More Great Beaches

In the upcoming May/June 2015 issue, Stephanie Citron shares the sand, sun, and stories of “America’s 10 Best Beaches,” but we really couldn’t stop at 10. Here are 12 more of our faves:

1 Blowing Rocks Preserve, Hobe Sound, Florida

On this craggy Anastasia limestone shoreline (the largest on the U.S. Atlantic Coast), waves crashing against the rocks during high tide force water plumes to shoot as high as 50 feet in the air.

2 Bruneau Dunes State Park, Mountain Home, Idaho

Looming over several freshwater lakes is the largest single-structure sand dune in North America, believed to have been formed by sand left behind from a flood 15,000 years ago.

3 Calvert Cliffs State Park, Lusby, Maryland

Marine fossils, dating from the Miocene Epoch (5-24 million years ago) wash ashore all day long.

4 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kanab, Utah

While not technically a beach (it doesn’t front an ocean or lake), the beautiful pink sand (from eroded Navajo sandstone, dating to the Middle Jurassic period) makes this park a worthy stop.

5 Glass Beach, Whitethorn, California

A beach completely covered in sea glass, in a multitude of shapes and colors.

6 Grayton Beach State Park, Grayton Beach, Florida

A dazzling white sand beach sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and Western Lake, a rare freshwater coastal dune lake surrounded by a coastal forest of twisted-trunk magnolias and indigenous scrub.

7 Indiana Dunes Lakeshore, Indiana

Beyond the beautiful sand beaches along the southern tip of Lake Michigan you’ll find spectacular dunes.

8 Kaihalulu Beach, Maui, Hawaii

Secluded red sand beach gets its color from the crumbling cindercone cliffs presiding over the beach and the bay. Warning: The trail to this beach is hazardous and should only be attempted by skilled hikers.

9 Medano Creek, Mosca, Colorado

Rent specially designed boards to sand sled down the Great Sand Dunes — the tallest in North America. May-July brings tubing to the freshwater creek reformed each year from snowmelts off the surrounding Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

10 Moonstone Beach Cambria, California

Natural gemstones wash up in the surf, including the namesake moonstones (the chalcedony variety) and semi-precious pebbles of practically every color.

11 Sand Beach, Acadia National Park, Maine

On this pink sand beach tucked between pink granite cliffs, you’ll find high-saline seawater, where the salt level measures a half-cup per gallon.

12 Black Sands Beach, California

A slate-gray sand beach that appears black when wet.