Cape Cod's 'Picturesque' Coast Guard Beach Lands On Dr. Beach's Top 10 List
EASTHAM (CBS/AP) -- Cape Cod is home to one of the best beaches in the country, according to the 2020 ranking from "Dr. Beach." His annual Top 10 list has Coast Guard Beach at No. 8.
The Eastham beach fell two spots from its sixth-place perch last year. But it's been a mainstay on the prestigious list from Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman, a coastal scientist and professor at Florida International University, who has been ranking the nation's beaches for 30 years.
"The picturesque old Coast Guard station still sits atop the glacial bluffs, allowing for a spectacular view down upon the Nauset Spit barrier system and bay," he writes. "During the summer, beach-goers take quick, refreshing dips in the ocean as water temperatures only reach 60-70 degrees."
Florida's Grayton Beach State Park took the top spot this year, with its blinding white sand that is compared to sugar.
"It's some of the finest white sand in the world. The first time I saw it I felt like I had to put on sunglasses it was so bright. Some people thought it was snow. I said, 'No that's not snow!'" Leatherman said with a laugh. "The sand is the highest quality in the world. It's pure quartz crystal."
Leatherman says he gives bonus points for beaches where smoking is banned and that are staffed with lifeguards.
The full ranking from Dr. Beach is below:
1. Grayton Beach State Park
Florida Panhandle
2. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach
Outer Banks of North Carolina
3. Coopers Beach
Southampton, New York
4. Duke Kahanamoku Beach
Oahu, Hawaii
5. Lighthouse Beach, Buxton
Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. Caladesi Island State Park
Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
7. Hapuna Beach State Park
Big Island, Hawaii
8. Coast Guard Beach
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
9. Coronado Beach
San Diego, California
10. Beachwalker Park
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
