Washington spot named one of the best beaches in the world; only US spot to make the list

It’s not summer yet, but as the weather warms up Washington’s beaches are starting to fill up again. If you’re willing to drive a bit for your next beach day, there’s one place in Washington you should consider, according to a new ranking from Lonely Planet.

Earlier this week, the travel publication released its list of the 25 most beautiful beaches in the world. The list featured beaches from six continents, including a half dozen spots in North America, but only one U.S. beach made the list: Ruby Beach in Washington’s Olympic National Park.

Ruby Beach named among best beaches in the world

Located on the southwest side of the Olympic Peninsula, south of Forks, WA, Ruby Beach draws around 225,000 visitors a year, according to the National Park Service. Lonely Planet lauded it as a “great introduction to Washington state and the United States’ Pacific Northwest.”

The outlet also highlighted the beach’s dramatic shoreline, lined with rocks and trees. It gave each beach on the list a superlative, with Ruby Beach earning the title of “best beach for beachcombers,” due to its agates and tide pools.

How to get to Ruby Beach

Once you’ve reached the Olympic Peninsula, getting to Ruby Beach is simple — it’s located right off of Highway 101, south of Forks and north of Kalaloch. Getting to the peninsula from the rest of the state can be tricky, though. It’s accessible by a series of ferries across the Puget Sound region or by freeway from the South Sound — Interstate 5 connects with Highway 101 in Olympia.

Other PNW beach among most beautiful in the world

One other Pacific Northwest beach made the list — Vancouver Island’s Chesterman Beach. However, the beach is on the west side of the island, meaning it isn’t the easiest to get to from Washington.

This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Washington spot named one of the best beaches in the world; only US spot to make the list."