Second time to camp here I love this camp site as it's very close to the beach And you can hear the waves crashing at night if it's quiet enough But it's very close to the highway so you're not really out of the city craziness .. you can still hear the cars passing Anyway this camp site is big and a lot of privacy in there but I guess they need to maintain it more as the grass last time was pretty long especially with the high amount of rain that we got this year But it's very close , nice beach you can really enjoy a nice sunny beach day with a nice walk to the sinking ship Beautiful beach worth a visit But be prepared as they are gone SUPER fast read more

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Decent beach for a party. Lots of people here on a saturday with all sorts of big tents, so come earlier to stake your spot. Convenient parking lot ($10) that is three flights of steps up from beach. The lot gets full in busy part of the day. Nice surprise to see decent shower & bathrooms for a public beach. Its still a bit smelly but theres a lot of space in each individual bathroom, and i've seen waaay worse. Like pescadero where the door wouldnt fully close and much stinkier. Another good thing is a decent amount of garbage bin space including recycling. read more

So this was one of the few rv spots we went to ere they were absolutely rude. There were other people staying there but ranger drove over to us after we had paid in the over night spot and kicked us Out. read more

Stayed 3 days on 4th of July weekend thanks to a friends booking skills. I'd probably say 4.5 stars. Pros: Very few bugs, very nice bear boxes (squirrel boxes for this park), conscientious camp host cleaning litter in the morning, hear the waves even from 3rd site back from the "premium sites" that are cliff front and have an ocean view, walkable to Capitola beach shops (about 1mi). Cons: A bit of a walk to beach, poison oak could use more tending read more

Great location but recently seems to have gone downhill. There were dead crabs and birds in many spots on the beach. All attracting a ton of flies. No matter where I put my towel down flies were all over. Considering we pay $10 to come park for that day or an hour, I would expect better upkeep. read more

First time coming to this beach. I wanted to go to Capitola for my birthday so I went to Yelp to find a beach. It was really easy to find and there is a $10 parking fee. With it being a Tuesday, parking was easy. You park and either walk down a driveway type walkway (it's the park rangers access road) or I believe there is a long set of stairs to go down towards the beach. There is a smaller set of stairs that leads literally to the beach at the bottom of the steps. I saw a lifeguard shack but I'm not sure there was a lifeguard on duty. They do have restrooms but they are quite a trek and I didn't feel like walking to them. The smell of the beach itself was really strong like rotting seaweed and ocean air. It was a little off putting when we first arrived but I just ignored it. We found a few logs to sit on. The sand is dense and compacted, making it easier to walk on (bad knees) last time I was at the beach in SF I found it difficult to walk in the sand. The views are breathtaking. It looked like there might be a few trails to walk around. Further down, I'm assuming another beach entrance is the pier and the stone ship? Not sure what it's called. We saw a whale watching boat too. There was a quite a few people there today but not to where it's so crowded you're on top of each other. It was nice to chill and watch the waves. Nice and relaxing. A few people had their boogie boards and a kid had a water skimmer (a small surfboard looking thing) a surfer did come out but I don't think the waves were big enough to even attempt to surf. I will definitely be back with my swimsuit next time. read more

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Really nice beach with a beautiful (small) waterfall and stream that made it extra fun for the kids.

David invited me to go the beach in Capitola today. We are San Francisco residents. I was so excited to get the chance to get out of town for a day trip. We got some food from Whole Foods on Soquel and Taqueria Santa Cruz. We ate at the beach. We swam in the water. It was warm, but not too hot because it is May. We lounged on the beach and it was nice. At some point, this annoying group of high school kids came by and were noisy, but other than that it was quiet with young families. It's not dirty. It's a little secluded. It's $10 to spend the day at the beach. The bathroom facility by the beach could be nicer. I had a nice trip to this beach that I had never been to in Capitola. read more

