Central California's Best Beaches
From Pismo Beach to San Francisco
Which are the Best
Central California Beaches?
Find the One That's Right for You
Find Your North Coast Beach
Find Your Southern California Beach
Great Play in the
Sand and Surf
Family Beaches
All California beaches have dangerous rip-currents and other hazards. Children playing near or in the surf should be supervised at all times.
Seacliff Beach
Usually gentle surf, convenient and plentiful facilities, including restrooms, snack bar, showers, pier with cement boat, and shaded picnic areas.Capitola Beach
Good facilities, wharf, close to shops and restaurants in Capitola, family atmosphere.Santa Cruz Beach
Crowded in the summer, but lots of fun for kids, next to the Boardwalk, pier, good facilitiesMonterey Beaches
Close to El Estero Park, wharf, bike trail, lots of room along a narrow beach, usually gentle surf, close to Monterey shops and restaurantsCarmel Beach
Bring your dog and let it run free, close to shops and restaurants, broad sandy beach, campfires allowed on the beach, free parkingHalf Moon Bay State Beach
Roosevelt, Dunes, Venice, and Francis - a long expanse of sand, good facilities, easy access; Francis Beach has the best facilities, including a big picnic area, outdoor showers, and a lifeguardAvila Beach
Protected beach, gentle surf, facilities nearby.Pismo Beach
Long expanse of sand with easy access and plenty of nearby facilities
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Some of the Best Surfing Beaches
Cowell Beach
Steamer Lane, one of the premier surfing destinations in Northern CaliforniaWaddell Beach
Site of the 2009 Grade-3 Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships, compete with kitesurfers, but great wavesCarmel River Beach
Often has good surfing, a favorite of localsOcean Beach
Consistently good surfing, especially at the north end. Dangerous rip-currentsPacifica (Linda Mar) Beach
Always busy with surfers, good facilities nearby, easy access.Scott Creek Beach
(Davenport) Reliable waves at the north end of the beachAsilomar Beach
(Monterey) Best surfing at south end, good year-roundSand Dollar Beach
(Big Sur) Best in the fall, plenty of room to spread out
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Best Wildlife Viewing
Beaches
Ano Nuevo State Park
Elephant seals, other marine mammals, shore birdsPoint Lobos State Natural Reserve
Marine mammals, birds, land mammals - all in a spectacular settingCowell Ranch Beach
(Half Moon Bay) Adjacent to protected harbor seal beach, great viewpoint with accessible telescopeFitzgerald Marine Reserve
(Montara) Some of the best tide pools, best viewed at minus tidesMoss Landing Beach
Next to Elkhorn Slough with rafts of sea otters, seals, sea lions, and hundreds of birdsNatural Bridges Beach
Great tide pools, monarch butterfly preservePiedras Blancas
Elephant seal viewing, easy access from Highway 1 near San SimeonPescadero Beach
Adjacent to Pescadero Marsh Natural PreserveWaddell Beach
Adjacent to Rancho del Oso nature area, part of Big Basin State Park
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Popular Diving Beaches
Del Monte Beach
Easy access to Monterey Bay for novice diversMonastery Beach
Good place for expert divers to set off to explore coast along Point Lobos. Dangerous surf.Whaler's Cove - Point Lobos
Popular dive spot for experienced diversPartington Cove
Access Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Underwater Area
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Scenic Beaches
McWay Cove in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
McWay Falls spills 80 feet onto the beach, unspoiled, spectacular, a must stop when driving the Big Sur coast.Point Lobos
Rugged coastal rocks, crashing waves, coves, beaches, and islands - there's something spectacular around every bend in the trailShark Fin Cove
Photographers know this place, just south of Davenport - breathtaking rocks rising out of the surfBaker Beach
Bring your camera for fabulous shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin headlands.Natural Bridges Beach
The big arches have collapsed, but the rocks, the surf, the monarch butterflies, and the tide pools draw thousands every yearSpooner's Cove
In Montana de Oro State Park near Morro Bay. Beautiful secluded beach with rugged shoreline-
Gray Whale Cove
This scenic little beach hides at the bottom of a long stairway - soaring cliffs, crashing surf, and sparkling sand Pfeiffer Beach
One of the best in Big Sur, purple sand, towering rocks with passages for waves to come crashing throughWilder Ranch Beaches
Hike along this rugged coast to less-often visited beaches such as Sand Plant and 3-Mile Beach. Visit Fern Grotto Cave.
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Camping Beaches
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Francis Beach
(Half Moon Bay) Camp almost on the beach at Half Moon Bay Beach State Park, best suited for RVs, but there are several tent-only sites. New Brighton Beach
(Santa Cruz) Great family camping on bluff above the beachPismo Beach
Camp in one of two campgrounds within walking distance of the beach or at nearby Oceano Beach right on the sand.Seacliff Beach
(Aptos) RV camping in paved sites that face the beachManresa Beach
(Watsonville) Walk-in, tent sites on bluff near the beach, well developed campgroundSunset Beach
(Watsonville) Several campgrounds among the trees on bluff well above the beach, great facilitiesMorro Bay State Park
Camp along the shore of Morro Bay with views of Morro Rock and easy access to kayaking and hikingAndrew Molera State Park
(Big Sur) Walk-in campsites, no reservations, forest and meadow setting, within easy distance of the beachJulia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
(Big Sur) Perhaps the two finest campsites on the coast, walk-in, environmental sites, overlooking McWay Cove and the Big Sur coastKirk Creek Beach
(Big Sur) On a bluff overlooking Kirk Creek Beach and the Big Sur coast, meadow sites, no waterLimekiln Beach
(Big Sur) Nice tent sites among the redwoods away from the beach, RV and tent sites closer to the shore.
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Best Fishing Beaches
Sharp Park
Pacifica's Sharp Park pier has the reputation as the best fishing spot along the coastAvila Beach
Reputed to be the best fishing pier along the central coast, open 24 hours, good facilitiesPismo Beach
One of the most popular fishing piers along the central coast, great facilities, easy accessHalf Moon Bay Beaches
Things get wild in late spring and summer when the surf smelt runCapitola Beach
Fishing from the wharf is always a great experience and often rewarded with big catchesGray Whale Cove
Enjoyable surf fishingMoss Landing Beach
Get out on the jetty for some really rewarding fishingOcean Beach
Surf fishing for stripers, perch and halibutSeacliff Beach
Fish off the pier out by the old cement boatSanta Cruz Beach
Opportunities for fishing all the way out the half mile long wharf
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Ocean Safety
California State Parks and Recreation cautions that "large surf, cold water temperatures, backwash, sudden drop-offs,
pounding shorebreak, and dangerous rip currents can turn what seem like safe activities such as
playing near the surf line, wading, or climbing on rock outcroppings, deadly."
Learn more about ocean safety at
CA State Parks: Ocean Safety
California's Best Beaches
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