Looking for a summer getaway at one of the top 10 beaches in the country? Take a look at the list below and you’ll be set!
Fun fact: Half of 2023’s top 10 beaches in the United States are located in Florida and Hawaii. That’s according to the 2023 list of best U.S. beaches released earlier this summer by “Dr. Beach,” aka coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman, who has been ranking America’s best beaches since 1991.
Florida’s St. George Island State Park came in at the top slot. The barrier island park offers nine miles of pristine beaches along the Gulf Coast and plenty of nature trails for biking and hiking. There are also dozens of chances for birding, fishing, boating, and camping.
Beyond the chances for tranquil swimming and sunbathing, St. George also a prime spot for stargazing with limited light pollution and an observation platform for night sky exploration. The beach has “some of the whitest, finest sand in the world,” said Leatherman, a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University. “The water is crystal clear and clean, far from any sources of pollution on this offshore barrier island.”
Dr. Beach uses 50 criteria to evaluate hundreds of public beaches in the United States, such as beach width, softness of sand, water temperature and color, wildlife, and more.
The No. 2 beach for 2023, Duke Kahanamoku Beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, is located on the west end of the famed Waikiki Beach. It has fewer visitors than the more crowded stretches, adding to its appeal. Diamond Head volcano rises in the distance, making for an especially stunning setting, and the beach is ideal for families with children thanks to its protective offshore coral reef. Wailea Beach in Maui and Poipu Beach in Kauai are the other Hawaii beaches in this year’s top 10.
Florida’s Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater also made the top ten. None of Florida’s Atlantic beaches appear in the 2023 ranking of top ten beaches, interestingly enough. Leatherman astutely pointed out that the Atlantic coastline is being affected this year by the unpleasant and invasive sargassum seaweed (though thankfully it’s finally starting to shrink).
Each state has one of its beaches on the 2023 list. The other five beaches are located in New York, North Carolina, California, South Carolina, and Massachusetts.
Top 10 U.S. Beaches — 2023 Dr. Beach Ranking
Here is the full round up of the top 10 beaches in the United States per Dr. Beach (aka Stephen Leatherman)
- St. George Island State Park (Florida)
- Duke Kahanamoku Beach (Oahu, Hawaii)
- Coopers Beach, Southampton (New York)
- Caladesi Island State Park (Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida)
- Lighthouse Beach, Buxton, Outer Banks (North Carolina)
- Coronado Beach (San Diego, California)
- Wailea Beach (Maui, Hawaii)
- Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island (South Carolina)
- Poipu Beach (Kauai, Hawaii)
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod (Massachusetts)
