One Of America’s Top 100 Secret Beaches Is Located In MN

MINNESOTA — 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 one in Minnesota.

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

Black Beach in Minnesota is No. 61 on the list.

A small oasis on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the northern Minnesota town of Silver Bay and surrounded by jagged red cliffs, Black Beach is known for its fine black sand caused by taconite—which has for years been dumped into the water by mining companies—washing ashore.

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.