Best USA Beaches

By | Last Updated:
Contents
  1. Pope Beach
  2. Moonstone Beach
  3. Santa Monica State Beach
  4. Torrance County Beach
  5. Pirates Cove
  6. Bonny Doon Beach
  7. Greenwich Point Park
  8. Hammonasset Beach
  9. Fort Lauderdale Beach
  10. Caspersen Beach
  11. Kehena Black Sand Beach
  12. Ko Olina
  13. DT Fleming Beach Park
  14. Kama'ole Beach Park I
  15. Old Orchard Beach
  16. USA beach map

The Best U.S. Beaches...

  • 46. Pope Beach // Lake Tahoe

    Pope Beach
    Ken Lund
    Great for:
    • Swimming

    Immediately to the west of the Tahoe Keys residential development of South Lake Tahoe, Pope Beach is an attractive area of lakeshore lined with mature trees. Its narrow ribbon of golden sand is still wide enough to ensure there's plenty of space for everyone who visits.

    Mountain vistas provide a pleasant backdrop to time on Pope Beach, which can be spent swimming, boating or cycling. Roughly a kilometre in length, the… read more »

  • 47. Moonstone Beach // Northern California

    Moonstone Beach
    © Jar965

    Located in Cambria, San Luis Obispo County, central California, Moonstone Beach is made up of a dark sand the colour of brown sugar. Located within Hearst San Simeon State Park, it has also no facilities.

    However, Moonstone Beach does boast a number of attractions that make it well worth a visit. A mile-long boardwalk runs from Moonstone Beach Park at Santa Rosa Creek to Leffingwell Landing. You can find parking at… read more »

  • 48. Santa Monica State Beach // Southern California

    Santa Monica State Beach
    Great for:
    • Family
    • Fishing
    • Swimming
    • Surfing

    Just west of downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica State Beach stretches for an astonishing 8 miles of soft sand. Cleaned and raked on a daily basis, it will host the beach volleyball competition of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

    The archetypal West Coast beach town, Santa Monica State Beach has a pier with an amusement park that contains a carousel dating from 1922 and is listed as a National Historic… read more »

  • 49. Torrance County Beach // Southern California

    Torrance County Beach
    Great for:
    • Fishing
    • Swimming
    • Surfing

    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 by, lifeguards on daily duty, and restrooms and showers right… read more »

  • 50. Pirates Cove // Central California

    Pirates Cove
    Sergei Gussev

    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 off smuggled liquor.

    Despite its name and notoriety, Pirate's Cove… read more »

  • 51. Bonny Doon Beach // Central California

    Bonny Doon Beach
    Nick Amoscato

    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 fills up. Beach access involves walking across the railroad tracks… read more »

  • 52. Greenwich Point Park // Connecticut

    Greenwich Point Park
    Jllm06
    Great for:
    • Fishing
    • Swimming
    • Kitesurfing

    Greenwich Point Park Beach is located on a narrow peninsula of land that juts out from the northern shoreline of Long Island Sound. A private beach with public access via a day pass system costing around $10 per person plus parking, it was known to the Siwanoy people as Monakewego, or 'shining sands.'

    Visit at low tide and you'll see exactly why, although most beachgoers choose to wear beach shoes or… read more »

  • 53. Hammonasset Beach // Connecticut

    Hammonasset Beach
    rickpilot_2000
    Great for:
    • Family
    • Fishing
    • Swimming
    • Kitesurfing

    Just over a hundred years ago, in July 2020, Hammonasset Beach State Beach opened to the public. It has been a popular destination ever since. Easy to access from I-95 Exit 62 and close to Madison, CT it attracts over a million visitors each year.

    Once a settlement for native American Indians, the name "Hammonasset" means "place where we dig holes in the ground". By 1898 the Winchester Rifle Company… read more »

  • 54. Fort Lauderdale Beach // South Florida

    Fort Lauderdale Beach
    DANIEL ALFARO C.
    Great for:
    • Family

    Fort Lauderdale beach is a beautiful stretch of white sand that runs alongside the crystal clear blue waters of the ocean. It is quieter than Miami, with more of a family-friendly feel than a wild college party destination. The promenade that runs behind the beach is lined with palm trees and there is always plenty going on.

    This beach at Fort Lauderdale is clean with generally calm waters that… read more »

  • 55. Caspersen Beach // South Florida

    Caspersen Beach
    Grendelkhan
    Great for:
    • Snorkeling
    • Swimming

    Florida's Gulf Coast has some of the best white sandy beaches in the world (with the awards to prove it) but Caspersen Beach is rather special. It is known as the "Shark Tooth Capital of the World" for reasons which are explained below.

    Close to Venice, Caspersen Beach stretches along the Gulf of Mexico for 1.5 miles and is a great spot for shelling and spotting wading shorebirds and the… read more »

  • 56. Kehena Black Sand Beach // Big Island

    Kehena Black Sand Beach
    Tal Atlas

    A thin sliver of black sand on the eastern coast of Big Island in Puna, Kehena Black Sand Beach is best accessed by following the path leading from the left of the car park. Because of its isolation, it is often used by nude sunbathers, although this is illegal on Hawaii and those who strip off may face a fine from local law enforcement officials.

    Sometimes also called Dolphin Beach because… read more »

  • 57. Ko Olina // Oahu

    Ko Olina
    © Michelle Maria
    Great for:
    • Family
    • Snorkeling
    • Swimming

    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 on the drier western side of Oahu. Non-resident guests are… read more »

  • 58. DT Fleming Beach Park // Maui

    DT Fleming Beach Park
    KasugaHuang
    Great for:
    • Swimming
    • Surfing

    Set on the far northwest of Maui, D.T. Fleming Beach Park has a long sandy beach which is surrounded by trees, and is quieter than many of the island's other beaches. The white sand runs for 1,500 feet with a width of 150 feet between two lava healands. The surrounding trees are Ironwoods, and there are dunes leading up to them. There is a shallow sandbar in front of most… read more »

  • 59. Kama'ole Beach Park I // Maui

    Kama'ole Beach Park I
    dronepicr
    Great for:
    • Snorkeling
    • Swimming

    Located in the town of Kihei, north of Wailea on Maalaea Bay, Kama'ole Beach Park incorporates three sandy beaches separated by rocky outcrops. All three beaches are worthy of a mention. For ease of reference, the locals have christened them Kam 1, Kam 2 and Kam 3. 

    Let's check out the northernmost Kamaole Beach 1 first, which is generally considered the nicest. Accessed from Kaiau St down a public… read more »

  • 60. Old Orchard Beach // Maine

    Old Orchard Beach
    Paul VanDerWerf
    Great for:
    • Family
    • Surfing

    Set in Saco Bay, towards the southern end of Maine's Atlantic coast is the thriving little resort town of Old Orchard Beach. The town has a long and colorful history and was once dubbed "The Garden by the Sea" which featured, you guessed it, an orchard!

    However it wasn't until the late 1800s that the town took off as a holiday resort, with the near seven mile stretch of sand as… read more »