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Yeah true. I haven't been to Kauai yet and my friends have told me all about it. I think we can agree that there are some awesome beaches in Hawaii, Florida, Michigan, Texas (somewhat), Alabama, etc. There's a few I've enjoyed in South Carolina too actually.
Very nice. Where are those? I've been wanting to check out some beaches there since I saw all the nice beaches along Chicago's lake front. Nice!
If you want to visit a nice Lake Michigan Beach, without driving north to the glorious Sleeping Bear Dunes, just head to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. They are just a short 15-20 minutes north of Interstate 80 as it skirts the Lake.
If you are in Chicago, you can visit the Dunes by train. If you are in good shape, my advice is to take the South Shore train out of Millenium Station to Beverly Shores Station. Load up on water snacks (*or bring them with you) at the little mart by the station, and hike north to the lake. Then, at the lake, head West.....it's quite hike along the beach, maybe some 4-5 miles, but you can reach the next train station, Dunes Park, to catch a ride back to Chicago.
A glorious, yet challenging train/hike/lakefront daytrip from Chicago.
I'm not a huge fan of Florida beaches. They're nice for swimming but I prefer the dramatic coastlines of California and Oregon. Yes I know I have to sacrifice my ability to swim, but I'm not really a water person as it is.
People aren't looking at Michigan for a beach vacation like they are with Florida for example. There's a reason for that.
Southerners should be flocking to Lake Michigan's cool freshwater in the summer months. But as long as our (stupid) national brain emanates from just LA and Manhattan.....the sheeple will continue to stumble...
I'm glad to see so many Hawaiian beaches on the list. In my opinion nothing tops Hawaii, but that's just my humble opinion. I'm also glad they didn't pick South Beach, Waikiki, Virginia Beach, or Myrtle Beach; too much concrete.
Some beaches that were left out that deserve mention are Cannon Beach in Oregon, and the Pacific beaches along the Washington shoreline in Olympic National Park. Fun in the sun? No! But it's chalk full of awesome scenery with huge monlith rocks, nice sand, evergreen forest right down to the beach, black and cinamon colored sand, impressive cliffs with sandy coves, and stellar sunsets devoid of crowds. It's just you, God, and the ocean with kick ass waves. Love it up there.
Short Sands Beach just to the south of Cannon Beach is beautiful too--I used to go surf there. It's a beautiful cove that you access by walking through a dense old-growth coastal forest and over a creek.
But, it's probably not for this sort of list--people like gentle beaches they can wade in warm water. The Oregon and Washington coasts are burly forces of nature--even when the weather gets warm in the summer the water temps are freezing.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Originally Posted by Deezus
Short Sands Beach just to the south of Cannon Beach is beautiful too--I used to go surf there. It's a beautiful cove that you access by walking through a dense old-growth coastal forest and over a creek.
But, it's probably not for this sort of list--people like gentle beaches they can wade in warm water. The Oregon and Washington coasts are burly forces of nature--even when the weather gets warm in the summer the water temps are freezing.
Yeah the Paciifc shores of the Northwest are not most people's cup of tea when it comes to beach experiences, and when I had first moved to Seattle I had to warm up to them as I was bothered by not being able to get into the water. But once I opened my mind to it I was able to see visiting the OR/WA coasts was nothing short of spectacular and a different beach experience all together. It was nice to get away from the crowded East Coast/SoCal beaches and just have the majestic ocean to yourself. I loved to climb a big monolith rock and watch the waves roll in and crash against the rocks sending huge spray of water in the air and leave the world behind. I miss moments like that. My favorite place around Cannon Beach was Ecola State Park, the views are breathtaking there.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 02-23-2013 at 01:27 PM..
For overall climate/atmosphere it would be some of the florida beaches. For actual beauty it would be lake michigan. Siesta key (currently ranked as the world's #1 beach) is a great beach with a very fun atmosphere. St. Armonds is also nice but both lack the natural beauty of indiana dunes or nichigan. Obviously there is more to do around florifa beaches that cater to the touristy crowds plus the water temp year round. But for someone wanting a truly natural setting lm isn't some slouch, the sand dunes, natural wildlife is better.
For overall climate/atmosphere it would be some of the florida beaches. For actual beauty it would be lake michigan. Siesta key (currently ranked as the world's #1 beach) is a great beach with a very fun atmosphere. St. Armonds is also nice but both lack the natural beauty of indiana dunes or nichigan. Obviously there is more to do around florifa beaches that cater to the touristy crowds plus the water temp year round. But for someone wanting a truly natural setting lm isn't some slouch, the sand dunes, natural wildlife is better.
I agree with you about Lake Michigan.
How in the world does a beach like Siesta Key get ranked #1 in the world? There are probably a dozen beaches in the Carib much better, let alone the entire world. That ranking for Siesta Key sounds very much like a parochial American did it. I think to most Europeans, Australians and Canadians, just to name a few, Siesta Key wouldn't even be on their list.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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The list is US beaches.
right, just like it says in the thread title and in the General US forum. Imagine that?
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