18 Best Beaches in Santa Cruz, California | Tourists Places
When the sun shines and the temperatures begin to rise, there’s nothing like going down to the beach to soak up the sunshine, swim in the ocean, and have fun with family and friends. Beaches are the perfect vacation destinations, free of the noise and pollution of major cities and providing nothing but fun, sun, sand, and relaxation for people of all ages and backgrounds.
You can always have a wonderful time at the beach, no matter who you are or what’s going on in your life, and the United States of America offers three excellent coastlines to explore.
The water may not be as warm or the landscape as perfect as in Southern California, but the beaches in Santa Cruz have a laid-back charm and raw beauty that is hard to surpass.
Santa Cruz may lack palm trees and cottages, but it does have impressive rock formations, hidden tide pools, boardwalks, cliffs, golden beaches, abundant animals, and breathtaking views of the Californian horizon. Here are the 18 Best Beaches in Santa Cruz.
1. Main Beach
Main Beach is a south-bound beach that stretches from the mouth of the San Lorenzo River to the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf wooden dock. Indeed, even with an enormous scope of sand it gets very loaded with vacationers and local people on bright days and Main Beach best the rundown of best beaches in Santa Cruz.
Behind the beach, you’ll discover thrill rides and other entertainment mecca rides, an arcade, scaled-down golf, pool, bowling alley, and numerous café choices. Subsequent to investigating the promenade consider leaving to the furthest limit of the wharf to see the shops and glance back at the city. A few fish eatery alternatives are on the wharf and numerous others are close by on Beach Street. The shops and attractions along Beach Street and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk are unquestionable requirements to investigate if visiting interestingly.
In the mid-year, the San Lorenzo River backs up making a huge stale tidal pond at the east finish of the beach where a restricted stone balance divider stands out into the surf. Gulls and different birds can be spotted at the waterway.
Lifeguards are available more often than not at Main Beach making it a more secure spot for families to play in the waves. However, make certain to check water quality prior to swimming as this beach and Cowell Beach (north of the wharf) habitually get helpless water evaluations.
2. Natural Bridges State Beach
Situated toward the finish of West Cliff Drive, Natural Bridges State Beach is probably the best beach in Santa Cruz for picture takers, tide poolers, and nightfall fans. The most shot sight at Natural Bridges State Beach is the regular extension ocean curve that can be found close to the shore.
Regular Bridges State Beach is likewise a mainstream place for birdwatching and to spot moving whales, seals, and even otters. During low tide, search for the tide pools at the most distant finish of the beach where you may run over some vivid ocean life as ocean stars, ocean anemones, crabs, and then some.
In the event that you have additional time, perhaps the coolest thing close to Natural Bridges State Beach is the Monarch Butterfly Grove. Just a short stroll from Natural Bridge State Beach, you’ll track down a wooden footpath that takes you through the eucalyptus forest where upwards of 8,000 Monarch butterflies live throughout the colder time of year.
The best ideal opportunity to see them is in November, in spite of the fact that you may in any case see a couple whenever between mid-October to mid-February.
Furthermore, in case you’re searching for additional beaches to investigate, the West Cliff Drive region is perhaps the best spot to discover stowed away inlets and rough precipices to watch the dusk from in Santa Cruz. Simply stroll along West Cliff Drive from Natural Bridges State Beach to perceive what you can discover.
3. Capitola Beach
With its vivid houses and pleasant harbor, Capitola oozes the appeal of a Mediterranean fishing town. Ignoring the wharf are roads fixed with stores, bistros, and eateries. A few of the nearby eating foundations highlight beautiful ocean sees.
Capitola Beach is valued for its pure regular environmental factors and ensured waters. Since the beach is settled in a little inlet, the waves are delicate. It’s a decent spot for starting surfers. Lifeguards are on the job throughout the late spring months.
Sunbathers like this stretch of sandy shoreline for relaxing on beach towels. There are additional seats around the beach for the individuals who need to pause for a minute or two and absorb the scene.
Beach volleyball players can utilize the courts that are set up in the sand.
The lovely walkways of the town lead to the Capitola Wharf, via a grand walk. While strolling close by the North Pier, guests can regularly see kayakers, paddleboarders, fishing dinghies, and boats in the little Capitola inlet. Participating in the outside action, seals, dolphins, and otters skip in the quiet, shielded waters. From the tip of the North Pier, the standpoint onto the sweeping Monterey Bay is dazzling.
Mid-year carries numerous social occasions to Capitola Beach. A week-by-week series of unrecorded music shows draws swarms. Outside film screenings are likewise famous. The Capitola Beach incorporates public bathrooms and outside showers. Shops on the wharf offer fishing trap and rental boats.
4. Mitchell’s Cove Beach
Known for the sensational perspectives from the high feigns behind the beach, Mitchell’s Cove is a top pick of dawn and dusk fans and neighborhood craftsmen hoping to catch its magnificence.
