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A water-around-us data study

America’s most-loved swimming spots

The 50 highest-rated places to swim in America — ranked by real visitor ratings, weighted so a lone 5-star rating can’t beat a consistently-loved spot.

Top 50 on the map

Locations approximate to pin
#26 Iron Lake#27 North Beach At Fort DeSoto Park#28 Mammoth Spring State Park#29 Clearwater Beach (Clearwater, Florida)#30 La Jolla Tide Pools#31 Naples Beach#32 Asilomar State Beach#33 Giant Springs State Park#34 Fort De Soto#35 Pass-a-Grille Beach#36 Salt Creek Beach#37 Morro Rock Beach#38 Treasure Island Park#39 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach#40 Johnson Beach National Seashore#41 Crater Lake#42 Higgins Lake#43 Depoe Bay#44 Bean Point Beach#45 Gulf State Park Pavillion#46 Carlsbad State Beach#47 Lovers Point Beach#48 Mount Saint Frances Lake#49 Jupiter Off-Leash Dog Beach#50 Coronado Beach#25 Moonstone Beach25#24 Cranes Roost Park24#23 Coquina Beach23#22 Indian Rocks Beach22#21 San Clemente Pier21#20 Hermosa Beach Pier20#19 Pensacola Beach19#18 Gulf Shores Public Beach18#17 Siesta Beach17#16 Newfound Lake16#15 Frisco Beach15#14 Gulf Islands National Seashore14#13 Horn Pond13#12 Keuka Lake12#11 Buffalo Point River Access11#10 Ashokan Reservoir10#9 Hermosa Beach9#8 Bluff Cove Trail8#7 Lake of the Clouds7#6 Lake Minnewaska6#5 Sugar Pine Point Beach5#4 Partington Cove4#3 Jenny Lake3#2 Big Spring - Ozark National Scenic Riverways2#1 Lake Crescent1
Podium 1–3 Flags 4–10 Badges 11–25 Dots 26–50
15 states represented66% are beaches or bays#1 lives in Washington
  1. 1Lake CrescentWashington · Lake★ 4.9857 reviews
  2. 2Big Spring - Ozark National Scenic RiverwaysVan Buren, Missouri · Spring★ 4.9818 reviews
  3. 3Jenny LakeWyoming · Lake★ 4.9515 reviews
  4. 4Partington CoveBig Sur, California · Bay★ 4.9450 reviews
  5. 5Sugar Pine Point BeachSouth Lake Tahoe, California · Beach★ 4.9293 reviews
  6. 6Lake MinnewaskaRochester, New York · Lake★ 4.9240 reviews
  7. 7Lake of the CloudsCarp Lake Township, Michigan · Lake★ 4.9233 reviews
  8. 8Bluff Cove TrailPalos Verdes Estates, California · Beach★ 4.9229 reviews
  9. 9Hermosa BeachHermosa Beach, California · Public beach★ 4.9218 reviews
  10. 10Ashokan ReservoirNew York · Lake★ 4.9217 reviews
  11. 11Buffalo Point River AccessYellville, Arkansas · Swimming basin★ 4.9213 reviews
  12. 12Keuka LakeNew York · Lake★ 4.9190 reviews
  13. 13Horn PondWoburn, Massachusetts · Lake★ 4.9181 reviews
  14. 14Gulf Islands National SeashoreGulf Breeze, Florida · Beach★ 4.9176 reviews
  15. 15Frisco BeachFrisco, North Carolina · Public beach★ 4.9173 reviews
  16. 16Newfound LakeNew Hampshire · Lake★ 4.9172 reviews
  17. 17Siesta BeachSarasota, Florida · Public beach★ 4.826,415 reviews
  18. 18Gulf Shores Public BeachGulf Shores, Alabama · Public beach★ 4.811,325 reviews
  19. 19Pensacola BeachPensacola Beach, Florida · Public beach★ 4.88,589 reviews
  20. 20Hermosa Beach PierHermosa Beach, California · Public beach★ 4.88,186 reviews
  21. 21San Clemente PierSan Clemente, California · Public beach★ 4.86,871 reviews
  22. 22Indian Rocks BeachIndian Rocks Beach, Florida · Public beach★ 4.86,609 reviews
  23. 23Coquina BeachBradenton Beach, Florida · Beach★ 4.86,159 reviews
  24. 24Cranes Roost ParkAltamonte Springs, Florida · Lake★ 4.86,061 reviews
  25. 25Moonstone BeachCalifornia · Beach★ 4.9144 reviews
  26. 26Iron LakeArietta, New York · Lake★ 4.9144 reviews
  27. 27North Beach At Fort DeSoto ParkSt. Petersburg, Florida · Beach★ 4.84,481 reviews
  28. 28Mammoth Spring State ParkMammoth Spring, Arkansas · Spring★ 4.83,862 reviews
  29. 29Clearwater Beach (Clearwater, Florida)Clearwater, Florida · Beach pavillion★ 4.83,652 reviews
  30. 30La Jolla Tide PoolsLa Jolla, California · Beach★ 4.83,445 reviews
  31. 31Naples BeachNaples, Florida · Beach★ 4.83,362 reviews
  32. 32Asilomar State BeachPacific Grove, California · Public beach★ 4.83,025 reviews
  33. 33Giant Springs State ParkGreat Falls, Montana · Spring★ 4.82,547 reviews
  34. 34Fort De SotoSt. Petersburg, Florida · Beach★ 4.82,494 reviews
  35. 35Pass-a-Grille BeachSt Pete Beach, Florida · Public beach★ 4.82,468 reviews
  36. 36Salt Creek BeachCalifornia · Beach★ 4.82,216 reviews
  37. 37Morro Rock BeachMorro Bay, California · Beach★ 4.82,201 reviews
  38. 38Treasure Island ParkLaguna Beach, California · Public beach★ 4.82,160 reviews
  39. 39Lauderdale-by-the-Sea BeachLauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida · Public beach★ 4.82,133 reviews
  40. 40Johnson Beach National SeashorePensacola, Florida · Beach pavillion★ 4.81,978 reviews
  41. 41Crater LakeOregon · Lake★ 4.81,937 reviews
  42. 42Higgins LakeMichigan · Lake★ 4.9135 reviews
  43. 43Depoe BayDepoe Bay, Oregon · Bay★ 4.81,673 reviews
  44. 44Bean Point BeachAnna Maria, Florida · Beach★ 4.81,640 reviews
  45. 45Gulf State Park PavillionGulf Shores, Alabama · Beach pavillion★ 4.81,615 reviews
  46. 46Carlsbad State BeachCarlsbad, California · Beach★ 4.81,477 reviews
  47. 47Lovers Point BeachPacific Grove, California · Public beach★ 4.81,465 reviews
  48. 48Mount Saint Frances LakeIndiana · Lake★ 5.069 reviews
  49. 49Jupiter Off-Leash Dog BeachJupiter, Florida · Beach★ 4.81,415 reviews
  50. 50Coronado BeachCoronado, California · Beach★ 4.81,368 reviews

How we ranked them

We scored swim-worthy water locations — beaches, lakes, rivers, springs, and swimming holes with at least 20 reviews — by a weighted rating that blends each spot’s score with how many reviews back it up, so a single 5-star rating can’t top a consistently-loved place. Ratings come from aggregated public visitor data and shift over time, so this is a living snapshot.

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