New Brighton State Beach - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

We just spent 3 days at this campground during the beginning of July which also was our first stay here. Pros -Most sites are large and plenty of parking for multiple vehicles. -WiFi access is available in some parts which is rare for a State Beach. -Sites have some distance between which is nice not having neighbors all on top of you -20 min drive to Santa Cruz -$50/night for partial hookups is on the cheaper side Cons -The landscaping is pretty terrible here, most of the sites have overgrown vegetation. We saw someone actually bring their own weedwacker which is a shame. -No direct beach access...apparently there is a path that is blocked due to a landslide. A 5 min drive gets you to the beach. read more

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This beach was awesome and really great scenery. You can BBQ, bring alcohol, and it's dog friendly which is a huge plus so we can take our little Maltipoo to enjoy! The parking is only $10 for all day, but you must come early so you can get parking. I actually caught a glimpse of a sea otter laying on his back. You can bring a surf board and catch the large waves. The beach brought a great atmosphere where you can relax and enjoy time for yourself or with a love one. read more

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Well the good news....looks as if New Brighton State Beach is one of the few State parks that has little or no chance of being closed! The popularity and year round use of the park apparently is enough to not have it on the chopping block. Yay! Boo, that if it becomes one of only a handful open; it will become even harder to book a camping site then it is right now! Bummer! This review is for the campgrounds. My first time there and I must say that I thought the park staff were pretty outstanding keeping bathrooms well stocked with TP and showers pretty clean. The campgrounds, well I'm not going all out on 5 stars because there were just too many sites, that I don't know that I would happy with, but I'm sometimes a little fussy with having a bit of privacy when camping. So I've broken my review of sites etc. down by a few different categories. Size by my definition: (s) particularly small; one tent at most. (L) particularly large site that could accommodate several large tents. (see my pics for examples) Most sites are a good medium size most likely get a couple of tents. Premium sites: #73 (L), awesome site, right on the bluff with gorgeous views. #75, 76, 78, very nice sites, no shade, again right on bluff, great views but these 3 sites are very close to each other with little privacy. # 79, 82, 87, 88 all (L), no shade where table/fire pit are, on bluff, but large sites means bluff is farther away. #90, have no idea why this is considered premium. Very long and narrow, table/fire pit right on road so little or no privacy at all/with no shade; but if you walk through site all the way to bluff you can tell that folks have set up their tents in right along bluff where there is some shade etc. These are sites I thought offered a fair amount of privacy i.e. usually had at least 2-3 side of bushes/trees to block views from other campsites or a well placed tent might also offer a bit more privacy from. Pls note that many of these sites had RV/trailers in them so site might have appeared more private then it really was. Sites #1, 2,3,7,14, 31 (L), 35, 57, 69, 70, 91, 92 (s), 96 (s). Sites 67/68 are fairly private from the rest of the camp but not from one another and very sloped sites. #111 seemed fairly private as well but close to the main road. These sites in particular are very close together as in it would be most conducive to "knowing" your neighbors! Sites 16/17, 18/19, 23/25, 24/26, 28/29, 32/33, 67/68. These sites are VERY unshaded, so you may want to consider bringing your own. Sites # 5,6,8-12, 36, 37 (L), 38-40, 43, 65 (L), 77 (L). Lastly large (L) sites that are not considered "group" sites, yet could accommodate many tents that were not mentioned above: 27, 65, 97, 100, 102, 103, 104, 106. I find this significant only that if you are camping with several families or parties, it might be necessary to book multiple sites where one or two of these large ones might do the trick. A couple other notes. Wood is $8 per bundle, good size, decent deal. I definitely wouldn't tent camp in the RV/hook up sites, but saw folks doing it. Walk down to beach is steep but well paved and plenty of great views just going 1/2 way down. Didn't think the beach was really "clean" but at least it's not trash, but see debris such as seaweeds etc. Overall, the fact that you can camp amongst the trees and walk down to the beach during the day makes this place awesome. And like my review of Big Sur, though there are preferences to sites depending your needs....even the worst site (#23...because its so open to main path for 1/2 campground to get to beach) would be better then not enjoying this park at all! read more

