(CNN) — A wild expanse on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has earned the top spot on an annual list of America’s best beaches.
Ocracoke Island’s Lifeguarded Beach is the No. 1 stretch of sand for 2022, according to coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman, also known as “Dr. Beach.”
Leatherman, a professor and director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, has been ranking America’s best beaches since 1991.
Ocracoke is only accessible