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

MASSACHUSETTS — The point of a hidden beach is that few people know about it, but the Family Destinations Guide blew that out of the water with a new list of the top 100 secret beaches in America, which includes a couple in Massachusetts.

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

In Massachusetts, the picks include:

• Chatham Lighthouse Beach was No. 51 on the list. The large sandy beach is situated below Chatham Light, an active lighthouse, and offers views of the daily migration routes of Chatham's many seals and fishing boats.
• Tucked away in Wellfleet, Bound Brook Island beach was No. 90 on the list. It is one of the most secluded spots on Cape Cod, with beach grass carpeting the rolling sand dunes that are iconic to the peninsula.

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.