How to Find Your Secret Beach in Animal Crossing New Horizons

They say that you can find all sorts of neat things in your own yard. For example, I found a mysterious cross-patterned stone embedded in the ground of the front yard of my childhood home. To this day, I still have no idea what that thing was or why it was there, but it sure was interesting. Of course, if I had a beach in my backyard, I probably would’ve found something more interesting. Here’s how you can find your own secret backyard beach in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

Every island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons gradually heightens into a cliffside as you move closer to the back of it. This is by design; you’re not supposed to be able to explore the entire island until you’ve unlocked certain tools like the ladder and vaulting pole. Once you’re able to make your way up there, though, there is a lovely view of the surrounding ocean, and seemingly little else. The operative word there is “seemingly.”

How to Find Your Secret Beach in Animal Crossing New Horizons

Another common feature shared by every possible island is a “secret beach” located along the island’s northern edge. Every other shore on your island, be it the west, south, or east, is pretty obvious, spanning those entire sides. The northern beach, on the other hand, is obscured by your island’s natural cliff face and some rocks, not to mention the fact that it’s only a few feet long. 

To get down onto the beach, just hug the back edge of the cliff and attempt to use your ladder. You may be able to see a small sliver of the beach or its border rocks if you arch your camera all the way up. You may have to use your ladder twice if there’s a secondary ledge, but you should be able to just plop right down there without any trouble. Once you’ve unlocked the terraforming tool, you make a proper ramp back there.

So what’s actually back there? Most days, nothing; it’s just another beach. However, once a month, the secret beach becomes the docking place for Redd’s Treasure Shop, where you can purchase fine works of art to hang on your wall or donate to the museum, provided you can differentiate the real ones from the forgeries.