What are the top beaches in the United States for 2022? Hawaii, Florida, California, South Carolina
The director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research has unveiled his list of the best beaches in the United States for those planning a trip this summer.
With covid-19 restrictions all but eliminated in the US, Summer vacations are upon us. Last year, we brought you the ten best beaches in the US for 2021, courtesy of ‘Dr. Beach’. Well, he’s back with ten more that could be worth looking in to for your get your Summer sun.
For each of the last 30 years Leatherman, also known as ‘Dr Beach’, has compiled a list of the best beaches in the United States. Real name Dr Stephen Leatherman, he is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University and considers 50 all-important criteria, such as sand softness, water temperature, number of sunny days and size of breaking waves, when deciding where makes the cut.
Here’s his list for 2022:
- Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina
- Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
- Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
- St. George Island State Park, Franklin County, Florida
- Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- Lighthouse Beach, Buxton, North Carolina
- Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
- Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
- Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
What makes Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach the best beach in the country?
Ocracoke Lifeguarfed Beach replaces the 2021 winner, Hapuna Beach State Park. The latter, while originally a common sight in the top 10, drops out completely for 2022
Lonely Planet describes Ocracoke as being “gorgeous” and “underdeveloped” as well as having the occurence of dolphins often. The beach is 16-miles long.
Dr. Beach himself praises Ocracoke as “one of the wildest beaches in the country” with plenty of large surf. Similar to its description as underdeveloped, Dr. Beach says to not expect golf or swanky hotels; relaxing and surfing are the main objectives of punters at Ocracoke.