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Even the most seasoned travelers with passport stamps filling up every page can still be shocked by what they discover.

“Hidden gems” may be an overused term, but the fact is, there’s something magical about finding places that nobody seems to know, and oftentimes, they leave a lasting mark even bigger than global icons.

As for the West Coast, most travelers opt for a handful of major cities and trendy beach towns.

In between is what’s left to locals who tend to remain tight-lipped about their picture-perfect hometown.

But today, as a resident Californian myself, I’m putting my Joker mask on and playing the villain as I reveal the West Coast’s 4 most beautiful beach towns that have been held a secret far too long.

4) Fort Bragg, CA: ‘Glassy’ Shores & Towering Redwoods

Let’s be honest — with the exception of Long Beach and anywhere around The Bay, many California beaches are spitting images of each other.

But if there’s one specific swath of shoreline that’s more unique than the rest, it’s Fort Bragg.

Home to Glass Beach, just as it sounds, the coast gleams with kaleidoscopic sea glass, making for the perfect photo op.

Don’t worry — you won’t slice your feet open and have to make an unexpected ER visit. The ‘glass’ is smooth, so your trip will be too.

But Fort Bragg is no one-trick pony. As if glassy beaches weren’t cool enough, how about sprawling forests with trees you can’t wrap your arms around?

That’s right, this town is home to numerous Redwood locations and pristine waterfalls, including:

• MacKerricher State Park
• Russian Gulch State Park

Better yet, make sure to hop aboard the Skunk Train to enjoy the scenery even more.

3) Tillamook, OR: Cake Cheese By The Ocean

They say ‘it ain’t easy being cheesy’. That is unless find yourself in Tillamook, Oregon.

If you’re a cheese fiend like me, perhaps you’ve purchased Tillamook brand dairy products at your preferred grocer without batting an eye that Tillamook is a real place that just so happens to be a seamless gateway to otherworldly coastline nobody ever seems to talk about.

This little-known foodie town is a fun visit itself, but on the outskirts of town lie rugged stretches of coastline speckled with towering sea stacks, misty headlands, and wide-open beaches that feel straight out of a Pacific Northwest dream.

People talk about Bigfoot sightings more so than Tillamook’s shores, and that’s a shame. Especially, if you visit such places as Cape Lookout State Park.

And yes, while you’re here, you can book a visit to the Tillamook Creamery. It’s obligatory, right?

2) Carpinteria, CA: The ‘Safest Beach In The World’

Despite what you hear about California’s ‘zombie land’ streets in major cities, one off-the-radar paradise has been crowned the ‘world’s safest’ beach destination.

Next door to Santa Barbara lies the historic town of Carpinteria, boasting a delightful Old Town and even more enjoyable beaches that rarely draw huge crowds, with the exception of the annual California Avocado Festival held every fall.

As I mentioned, I live in California. Guess how many times I’ve heard people rave about Carpinteria…

Zero. It’s locally beloved.

But that makes this gem even more enticing as one of the West Coast’s few yet-to-be-discovered hideaways perfect for dolphin spotting, surfing, or simply kicking back with a White Claw in-hand (hide it from the lifeguards!).

1) Solana Beach, CA: San Diegans Will Spite Me For Revealing This Place

Well… it was a good run.

I may be banned from local taco shops and threatened by dude-bro surfers for revealing our beloved hideout from tourists that invade each spring and summer like clockwork.

San Diego vacationers tend to opt for Coronado, Mission Beach, Del Mar, and La Jolla, but Solana Beach has remained off the typical tourist path as a local haven to enjoy year-round.

Neighboring Del Mar’s uppity, pinky-out crowd, this laid-back town is the antidote for a sense of real SoCal with hole-in-the-wall taco shops, walkable shops and other eats, and pristine beaches hidden below staggering bluffs that tourists tend to miss.

With no major hotels and no resorts, this is where you can spend a day trip to blend in with locals at such places as Pizza Port, rather than botox-injected Karens in ritzy Del Mar and La Jolla.

Sam Sears

Sam, our Lead Writer & Journalist based in San Diego has visited 36 countries and written over 1000 articles with a focus on sharing his own travel experiences and shining a light on lesser-known gems.