Coronado Beach stretches 1.5 miles along Ocean Boulevard on Coronado Island, ranked the number-one beach in the United States by coastal scientist Stephen P. Leatherman's national survey in 2012 and consistently placed in the top ten by Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor in subsequent years in the 92118 ZIP. The sand meets the Hotel del Coronado resort campus at the southern end, where the Victorian-era hotel's red turrets and white wooden facade form one of the most photographed beach backdrops on the Pacific Coast, and the Dog Beach section at the northern terminus gives off-leash access to one of San Diego County's few designated dog-permitted ocean beaches. The beach's width — exceeding 200 feet at many points — results from a combination of natural sand accretion and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' regional beach-nourishment program that periodically deposits dredged sand along the Coronado and Silver Strand shorelines to combat erosion. Coronado Beach's flat, hard-packed sand near the waterline creates running, cycling, and beach-cruiser conditions that attract fitness-oriented residents and visitors, and the tide-pool zones at the far ends reveal marine invertebrates, anemones, and shore crabs during low-tide windows. Lifeguard towers staffed by the Coronado Fire Department's ocean-rescue team line the beach, and the Coronado Lifeguard Headquarters at 920 Ocean Boulevard coordinates water-safety operations under USLA Advanced Agency certification. Adjacent Sunset Park on Ocean Drive provides grassy bluffs with unobstructed sunset views over the Pacific, and the Orange Avenue commercial corridor sits within a flat walk from the sand. Visitors cross the Coronado Bridge from mainland San Diego or ride the Coronado Ferry to the island's bayfront and walk west through the village to reach a beach whose sand composition, width, and gentle wave profile produce conditions that rank among the safest and most accessible ocean swimming environments in Southern California.