This South Carolina beach ranks among the nation’s best — again. Here’s why
A South Carolina beach ranks among the nation’s best places for sand and surf — again.
Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island is No. 6 on a list of the top 10 coastal destinations in the United States. The results were published Thursday, May 22, the Naples Daily News reported.
The list comes from coastal scientist Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach. To determine the top shorelines across the country, he studied 650 public beaches for several factors, including sand texture, water temperature, rip currents and pollution, according to his website and a news release.
“50 (criteria) with a sliding scale from 1 to 5 are used to measure beach quality,” Dr. Beach wrote. “The survey was primarily designed for swimming beaches, but this information is also used to determine the best beaches for walking, scenery, sports, and other activities.”
Why the SC beach ranks high
Beachwalker Park was the only place in South Carolina to land on the national list. The destination, a roughly 25-mile drive south from the popular travel spot of Charleston, was praised for offering visitors clean water that “provides fantastic seafood.”
“This is a nature-lovers coast so visitors can bring their canoes and kayaks to paddle through the tidal inlets,” Dr. Beach wrote. “It is also fun to walk or bicycle down the fine-grained sand beach to Captain Sam’s Inlet to see thousands of birds.”
The park — which said it has seasonal lifeguards, a boardwalk and other amenities — isn’t a stranger to receiving praise. Last year, it landed in the No. 5 spot on Dr. Beach’s list, The Sun News reported.
This time around, Dr. Beach said the nation’s No. 1 coastal destination was Coopers Beach on New York’s Long Island. Rounding out the top five:
- Wailea Beach in Hawaii at No. 2
- Poipu Beach in Hawaii at No. 3
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Florida at No. 4
- Main Beach in New York at No. 5
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM with the headline "This South Carolina beach ranks among the nation’s best — again. Here’s why."
