North America's Top 50+ Beaches

• Ko Olina // USA

  

  Ko Olina is a gorgeous 2 miles stretch of coastline with a series of sandy coves and several natural and manmade lagoons. The name "Ko Olina" means "fulfillment of joy" and was originally a fishing camp for native Hawaiian rulers.

  Just a short distance from Honolulu and the North Shore, Ko Olina is a popular and beautiful beach to visit… read more »

• Pirates Cove // USA

  

  Another California gem for naturists, Pirate's Cove is midway between Avila Beach and Shell Beach / Pismo Beach.

  This south-facing cove is sheltered which is probably why it is favoured as a nudist beach. Its secluded position and rocky caves would have made the beach a natural hideaway for smugglers when ships heading to Port San Luis Harbour dropped… read more »

• Bonny Doon Beach // USA

  

  Pretty Bonny Doon Beach is a gorgeous sandy cove backed by high cliffs and flower-covered slopes creating a natural amphitheatre.

  Situated just off the Cabrillo Highway near Bonny Doon Road in Santa Cruz, it is part of Coast Dairies State Park with free parking but no facilities. The paved parking lot is open 8am to sunset but it quickly… read more »

• Pacific City Beach // USA

  

  Pacific City Beach is a hugely diverse landscape, though the attention of most people will fall immediately on the its wide expanse of gently undulating sand.

  At its southern extreme is a spit of land created by the Big Nestucca River entering the Pacific Ocean which attracts everything from herons to puffins, making the beach popular with bird watchers. Seals, sea… read more »

• Collins Beach // USA

  

  Collins Beach is a rare thing - not an ocean beach but a river one. It is located on the eastern side of Sauvie Island, on the border between Oregon and Washington state, with sands that disappear beneath the waters of the Columbia River.

  Approximately 1.5 kilometres in length, it is also worth noting that Collins Beach is in part a… read more »

• Mussel Shoals Beach // USA

  

  Situated in the north of Ventura County, just off Highway 101 is Mussel Shoals Beach. A pleasant stretch of golden sand backed by a clutch of low rise beachfront properties, the beach here has a fairly laid back vibe.

  Probably the most recognizable feature of Mussel Shoals Beach is the long pier stretching out from mid beach. The pier leads out to… read more »

• Torrance County Beach // USA

  

  Nestled between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove, you may hear the locals refer to this stretch as RAT Beach - as in, Right After Torrance or Redondo & Torrance. 

  The soft white sands here sit at the bottom of a picturesque cliff, so snapping some Insta-worthy photos is a breeze.

  When it comes to amenities, you'll find loads of parking spaces close… read more »

• Myrtle Beach // USA

  

  Since 1949 Myrtle Beach has also been known locally as the Grand Strand, separating it from the city of Myrtle Beach which stands on its landward side for just a small stretch of its staggering 60 miles. Because of its size, its sands are also sometimes subdivided into north, central and south areas, with most of the top attractions located… read more »

• Black Beach // Canada

  

  When we think of black sand beaches we tend to think of tropical islands with jungle-fringed volcanos rising precipitously from the ocean - or at least not Canada. But here we are, in New Brunswick, not far from Lorneville looking at a beach with undeniably black sand.

  The point is not all black sand beaches are volcanic. The imaginatively named Black Beach… read more »

• Santa Rosa Beach // USA

  

  Powdery white sand and the clear waters of the Gulf are all par for the course along Florida's Emerald Coast and Santa Rosa beach is no exception. Situated less than ten miles away from the ever popular beaches of Destin, what you get at Santa Rosa is a more laid back, and dare I say, upmarket experience. You can instantly… read more »

• Clearwater Beach // USA

  

  Clearwater is yet another fantastic Florida beach situated on the barrier islands of the Gulf Coast. Located on the Pinellas Peninsula this white sand beach stretches for over 3 miles (5 km) along the calm, clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Clearwater beach is one of Florida's best rated family beaches and there is plenty to back… read more »

• Playa Pilar // The Caribbean

  

  The one kilometre of finely-graded white sand of Playa Pilar sits on the northwest coast of Cayo Guillermo, itself off the northwest coast of Cayo Coco. Part of the cluster of keys which stretch along Cuba's north coast, Playa Pilar makes for a perfect escape, given its sparkling blue shallows. Protected by an offshore coral reef, which is a… read more »

• Grace Bay // The Caribbean

  

  Grace Bay rightfully ranks as one of the world's most alluring beaches, with an idyllic tropical setting playing its part. It is at the western end of the Turks and Caicos Archipelago, on the north shore of the island of Providenciales, known less formally as Provo. Cuba lies to the west and Miami to the northwest. At Grace Bay, the… read more »

• Trunk Bay // The Caribbean

  

  Trunk Bay is considered one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, if not the world. A regular contender for the best beach spot in Condé Nast Traveler magazine and cited most beautiful beach in the world by the National Geographic Society, Trunk Bay certainly has a lot to live up to.

  Trunk Bay has everything you would expect from… read more »

• Tunnels Beach // USA

  

  Tunnels beach is set on the north coast of Hawaii's most northerly main island, Kauai. Originally known as Makua beach, the name Tunnels could be from one of two possible sources; most likely is it comes from the maze passages that wind their way through the big coral reef which sits just offshore. Alternately, it could be from the shape… read more »

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