This South Carolina beach is one of the best in the nation, report finds. Here’s why
A South Carolina beach was named one of the nation’s best places to soak up the sun, a new report finds.
The beach at Kiawah Beachwalker Park ranks No. 9 on a list of places offering top-notch surf, sand and other qualities that make for a relaxing getaway, according to results published Wednesday, May 25.
Stephen P. Leatherman — a Florida International University professor with the nickname “Dr. Beach” — created the rankings after conducting his annual study of 650 public beaches. This time, he used 50 criteria to evaluate the water, sand, safety and cleanliness at locations across the United States, findings show.
Beachwalker Park was the only place in the Palmetto State to earn a top 10 spot on the national list. The park lies along the ocean on Kiawah Island, roughly 25 miles south of the tourist hotspot of Charleston, according to the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission website.
In Dr. Beach’s report, the park received nods for being in a setting that boasts access to waterfront activities.
“This is a nature-lovers coast so visitors can bring their canoes and kayaks to paddle through the tidal inlets,” the report said. “It is also fun to walk or bicycle down the fine-grained sand beach to Captain Sam’s Inlet to see thousands of birds. The water is not clear, but it is clean and provides fantastic seafood for low-country cooking.”
Beachwalker Park is no stranger to earning national recognition. It also landed at No. 9 on last year’s list, when it received the same nature-related acclaim.
The latest rankings were released just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, which is expected to kick off a busy U.S. travel season.
So far this year, Charleston was named one of the nation’s trendiest places to visit based on vacation website data. The region also has been honored for having top-ranking places to eat and drink beer.
Overall, the highest scoring location on Dr. Beach’s list was Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Rounding out the top five were Caladesi Island State Park in Florida, Cooper’s Beach in New York, St. George Island State Park in Florida and Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Hawaii, The News & Observer reported.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "This South Carolina beach is one of the best in the nation, report finds. Here’s why."
