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This depth keeps them cold, even when its 90 degrees.
Thank you, Captain Obvious. However this bit of "news" does not preventmillions of people from swimming in the other four Lakes, which are quite pleasant in the summer.
The other great plus for the Great Lakes is the beaches are FREE. I have been researching the East Coast and have had a difficult time finding any usable beaches that are free.
Thank you, Captain Obvious. However this bit of "news" does not preventmillions of people from swimming in the other four Lakes, which are quite pleasant in the summer.
I think "quite pleasant in the summer" is a matter of opinion. I have been in those lakes in July, and they are quite cold. The beaches of Florida and the Carolinas are much more swimmable. That water is warm and comfortable, there is no comparison to the Great Lakes. Now you can compare Great Lakes beaches to west coast beaches, as they are cold as well. California surfers are often in those wetsuits for a reason, cold water.
The other great plus for the Great Lakes is the beaches are FREE. I have been researching the East Coast and have had a difficult time finding any usable beaches that are free.
I find that hard to believe. NJ is the only state that openly charges for access to most beaches, but there are free ones. Either way, no beach that is maintained is truly free. You're paying for maintenance one way or another. NJ just has an outward fee so it's obvious.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyGirl415
I've always wondered about Oregon beaches. I know the water is always cold up there, not even swimmable in the summer. Southern CA water is pretty cold, I can only imagine how much cooler it is further north. Pacific NW beaches seem similar to northern New England ones, like Maine beaches. I've seen pictures and they look pretty, but not the type of beach I want to go to. They look cold.
So I find it interesting you pick Oregon.
Oregon really isn't anything like a day at the beach along the string of barrier islands that bank the Eastern Seaboard. A day at the beach there is to marvel at the scenery. It's sort of like Acadia and the Maine Coast in its ruggedness, but Maine has calmer seas, unless there's a storm and the coastal topography is different. The difference with Oregon and most of the West Coast is the continental shelf drops off right along the coast where fault lines, continental and ocean plates meet. The mountains and cliffs come right down to the sea. There are sandy coves banked by giant sea stack rocks towering above the beach ranging around 200 feet high. It's the kind of place where you can lose yourself while you watch in awe as thunderous Pacific surf comes rolling in making tall white splashes crashing up against the rocks, paired with stellar sunsets over the ocean.
Oregon Coast is a different kind of coast, and with the cool, clammy, cloudy weather conditions most of the year, even in summer its not the most inviting. But if you go there with an open minded appreciation for the rugged beauty of it all, it has its own kind of magic. If you're lucky enough to get there on a sunny 70 degree day in August, then it's stellar place to be.
I like rocky coast line. From what I have seen, I love the Michigan, specifically the Lake Superior coast, and Oregon coast lines. I imagine Alaska and Maine has some amazing coast line.
I find that hard to believe. NJ is the only state that openly charges for access to most beaches, but there are free ones. Either way, no beach that is maintained is truly free. You're paying for maintenance one way or another. NJ just has an outward fee so it's obvious.
Other states, besides NJ, charge something for access to the beaches. Even the public parks on the East Coast charge a per car fee or day use fee.
Florida has the quintessential beaches we all dream about in the dead of winter.
Miles of coastline lined with palms, turquois waters, etc..... we get that.
However, NC has fantastic beaches, and so does New Jersey. The east coast has fabulous beaches overall, it just depends on warmth.
I think if you are going to exclude Hawaii on this then you should honestly exclude Florida as well. Those two are in a league of their own when it comes to beach beauty.
Next tier in my opinion are places like California, Texas (though I have never been to Texas beaches), and the Carolinas.
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I think "quite pleasant in the summer" is a matter of opinion. I have been in those lakes in July, and they are quite cold. The beaches of Florida and the Carolinas are much more swimmable. That water is warm and comfortable, there is no comparison to the Great Lakes. Now you can compare Great Lakes beaches to west coast beaches, as they are cold as well. California surfers are often in those wetsuits for a reason, cold water.
