You won't find smooth sandy shores at this beach in Machiasport, Maine.

Instead, the waves crash against what looks like billions of colorful smooth stones of all colors, sizes, and shapes.

Jasper Beach is a favorite spot to both relax and explore as the ocean water washes over the pebbles and creates unique musical sounds.

Joe Kelley at CoastalCare.org says: 

The area is very rural with only a few fishing villages, though in recent years, grand vacation homes have sprung upon on some nearby rocky cliffs. As a measure of its remote nature, the 800 m long gravel beach and much of a nearby forested, rocky peninsula was available for less than $50,000 20 years ago. Fortunately, the town of Machiasport, ME bought the beach as a park, and it is free to visit. So lucky for us all!

Jasper Beach earned it's name for the kind of rock that covers the shores. Jasper is a stone categorized by it's silica-rich and iron content. However, not all the rocks are true jasper. Whatever they're made of, they're beautiful and offer a rainbow of colors.

Anyone who has visited Jasper Beach tells the tale of the "singing rocks". As the water washes over the plentiful smooth stones, it moves the many stones and creates a roaring, rushing, and slightly melodic tone. Visitors say that Jasper Beach is among the most peaceful and serene places in the region.

This is an opportunity to see a geological formation which is said to occur in only one other place on earth in Japan. The rocks which make up the beach are rhyolite and have been polished by the constant wave action over thousands of years. The sound of the waves washing up on the rocks is almost musical at times.

- Trip Advisor Review by Thomas M.

 

Find Jasper Beach and hear the beautiful musical rocks. Admire the colors and the scenery, too, but remember to leave the rocks on the beach.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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