National Parks with Beaches
Cape Lookout National Seashore (MargJohnsonVA / Shutterstock.com).
How about vacationing at the beach…in a U.S. National Park, National Lakeshore, or National Seashore? Some of America’s most beautiful beaches are managed by the National Park Service. Here are just a few to consider for your next beach destination.
Remember, many of these beaches are protected areas and beachcombing may not be allowed. But you can always walk the beach, take photos of anything you find, and bring a bag to pack out any trash you come across!
The National Park Service offers free admission on selected days of the year.
- January 20, 2025 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
- April 19, 2025 (First Day of National Park Week)
- August 4, 2025 (Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act)
- September 27, 2025 (National Public Lands Day)
- November 11, 2025 (Veterans Day)
Details on free admission days›
Find a park near you — with or without a beach — at the National Park Service and National Parks Conservation Association.
Following are some of the parks where you can enjoy a day at the beach.
Acadia National Park (Andrew Tuttle / Shutterstock.com).
Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia National Park is located on rocky headlands along the Atlantic coastline. One of the most-visited national parks in the United States. the park is easily accessed by a network of roads and hiking trails. The park encompasses most of Mount Desert Island and other coastal islands, and is home to Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Visit the park for granite peaks, forests, lakes, and the rocky coast.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Lake Superior (Gottography / Shutterstock.com).
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin
Kayak along Apostle Islands Lakeshore on Lake Superior to appreciate the rocky shoreline and forests along the nation’s largest freshwater lake. The water is cold, even in summer, which means you might have the islands, lighthouses, and beaches to yourself. You can walk the Lakeshore Trail past cliffs and sea caves, and many of the park’s 21 islands have trails, beaches, and marinas.
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Biscayne encompasses clear blue waters, islands, and coral reefs teeming with fish. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, and diving, especially the underwater park in Biscayne Bay. You can also explore traces from inhabitation by prehistoric tribes, shipwrecks, a mangrove forest, the beaches, and bay.
Canaveral National Seashore, Florida
This barrier island park represents the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in Florida. You can explore dunes, lagoons, and ancient Timucua shell mounds that are home to thousands of species of plants and animals that call Canaveral National Seashore home. You might even spot a manatee. Located near Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral Air Force Base on Florida’s “Space Coast,” visitors come to canoe, fish, swim, and hike. Arrive early during peak season to get a spot in the parking lot and on the beach.
Cape Cod National Seashore (Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com).
Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
This seashore encompasses 40 miles of sandy beaches, marshes, ponds, along with lighthouses, historic villages, and wild cranberry bogs. Visitors can bike, canoe, and hike along the walking and biking trails and swim and at 15 beaches.
Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina
These remote beaches cover a 56-mile-long section of the Outer Banks three miles offshore and are accessible via boat to one of the park’s five ferry landings. There are two historic villages and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Visitors can look for Shackleford’s wild horses, go shelling, fish, bird, camp, climb the lighthouse, and tour the historic villages. Plan on packing in food, water, and supplies and carrying your trash out of the park.
Channel Islands National Park (trekandshoot / Shutterstock.com).
Channel Islands National Park, California
Channel Islands National Park preserves and protects five islands and their natural and cultural features. Located just off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara, visitors can access these islands via park concessionaire boats or private boat. Because of their isolated location, there are unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else, with over 2,000 species of plants and animals, including the island fox and 145 other endemic species. Half of the park’s area is underwater, and the rugged coastline is accessible via boat, kayak, and hiking trails. Be sure to pack your own food and water.
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
This remote 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands about 70 miles west of Key West in the Florida Keys. With 19th-century Fort Jefferson to explore, clear blue waters, wild birds, shipwrecks, and healthy coral reefs, Dry Tortugas National Park is accessible only by boat or seaplane. Fort Jefferson, a Civil War-era fort, is the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. The park is only accessible by plane or boat. Bring your own food, water, and supplies.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska's Inside Passage is part of a 25-million-acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas. The park and preserve feature 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, temperate rainforest, coastlines, and fjords. Glacier Bay is a wonderful place to watch wildlife in its natural habitat, with humpback whales, harbor seals, otters, and seabirds. In the spruce and hemlock forest, visitors can see bears and moose. Glacier Bay Lodge is the only lodging inside the park and is a great base for your visit. Take a guided tour or head out on your own in a sea kayak to explore the shores of this magnificent park.
Fort Massachusetts, Gulf Islands National Seashore (SeanRhinoPhotography / Shutterstock.com).
Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi
With clear aquamarine water, white beaches, wetlands, and even historical landscapes, millions of visitors visit these islands every year. A visit to these barrier islands off the Gulf Coast can include snorkeling, fishing, biking, hiking, and enjoying the sugar-sand beaches. You can also explore historic Civil War forts and other historic building in the 12 sections of the park.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park on the Big Island incorporates unique geological, biological, and cultural landscapes, including two of the world’s most active volcanoes — Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Visitors can visit a huge range of ecosystems including tropical rainforests at sea level to lava beds at over 13,000 feet. If there are no closures, you can witness the creation of the newest land on earth where lava hits the water. Be sure to check the park’s website to find out if there are closures in areas of the park due to volcanic eruptions.
Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes National Park (drewthehobbit / Shutterstock.com).
Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
This national park with sandy beaches, woodlands, and wetlands features over 50 miles of trails through sand dunes, forests, and prairies. Located along 20 miles of Lake Michigan’s southern shoreline, wind and waves provide a range of habitats for over 2,000 plant and bird species. Visitors can hike the trails, view the wildflowers, and take in a summer Lake Michigan sunset.
National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
This unique national park protects the rich culture and natural resources on three Samoan islands in the South Pacific. There are coral reefs, rainforests, volcanic mountains, coral sand beaches, and secluded villages. This remote park is home to flying foxes, brown boobies, sea turtles, and 900 species of fish in an area that spans from the mountaintops to the coastlines. Visitors can snorkel, hike, visit a tropical rainforest, and experience Samoan culture in the villages. The park is accessible via airplane. Be sure to make all travel plans well in advance.
Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park (Colin D. Young / Shutterstock.com).
Olympic National Park, Washington
This park of almost a million acres protects a vast wilderness from glacier-capped mountains to temperate rain forests and 73 miles of the wild Pacific shoreline. Beaches here range from family-friendly to remote and difficult to access, and feature vast stretches of sand, cliffs, tide pool, and dramatic rock stacks shaped by the waves. Look for glass fishing floats, agates, and marine debris carried on the waves from as far away as Asia. Be sure to have a map and tide chart to avoid getting trapped when the tide comes in.
Padre Island National Seashore (Gilbert Cantu / Shutterstock.com).
Padre Island National Seashore, Texas
Protecting 66 miles of Gulf of Mexico coastline, this barrier island is home to birds, turtles, and one of the last coastal prairie habitats in the United States. With mudflats that are home to countless birds, shores where turtle hatchlings emerge and make their way to the ocean, and historic buildings from early settlements, there’s plenty to explore. If you visit between mid-June through August, try to attend a turtle hatchling release.
Redwood Forest National and State Parks, California
After you've gotten a look at the tallest trees on Earth, head to the beaches of Redwood Forest National and State Parks. Home to prairies, woodlands, and rivers, the park also includes 40 miles of rugged Pacific coastline. Visit Enders Beach for the tidepools and ford the streams in Fern Canyon down to Gold Bluffs Beach. Keep an eye out for waterfalls, lush mosses and ferns, Roosevelt elk, bears, and seals. And, pack your waterproof footwear!
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California
This park offers a huge range of activities less than an hour from downtown Los Angeles. Visitors can visit Malibu’s famous beaches, learn about early Native American inhabitants, visit a movie set, and hike, bike, or horseback ride on the more than 500 miles of trails. Point Dume State Preserve has towering bluffs, rocky coves, sandy beaches, and tide pools, and whales migrating offshore in winter months. Keep a lookout for bobcats, quail, coyotes, dolphins, and even mountain lions.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (John McCormick / Shutterstock.com).
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
Located along the shores of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore features beaches, towering sand dunes, forests, and lakes, as well as historic farmsteads and a maritime village. The tops of the dunes afford spectacular views across the lake, while the lake features an island lighthouse, coastal villages, and popular beaches. Get away from the crowds at Peterson Road Beach or take the ferry to South Manitou Island. Bring a picnic, grab supplies at one of the grocery stores, or dine at restaurants in the nearby communities.
Cinnamon Bay beach, Virgin Islands National Park, St. John, USVI (Jim Schwabel / Shutterstock.com).
Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands
This beautiful island park on Saint John encompasses white sand beaches, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. Visitors can also explore Taíno archaeological sites and the ruins of sugar plantations. Over 40% of this national park is underwater so don't miss a chance to snorkel the coral reefs to discover the abundant marine life, including sea turtles, fish, octopuses, and more.
Obey all rules about collecting shells, rocks, driftwood, fossils, beach glass, and other items from the beach. No live shelling: Be sure shells are empty and sand dollars, sea stars, and sea urchins are no longer alive before you bring them home. Always consult websites before visiting to learn about closures and special events. Be sure to get reservations and/or passes ahead of time for your visit where required. Confirm whether your four-legged friends are welcome at the park and comply with all requests by park employees and rangers. Stay to marked trails and roads and be respectful of delicate plants, wildlife, and the locals who make the parks their home. Pack out your trash, use reef-safe sunscreen, and try to keep your impact on these parks to a minimum.
Learn more about the best beaches and destinations for sea and beach glass, seashells, fossils, rocks, and more beach finds around the world. Articles ›
