From the Pacific to the Atlantic, the Great Lakes to the Gulf, millions of Americans will head to the beach this Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer.
If you’re still deciding which waterfront getaway is right for you, we’re here to help.
The National Park Service offers free entry on Memorial Day for U.S. citizens and residents, so beaches at national seashores and other N.P.S.-managed areas are likely to be extra popular. State parks and recreation sites may not be as packed, but you’ll probably have to pay a fee.
Here are six of our favorite U.S. beaches to explore this weekend, from a pristine white-sand stretch of the Hawaiian coast to gently rolling dunes along Lake Michigan and a wild barrier island in Georgia.
Hawaii
Hapuna Beach
On the Big Island’s scenic northwestern Kohala Coast, Hapuna Beach is beloved by locals and tourists alike. Its broad sweep of white sand makes it a destination for relaxing picnics and sunbathing, and the gentle, clear surf attracts snorkelers and swimmers.
Marine life abounds under the surface, and sea turtles occasionally bask in the warm sand.
Entrance for out-of-state visitors costs $5 per person, plus $10 per vehicle for parking. Hawaii residents get in free. Public restrooms are available, and a paved path to the sand makes the beach accessible for people with disabilities.
The manicured Hapuna Golf Course sits just north of the beach, and a 10-minute drive south, an array of luxury hotels surrounds Kalahuipuaa Historical Park, a hiking site with ancient fish ponds, lava tube dwellings and an oceanfront lava field dotted with petroglyphs.
Washington
Rialto Beach
The rocky shores of Rialto Beach sit sandwiched between the dense forests of Olympic National Park and the crashing waves of the Pacific, in Washington’s northwestern corner, about four hours from Seattle.
Set on a remote stretch of coastline, the beach is home to soaring sea stacks and a natural rock arch called Hole-in-the-Wall that may be accessible — carefully — at low tide. Keep an eye out for whales and otters in the ocean and bald eagles overhead.
You can get to the beach by car, and there are public restrooms. Campsites are abundant in the area, and 15 miles east, the town of Forks — familiar to fans of the “Twilight” series — offers a handful of hotels and restaurants.
Wisconsin
Kohler-Andrae State Park
Boardwalks wind among the picturesque rolling dunes on the edge of Lake Michigan at Kohler-Andrae State Park, a few miles south of Sheboygan, Wis.
Horseback riding and swimming are popular activities, though there are no lifeguards. The park also features a series of short hiking trails and picnic areas that include grills, tables and shelters. Restrooms and showers are available.
The park has two beach wheelchairs that visitors can check out at no charge, and the trails are accessible.
Be sure to arrive early — parking lots often fill up before 11 a.m. in the summer. Entry costs $13 for vehicles with Wisconsin plates and $16 for vehicles with out-of-state plates.
California
Pismo State Beach
Just under five hours south of San Francisco and four north of Los Angeles, Pismo State Beach stretches across roughly 17 miles of uninterrupted sand on California’s central coast. Consistent waves make this beach a popular spot for surfing, and the Pismo Beach Pier is often crowded with people fishing, whale watching and enjoying the sunset.
The Monarch Butterfly Grove, next to the beach, provides shade under its eucalyptus trees, though you’ll have to come back between October and February to see the butterflies. Hotels and restaurants are plentiful in the towns of Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Oceano, which abut the sand.
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, a stretch of beach designated for off-road driving, is temporarily closed, though officials are aiming to reopen it by Memorial Day weekend. If it does reopen, daytime vehicle access costs $5.
Two trails and several campsites are accessible for people with disabilities, as are restrooms.
Massachusetts
Head of the Meadow Beach
Head of the Meadow’s wide and long expanse of sand helps keep it less packed than other beaches along Cape Cod National Seashore.
The beach is a popular spot for volleyball matches and allows for limited campfires. Swimming is permitted, but there are no lifeguards until late summer. And keep in mind before you take a dip that the seals you may be lucky enough to see splashing in the surf occasionally draw great white sharks.
Though the sea and the high dunes make this a welcoming spot for visitors, the coastline hasn’t been so kind to sailors over the years: Between the towns of Truro, where the beach is, and Wellfleet, which borders it to the south, there have been more than 1,000 recorded shipwrecks since the 1600s, according to the National Park Service.
Beach wheelchairs are available only between late June and Labor Day. Access to some areas can at times be restricted to protect nesting shorebirds.
Georgia
Cumberland Island
Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island, Cumberland, is home to wild horses, sea turtles, alligators and the ruins of an estate built in the 1880s by the industrialist Thomas Carnegie. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette famously got married on Cumberland in 1996.
The island, about 50 miles north of Jacksonville, Fla., is accessible via a 45-minute ferry ride ($44 round-trip for adults), which runs multiple times daily from the nearby town of St. Marys, Ga. Tickets can be reserved in advance. No cars allowed.
The island has 17 miles of undeveloped beaches and more than 50 miles of hiking trails and dirt roads for walking and biking. Campsites abound, including in designated wilderness areas. The only hotel is the all-inclusive Greyfield Inn (rooms from around $1,000 per night), but there are more affordable options on the mainland in St. Marys, in nearby Kingsland or, a bit farther away, in Jacksonville.
Visitors commonly swim in the ocean, but there are no lifeguards. Restrooms are available. Motorized and nonmotorized beach wheelchairs are available for people with disabilities. The motorized chairs require advance reservations.
- Credits: The New York Times
- Author: Gabe Castro-Root
- Photo: Megan Spelman
