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America's Best Beaches
Admit it: You're beach crazy. We can't blame you. In fact, with sandy stretches on two coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and around countless bodies of water throughout the country, most of America has the same affliction.
No one gets hyped up more about these gold and white crystals than adventurers. And with good reason: America's beaches serve up some of the nation's best hiking and biking, and some of the world's best swimming and kayaking. They attract amazing wildlife. They gather themselves into huge dune playgrounds. They make the perfect seat in nature's amphitheater.
Think a beach getctix is all about big towels and lotion? Read on.
1. Best Sand Playground: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore (Michigan)
Get ready to play in the sand: With a 35-mile stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline (and more than 50,000 acres in total), Sleeping Bear offers world-class sand dunes that make up an unbeatable natural playground. These massive coastal dunes and bluffs line the lakeshore, making for outrageous hiking. It's not easy climbing a beach, but once up top, you'll get great views of the lake and its sugar-white beaches (which are great for lounging when you come down).
Inland, you'll find hills and forests of birch, pine, beech, and maple, as well as small lakes and rivers for great fishing. The scenic, seven-mile Pierce Stocking route can be done by car or—for the very fit—by bike. Animals? You bet, with more than 220 species of birds, along with deer, foxes, and the elusive bobcat.
Essentials:
For more info, call 231-326-5134 or go to www.nps.gov/slbe/.
Tip:
Sleeping Bear also has two islands inside its boundaries; don't miss 'em.
2. Best Sunrise: Sand Beach, Acadia National Park (Maine)
It's a no-brainer: To find America's best beach to watch the sunrise, head east. In fact, head so far east that there's nothing between you and the wide-open ocean. Acadia National Park certainly fits the bill; the problem, of course, is that most of the park's coastline is rocky. So keep driving into the park; on the eastern edge of Mt. Desert Island is Acadia's only sand beach—called, appropriately, Sand Beach.
These are the only grains of sand you'll find out of Acadia's almost 48,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. But the reward is well worth the effort. Wake up while it's still dark and catch dawn's rosy fingers easing over the horizon.
Essentials:
For more info, call 207-288-3338 or go to www.nps.gov.
Tip:
July to September are the busiest months. Skip 'em. Try for the fourth Sunday in April each year—it's officially Car Free Day in Acadia.
3. Best Water Playground: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (North Carolina)
Sure, Cape Hatteras used to be called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for all the ships it dragged under its waves. Ironically, however, these same waters have become an East Coast mecca for modern-day ocean adventurers—windsurfers and kayakers. And the beaches of this protected seascape make for a terrific launching point.
In fact, Hatteras can be your mecca for most any waterborne activity: the swimming's great and the fishing, world-class. Rather just hang out on the beach? The diversity of habitats makes for a terrific wintering area for migrating birds, so whether you're out paddling or just shell collecting, check out the plumage darting around overhead—it's some of the best anywhere.
Essentials:
For more info, call 252-473-2111 or go to www.nps.gov/caha/.
Tip:
Weather happens here—it can change very quickly. Keep a weather eye.
4. Best Camping: Clubhouse Beach, Everglades National Park (Florida)
There's hardly a better feeling: You zip open your tent and push your toes into the sand, with the ocean staring you in the face. Birds and insects are the only creatures making noise. Welcome to the Everglades—backcountry.
It's not the ideal place for a summer getctix, but if you want to beat the crowds this is the place. You have to head a few miles off the beaten track to find Clubhouse Beach, and don't expect toilets, other facilities, or other people. Only 24 campers are allowed at one time out onto the coastal shell beach (most of south Florida's natural beaches are built up from the shells of multitudes of marine organisms), so along with some great camping, expect to find solitude. And wildlife? You bet—bring the binoculars. After all, this is the Everglades, where crocodile, manatee, and panther all co-exist in a birder's paradise.
Essentials:
For more info, call 305-242-7700 or send an email to EVER_Information@nps.gov. Backcountry permits start at $10 for 1-6 people.
Tip:
Keep an eye out for nesting turtles in late spring and summer. They love the beach, too. And always remember to bring the bug repellent because you'll find pesky pests any time of year.
5. Best Swimming: Perdido Key State Park (Florida)
Sugar-white sands, clean water, and great body surfing: The beach on Perdido Key is a prime spot for jumping in and getting wet. While not exactly a secret from condo developers, this super swimming hole is still a get-out-the-magnifying-glass dot on the map. A 247-acre barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico's Florida/Alabama border, the Key offers wide, white, sandy beaches, rolling sand dunes covered with sea oats, and wildlife like the osprey, dolphin, and loggerhead turtle.
How great is this beach? Stephen P. Leatherman (also known as Dr. Beach), America's beach guru and a professor at Florida International University of Miami, ranked it among America's best in 2000. His factors? Everything that's important to a swimmer and beachcomber: sand softness, wave size and current strength, water color and quality, and lifeguard protection.
