North Beach
Lake Charles, LA
North Beach sits right on North Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles, a patch of white sand trucked in along the shore of the lake instead of the Gulf, which makes it one of the only inland beaches on this stretch of coast. Locals treat it like a city park with sand, showing up for volleyball, a swim, or just to watch the sunset over the water.
A convenient, genuinely sandy spot to swim without driving to the coast, but it's a small stretch of sand on a working lake, not a barrier island, and it gets crowded fast once the weather turns nice.
How we score beachesWeekday mornings are the move if you want the beach mostly to yourself. By Saturday afternoon in summer the parking along the drive fills and families claim most of the shade.
There's a public lot right off North Lakeshore Drive, plus street parking nearby, and a modest per car fee gets collected during the season. It's an easy in and out most of the week.
The lot sits just a few steps from the sand, flat and paved the whole way, so it's about as easy an entrance as any beach on this list.
Water in the lake warms up before the Gulf does, comfortable for swimming from late spring through early fall, and the beach stays open into the evening on summer weekends for the sunset crowd. Hurricane season overlaps most of that window, so a storm can close the beach with little notice.
More Gulf Coast beaches
Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Key, FL · Gulf Coast
Fine quartz sand that stays cool underfoot even in summer, sloping gently into calm Gulf water, and consistently rated among the best family beaches in the country.
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater, FL · Gulf Coast
A lively Gulf-front strip with a fishing pier, a nightly sunset celebration at Pier 60, and calm, shallow water that makes it an easy family favorite.
Pensacola Beach
Pensacola Beach, FL · Gulf Coast
Sugar-white sand within the Gulf Islands National Seashore, with dunes protected from development and water clear enough for snorkeling near the jetties.