The 24 best beaches in America, ranked

Whether you're looking for uncrowded sands or adventure-packed waters, you don't have to go too far to find a beach that's perfect for your next vacation.

We've put together a comprehensive list of the best beaches in the US, based off of several notable beach rankings and lists compiled by travel experts, travelers, researchers, and tourism boards. We combined them with our own editorial discretion to come up with the ultimate list of the best beaches in America.

The rankings we used were: TripAdvisor's 2016 Travelers' Choice Awards, Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches for 2016, Travel Channel's Top 10 US Beaches, and Coastal Living's Best Beaches in the USA list.