Essentials:
For more info, call 850-492-1595.
Tip:
Don't forget your mask and fins (or at least be sure to rent them)—the snorkeling's awesome.
6. Best Solitutude: Matagorda Island State Park and National Wildlife Refuge (Texas)
Don't worry about getting mixed up in the south Texas spring break beach party here. With no electricity, water, or telephone service, beaches on the 7,325-acre Matagorda Island State Park and National Wildlife Refuge offer just two things: peace and quiet.
In fact, the only crowds you'll find here are crowds of animals: whooping cranes, peregrine falcons, deer, and coyotes. Cars? Forget it. And people? Just 100 at a time are allowed onto this 38-mile-long barrier island that's accessible only by ferry, charter, or private boat. Bring your bike and boots and explore the 80 miles of dirt roads and beach area. Or just hang out on the sand, gaze out at the Gulf waters, and soak up the solitude.
Essentials:
For more info, call 361-983-2215; ferries depart Thursday through Sunday from the Texas Parks and Wildlife office at 16th and Maple in Port O'Connor; for reservations, call 512-983-2215.
Tip:
Two things you won't find here: shade and drinking water. Pack a shelter and stock up on fluids.
7. Best Biking: Santa Monica to Torrance (California)
There's perhaps no more entertaining beach bike ride in all of America. The 19-mile South Bay Bike Trail from Santa Monica to Torrance takes you through some of the most entertaining beach towns anywhere.
Ride past the "Baywatch"-inspiring Santa Monica Pier and into the moneyed land of Malibu. If you remembered to strap board to bike, the Malibu pier is your entrance into the world of California surfing. The ride also takes you into the heart and soul of the ultimate California beach town: Venice Beach. Check out the famed freaks who hang out here: weightlifters, chainsaw jugglers, and fire-eaters. End up in Torrance, which has a typically great Southern California beach.
Essentials:
For more info, call the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce at 310-393-9825.
Tip:
In Torrance, check out the Madrona Marsh—a freshwater nature preserve.
8. Best Wildlife: Point Lobos State Reserve (California)
Adventure types, take note: It's not easy to find beaches along the trails of Point Lobos State Reserve, south of Carmel. You'll have to scramble down through rocks and twisted Monterey pines to actually get your feet sandy. But then, it's the diversity of terrain that makes this shoreline so attractive to the hordes of wildlife that gather here.
Point Lobos is an exceptionally rare and beautiful land and sea preserve: It's no wonder that creatures of every kind have found a home here. Stroll rugged trails and keep an eye out for whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and sea otters. Bobcats and mountain lions make their home in the hills, but you're more likely to come across black-tailed deer and badgers. Look up in the trees for kestrels and hawks.
Essentials:
The park opens at 9 a.m. each day and closes as early as 5 p.m.; call 831-624-4909 or go to http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us.
Tip:
Come in October, when the monarch butterfly starts to show up.
9. Best Hiking: Olympic Coastal Strip (Washington)
Make no mistake: Hiking the Olympic Coastal Strip section of Olympic National Park is no stroll down the beach. Muddy headlands, slippery driftwood, changing tides, and waist-deep streams make for a challenging trip even in the best of conditions. Even the most fitt hikers can expect to cover only five to ten miles per day.
It is, however, one of America's most satisfying beach hikes. The park's 57 miles of coastline make up the most primitive ocean shoreline in the contiguous 48 states. Rocky seastacks poke through the roiling tides. Bluffs rise high above the beach. Long stretches of sandy beach are covered with logs. Eagles ride the wind currents overhead, while gray whales, sea otters, and seals can be seen just beyond in the surf. And if you get lucky with clear skies, you'll find one of the best sunsets in America.
Essentials:
For more info, call 360-452-0330. For backpacking trips, try the 17.3-mile South Coast hike, the 20.8-mile North Coast hike, and the 13.4-mile Ozette-to-Shi Shi Beach hike.
Tip:
Don't underestimate the tides. Get a tide table and follow it. High tides can mean very dangerous conditions, and some headlands require low tides for passage.
10. Best Sunset: Polihale State Park (Hawaii)
The stunning Hawaiian sunset is more cliched than the Vermont country inn, but there's a reason the 50th state's evenings have achieved legendary status. Simply put, they're phenomenal. And no place is this more apparent that in Polihale Beach on the western coast of Kauai. Plant yourself in the sand as the fading sun glints off the waves, its orange rays slanting off the cliffs that jut out into the water.
The spectacular setting sun could, in fact, be called otherworldly. Just north of Polihale State Park is the powerful Polihale heiau (sacred site), one of the points from which the souls of the dead departed the island into the (you guessed it) setting sun. But whatever the reason, this three-mile stretch of beach makes a great vantage point from which to check out the action.
Essentials:
For more info, call the Kauai Visitors Bureau at 800-262-1400.
Tip:
Be prepared for a long drive on dirt roads out to Polihale State Park. The upside? Little competition.