Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman's annual compilation of "America's Best Beaches," travelers get an environmental scientist's take on how the nation's shores rate for annoyances and amenities.

Beaches are the number one recreational destination for Americans. These sandy playgrounds that line our coasts are the most extensive natural parks in the country. Nothing restores the body and soul like a stay at the beach. We are naturally drawn to the rythmic pounding of the waves as if returning to our primordial beginnings.

He uses 50 criteria to evaluate, or diagnose, his "patients." The criteria fall into three broad categories: physical factors (sand softness, water temperature, rip currents); biological factors (pests, water pollution); and human-use factors (litter, urbanism, noise).

1. Poipu Beach, Hawaii
2. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida
3. Kaanapali, Hawaii
4. Hanalei Beach, Hawaii
5. Caladesi Island State Park, Florida
6. Fort DeSoto Park, Florida
7. Hamoa Beach, Hawaii
8. Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
9. Cape Florida SRA, Florida
10. East Hampton Beach, New York
11. Westhampton Beach, New York
12. Makena State Park, Hawaii
13. Siesta Beach, Florida
14. Coast Guard Beach, Massachusetts
15. Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
16. St. George Island State Park, Florida
17. Perdido Key, Florida/Alabama
18. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
19. Carpinteria City Beach, California
20. Long Beach Island, New Jersey