Mitchell’s Cove Beach is another south-bound beach in west Santa Cruz, CA. It is situated beneath the feign between Woodrow Avenue and Almar Avenue on West Cliff Drive. There is a parking garage directly over the beach on W Cliff Drive. A couple of speeds west of the stopping region is an enormous flight of stairs that gives safe admittance to the beach underneath.
At the lower part of the steps is a tall stone monument jabbing up out of the beach. During elevated tides and throughout the colder time of year turbulent months there isn’t a lot of dry sand uncovered in Mitchells Cove. Huge rocks have been stacked up in the pockets of the feign to limit disintegration from these tempests. Canines are permitted on rope on Mitchell’s Beach whenever and off rope before 10am and after 4pm.
Not an especially well-known beach for swimming or sunbathing, a superior thought might be to pack a cookout lunch, snatch that novel you’ve been needing to peruse since the ’90s, and plan on remaining until the apathetic sun vanishes into the Pacific.
5. Bonny Doon Beach
Bonny Doon Beach is a shocking beach upheld by rises and in any case encompassed by high precipice dividers. A brook, Liddell Creek, courses through a passage in the stone divider at the rear of the beach and streams around the south finish of the beach to the sea. From the stopping region, you may need to swim across the river or cross on a log to arrive at the beach.
The beach is situated at the convergence of Highway 1 and Bonny Doon Road north of Santa Cruz and close to the town of Davenport. There is a since quite a while ago cleared parking area along Highway 1 at this spot (stopping hours from 8 AM to dusk). Stroll across the railroad tracks and down a sandy incline to the beach. Try not to leave resources apparent in vehicles whenever as break-ins are normal sadly.
In the event that you need to climb around, there are old twofold track ranch trails on the feigns north and south of the beach. The northern path prompts Shark Fin Cove and the southern one prompts perspectives on Panther Beach and Hole in the Wall.
Bonny Doon has been viewed as an apparel discretionary beach for quite a long time. Since the province of California claims the property it appears to be that the without clothing region is at the more confined north end (past the enormous level bested rock).
This beach may before long be known as Bonny Doon State Beach, a future California State Park in the Coast Dairies Ranch property procurement, and ideally the beach’s standing will improve.
Note that swimming here can be hazardous because of tear flows.
6. Seabright Beach
Another of the most famous beaches in Santa Cruz, Seabright Beach is a halfway found beach in a private area close to Santa Cruz Harbor. At the point when I consider summer in Santa Cruz, my psyche consistently floats to Seabright Beach. Maybe this is on the grounds that I had such countless birthday events and sports parties there, however, there’s a ton to appreciate at this beach.
This half-mile beach isn’t the biggest in Santa Cruz, yet it’s anything but a decent blend of nearby energies and attractions that tourists would appreciate as well. It’s likewise not very a long way from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in case you’re searching for a really loosening up option in contrast to Main Beach.
At Seabright Beach you’ll discover the Walton Lighthouse and harbor not too far off, there’s a lot of space to spread out, and it’s extraordinary compared to other Santa Cruz beaches for huge fires and swimming.
Furthermore, Since it’s close to the harbor, you can frequently watch boats head out into Monterey Bay. From pre-summer through October, there are boat races on Wednesday evenings that are a pleasant neighborhood occasion to see from the beach.
The Santa Cruz Natural History Museum with its famous dim whale sculpture that children love to get on is additionally directly opposite Seabright Beach.
Consolidate the entirety of this with free road stopping around the beach and close by delectable Santa Cruz cafés like Aldo’s, Seabright Brewery, Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe, and Betty Burgers, and it’s not difficult to perceive any reason why Seabright is a particularly well known beach to visit in Santa Cruz.
7. Twin Lakes State Beach
On the opposite side of Santa Cruz Harbor, you’ll discover Twin Lakes State Beach. Twin Lakes is another most loved neighborhood beach and one that is typically marginally less swarmed than Seabright.
Like Seabright, Twin Lakes State Beach gives a decent perspective on Walton Lighthouse, despite the fact that you can’t leave to it as you can at Seabright beach. This is a well known spot for beach volleyball, huge fires, kayaking, cruising, and birdwatching at close by Schwan’s Lake.
There aren’t exactly as numerous food alternatives inside strolling distance as there are at Seabright, yet you’ll see one of Santa Cruz’s most famous high-end eateries close to the harbor — The Crow’s Nest. There’s additionally a taqueria nearby and a bistro for the more easygoing toll.
Huge fires are mainstream on this beach and numerous individuals can be spotted messing around or sprinkling around at the water’s edge also. There’s likewise a rental store offering kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, so on the off chance that you need to take off on the waves and investigate the coastline, Twin Lakes State Beach is a fine spot to begin.
As a little something extra, Schwann Lake, across the street from the beach, has a path avoiding a beautiful inland tidal pond where birds gather.