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Last weekend was my first time camping at this ultra-popular beach/state park. We stayed in space 89 which is across the path from the premium sites. The reason I didn't book a premium site is that the reviews made it seem like they were on top of each other. While that may be the case for the ones in the middle, any spot between 73 and 90 is a great spot. If I had my choice of any space, I would book 73 though. It's off to the side and out of the way. It adjacent the beach trail but is separated enough by vegetation and in elevation that it's really a great, big site with trees adjacent the ocean bluff. If no premium are available, 91, 89 and 105 are all pretty decent in that they are separate, private and near the ocean as opposed to Hwy 1 (PCH). There were a couple of (single) spaces over by the group camping area that looked nice too. As we settled into evening, the sound of the ocean was welcoming and much more evident than that of the freeway (again, in space 89). You could hear the crash of the waves, which was awesome. To hear the freeway you had to concentrate on the background. Sunrise was amazing from the picnic area. Thousands of birds dove into the ocean seamlessly. We saw a pod of whales in the distance and a tour boat going in circles around the activity. The restrooms were decent but a bit smelly. They are lit at night albeit dimly. There is no soap and that which was left by others was quickly stolen. Showers are good and clean. $1.75 buys you 5 minutes of nice, hot water. There are hooks to hold some of your clothes and doors that close and lock behind you. There is a large picnic area which hosted a (no-alcohol?) wedding during our stay. I appreciated the liveliness which didn't get too crazy and that the music stopped around 4pm. Our dogs loved the trip. It's rewarding to make your dogs happy and ours definitely were just that. The beach had a lot of dogs as did the campground. And although we saw dogs everywhere, everyone seemed to picked up after their pooch so it was super clean in that regard. While there were big, metal, food storage boxes (looked new) we didn't see or hear any critters. The ground was a bit uneven from the squirrel holes so pitched our tent on the pad, which worked out perfectly. Ok, actually, I'm not going to lie; space 89 is lousy with squirrel holes. Again, just pitch it on the pad and you'll be good. There are water spigots but you may need to walk a ways. The couple we camped with brought a large water container which we filled a few times and left at the table. That was a good idea. Others mentioned a homeless issue. As a California native I'm aware that beach cities attract a certain population because of the mild year-round temperatures. Our state is unreasonably expensive and homelessness is a reality everywhere. While we didn't see any encampments, we were careful with our belongings and made sure our most valuable items were locked up and not visible before we left for the beach each day. I think if you do that, you'll be fine. This is a great camp spot near a good beach. Stay here if you get the chance! read more

Like any beach around California, I enjoy it. New Brighton State Beach is a beautiful beach, I went here with my cousin and her family for Mother's Day weekend. At first, we almost got lost going there because we were not paying attention, but after making a u-turn and paying closer attention, it was actually really easy to find. To visit this camp, you actually have to make reservations. You can make reservations online. Once you get there, you have to pay for a very small fee, I can't remember, I believe it was $5 or $10 dollars. Not bad. The campground does have restrooms and showers. Showers cost 25 cents for three minutes of warm water running. I constantly see the employees there cleaning the restrooms and showers, so it's pretty clean. Just remember to bring quarters and soap. To get to the beach, there is a little hillside and all you gotta do is walk down a bit and you'll see the beach. Going down the beach was a really good experience. There were not a lot of people camping out there, however there were many people walking the beach instead and enjoying the breeze that the beach had to offer. It is a beautiful place to go. And here are some tips that I suggest you do to enhance your visit at the New Brighton State Beach: - Make sure you have your money ready when you drive up to the beach. It will save you some time. - Bring some jogging clothes, it's a wonderful place to take a little run, like I did. - Take some time, put cell phones away...pull out a book, sit and relax and enjoy what natures has to offer. Overall, this place is wonderful. It's very quiet and relaxing. During my stay, there was a elderly couple camping out with their little puppy next to my campsite and they were just talking and took long walks and seem to really enjoyed their time here. Like I said before, it's a very clean beach, and I highly recommend anyone to come here and enjoy what nature has to offer. Life is truly too short, don't waste it. Oh, and one more tip... bring a camera. And capture these wonderful places and moments in life. read more

