2 Of America’s Top 100 Secret Beaches Are Located In MD

MARYLAND — The point of a hidden beach is that few people know about it, but a new list of those gems includes a famous Maryland treasure: Assateague Island. The Family Destinations Guide blew that out of the water with a new list of the top 100 secret beaches in America, which includes two in Maryland.

The travel planning company surveyed 3,000 U.S. families to determine the hidden beaches they’d most like to visit in 2023.

In Maryland, the picks are:

No. 38 Assateague Island: The Assateague Island National Seashore is 37 miles long and includes the 800-acre Assateague State Park. The guide says, "Besides being among the clear water beaches in Maryland, this island is known for its beautiful salt marshes, forests, and wildlife population." And of course, there’s you can view the famous wild horses on the island.

No. 57 Matoaka Beach: The sandy beach in St. Leonard in southern Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay is known as a great place to swim, fish, crab, fossil hunt, picnic and birdwatch. Fossil hunting is a year-round activity there.

• Related: Top 13 Maryland Beaches: Ocean City, Sandy Point And More

The top secret beach in the poll is Awahua Beach, located off Hawaii’s island of Molokai. It’s known for crystal clear turquoise waters and soft, white sand.

Hawaii has three of the top five secret beaches — No. 3 Lanikai Beach, off the coast of Oahu, and No. 4 Kauapea Beach, on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii.

Also among the top five picks are Shell Key Preserve beach in Florida (No. 2) and Sedge Island beach in New Jersey (No. 5).

Florida had the most secret beaches to visit with nine, California had eight and Hawaii had five.

Not all the beaches front oceans. The list included beaches in landlocked states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.