When it comes to Southwest Florida beaches, all of them are exceptional.
But there is one beach along the gulf coast that seems to rise above all of the others every year when the highly anticipated Top Ten Beaches in the U.S. list is released by Dr. Beach, a.k.a Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University.
The 2026 list is out today (May 21) and once again Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples made the prestigious ranking, which is further supported by how it is described on the park’s official website.
“This tropical paradise beckons visitors to enjoy peaceful views of the Gulf of America and experience the many shorebirds and wildlife that gather here.”
And this:
“This popular destination boasts one of the most pristine stretches of beaches in the world.”
What U.S. beach is ranked at the top of the 2026 Best Beaches list?
Hawaii’s Poipu Beach on Kauai was No. 1.
How did Florida beaches do overall in the Best Beaches rankings?
Four of the beaches on the top ten list were in Hawaii, but Florida accounted for three of the 10: St. Andrews was second and Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater was third, joining Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, which is ranked sixth, slipping from No. 4 in 2025. In 2024 it was No. 8.
The rest of the top 10 were in New York, South Carolina, and Massachusetts.
Here’s what Dr. Beach had to say about Delnor-Wiggins beach:
“Activities include swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, shelling, and fishing. Wildlife in the park includes bald eagles, ospreys, and manatees. Pine trees provide welcome shade,” Leatherman said.
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park: What to know
Ranking the top beaches in the U.S.
Leatherman has evaluated the country’s 650 public beaches every year since 1991 for 50 different criteria, including water, sand quality, safety, and management.
Here is the 2026 Top-10:
1-Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
2- St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, Florida
3-Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
4, Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
5. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
6. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
7. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
8. Kaunaoa, Big Island, Hawaii
9. Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
10. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
C. A. Bridges, a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team, contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Best beaches in U.S. list puts this SW Florida gem in Top-10 again
Reporting by Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
