Hawaii and Florida top list of best US beaches for 2026, according to ‘Dr. Beach’
By Jeanne Bonner, CNN
(CNN) — A crescent-shaped beach in Hawaii that’s immersed in greenery and facing an island just offshore is the best beach in the US.
So says coastal scientist Stephen P. Leatherman, better known as “Dr. Beach.” Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai tops the list for 2026, which he compiles based on 50 individual criteria.
The No. 2 beach, according to Leatherman’s annual ranking, is St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Florida.
Hawaii and Florida dominate the top 10, which includes Caladesi Island State Park in the Dunedin/Clearwater area of Florida, and Wailea Beach on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
One beach in the Northeast broke into the top five: Main Beach in the picturesque eastern Long Island town of East Hampton. The New York beach ranked No. 5 this year.
Leatherman notes the beach’s “peaceful, countryside setting in a small village” and the “towering sand dunes” that help make it so bucolic.
Hawaii and Florida typically fare well in the ranking partly because Leatherman focuses on “swimming beaches,” which means the water has to be warm enough to draw people in for a few strokes.
Beaches in Maine, Connecticut and other Northeastern states, for example, are often too “nippy” to make the cut, he said in an interview with CNN. One Massachusetts beach, however, caps off the top 10: Cape Cod’s Coast Guard Beach. Leatherman says visitors go by bike or shuttle bus to reach this pristine beach where in recent years seals have begun to congregate.
Several beaches are located in private resorts, including Kaunaoa in Hawaii, also known as Mauna Kea Beach, located on the island of Hawaii. While the beach is located inside the Mauna Key Beach Resort, the shoreline is accessible through dint of the public right of way, stressed Leatherman, who teaches at Florida International University in Miami.
Water temperature and clarity
Don’t see your favorite beach? Water temperature, as noted, is likely the culprit.
Leatherman says there are many spots he likes in Washington State, Northern California and Oregon, among other places, and he often hears from beachgoers who complain when these areas don’t make the list.
“It’s just too bloody cold,” he said.
Other factors that keep beaches off his ranking include tidal movements. Leatherman said strong tides make the water cloudy, which doesn’t always appeal to beachgoers because once immersed in the surf, “People want to see their toes.”
Leatherman regularly cites beaches that have to be removed from the top 10 because of pollution or other issues. Three beaches were excluded from this year’s ranking, including Coronado Beach in San Diego for a second year in a row. Leatherman says sewage from the Tijuana River is gravely impacting the beach.
“It is wrecking that whole area,” Leatherman said. “I am so upset about that.”
San Diego County has repeatedly had to issue advisories due to the presence of bacteria in the water, warning swimmers to keep away. New advisories citing sewage from the Tijuana River were issued in May.
The two other beaches that are off the list this year are Lighthouse Beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, due to erosion, and Cape Florida State Park in Miami where the vast quantity of sargassum seaweed washing up on shore is reducing the beach’s natural beauty.
Leatherman has been publishing the annual list since 1991. The 50 criteria that he uses to evaluate the beaches include water and sand quality, the size of waves, the shape of the beach, cleanliness and rainfall.
He “retires” beaches from his ranking so that other spots have a chance but that doesn’t mean there’s been a dip in quality. Last year, for example, Coopers Beach in the New York town of Southampton topped the list. He said it remains a wonderful beach.
In the 2025 ranking, this year’s No. 1 beach, Poipu, came in third.
There are 650 major public recreational beaches in the US, according to Dr. Beach, and he says he’s visited all of them.
Top 10 US beaches for 2026
- Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
- St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, Florida
- Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
- Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
- Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
- Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Kaunaoa, Big Island, Hawaii
- Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
