very few that are entirely natural, Calusa Beach is part of Bahia Honda State Park.… read more »
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Green Sand Beach // USA
Roy Luck Officially called Papakōlea, and also going by the name Mahana Beach, Green Sand Beach takes its most common moniker from its unusually-coloured sands. It is one of just four known beaches worldwide to comprise green sand through the degradation of a volcanic rock known as olivine.
Located on Big Island's southeast coast at the end of a small inlet, the rocks… read more »
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Ingonish Beach // Canada
Dennis Jarvis Very much a summer destination, Ingonish Beach pretty much disappears entirely during the winter months, only for the sands to be redeposited afresh by the waves each spring.
Situated within Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Cape Breton Island, the beach forms the ocean-facing edge of a thin strip of land separating a freshwater lake from the Atlantic Ocean.
A boardwalk leads… read more »
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McClures Beach // USA
Buddha Dog McClures Beach lies at the very end of Pierce Point Road, from where walkers head out on the Tomales Point Trailhead. Facing west into the broad expanse of the Pacific blue, rip currents make swimming dangerous, although there is plenty to do on the broad sweep of golden sands instead. Situated between two short headlands, the beach can't be seen… read more »
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Edisto Beach // USA
Meredith Harris Edisto Beach is the name of both the beach and the surrounding town of around 400 residents, most of whom commute from here. A vacation spot since the 1920s, today Edisto Beach is one of just a handful of largely uncommercialised, family-friendly beaches located in the region.
Although only stretching a few metres back, the beach runs uninterrupted for around four… read more »
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Gulf Shores // USA
John Tuggle Gulf Shores Beach is located immediately south of the downtown area of the town of the same name. Lining the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, this particular stretch of brilliant white sand runs for approximately four miles, although include neighbouring beaches and this length can be more than doubled.
Largely unaffected by the 2010 oil spill, as well… read more »
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Sombrero Beach // USA
Franz Stellbrink A cosy backyard playground for Islanders, this is one of the best kept beach secrets in the Florida Keys and is located on Marathon Key. Visitors to this beach get to enjoy the soft sand and turquoise waters. It's not a large beach but your little piece of "sand estate" can be claimed regardless if it is crowded. There's plenty… read more »
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Coco Plum Beach // USA
© rjlerich Coco Plum Beach is one of the more naturalistic of beach settings within the chain of islands which make up the Florida Keys and is generally less crowded than others in the area. Enjoying the warm shallows of the Atlantic Ocean around the town on Marathon, it backs onto wetlands that provide a vital habitat for the region's bird and… read more »