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Overnight camping is easy with just a tent. The sound of the ocean all night long, pretty birds everywhere. Even with a large school group nearby (50 high schoolers) they settled down earliest and we could sleep well. The trek down to the beach is pretty steep so we enjoyed from above. read more

Pay the $10 bucks and avoid the chaos at Capitola Beach...seriously. Spent 4 wonderful hours on Mother's Day with *beach front property* ...yes, we move in!! Chairs, Umbrella, Cooler...it was heaven. Sandcastles were built, kelp was harvested, squeals of delight were heard from the DGD's as they ran in the surf. I did not get sunburned. I would go back in a heartbeat...best beach in the Santa Cruz Area!! read more

Beach review #2 (does not include any dog beach reviews .. those are totally different) Deja vu ... No beach visit is complete without feet in water. Managed to stay mostly dry when braving in the low surf. This beach has sand. Clean sand. I didn't notice any trash or wind blown personal items scattered about. There were only a few people scattered about. This is a camping beach area, as well and perhaps many were packed and gone on this late morning Sunday. Very peaceful. Pay for parking. We didn't. Quick stop to see the water and grounds. Slightly more work to get to the water. You can rent a stand-up paddle boards and kayaks here. Dog Update: Dogs on leash are allowed on this beach. Since my pup grew up on off-leash beaches 3-4 days a week, I don't take her to on-leash beaches. She was well taken care of at home. read more

New Brighton State Beach - New Brighton State Beach - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

Camping: The campgrounds are not the most beautiful I've seen. Kind of bare and not a lot of privacy. Bathrooms are overall clean and stocked with toilet paper. But beware of Ranger Rocha, a wannabe Cop. He will come to your site and try to belittle you if you are talking past 10pm. Quite time. My site was loud I admit (beer), but his approach was really rude! I wasn't being loud, but he threatened to kick us all out. People who camp sometimes like to stay up late The other group next to us was having a good time talking loudly too. Key is to walk down to the freezing beach and you can be as loud as you want there. They have some fire pits you can use on the beach. Beach: Super beautiful beach! You have to take a path down, not for people who can't handle inclines. Especially going up. Since the water is located in a cove, the waves are very gentle. Not the best for boogie boarding. Soft sand. I really like the beach but at $10 for parking, ummmm, I might figure out another way to get in for free. read more

Camping with the family and had a great time. Walking distance to the beach which was very convenient to bring the kids. There are lots of trees which provided much needed shade when the sun rose each morning and in the afternoons. Our spot was big enough for two SUVs side by side and as we set up camp, we had enough privacy to which both tents were on opposites of our site. Our site was very clean and ready when we arrived. The neighbors were a distance away so we weren't camping on top of each other. There are showers amongst the premises but don't forget to bring your quarters--each quarter is two minutes. There is also hot water in the bathrooms but don't forget to bring your own soap as there is no soap dispensers. I would definately come back again and recommend coming here. I found the grounds to be very clean and family friendly. read more

We camp here with the family in August. I'm not much of a camping girl, nor a camping girl in fucking AUGUST, but this place is the exception! You are on a bluff overlooking a beach. It's the north end of Monterey. You can take a lil walk down, and ta da you're at the beach! It's high was 70 this year, and that is much warmer than last year! It's about 10 miles away from the boardwalk, and a very fun flea market. One night we were there they had this beautiful Polynesian music playing. It was so incredible to see this ladies perform. Where can you get that camping??? But it is camping. Don't get me wrong, I didn't bring my blow dryer here! They have many bathrooms and decent showers. We were the *loud* ones camping, so I guess when we're not there it would be really peaceful. I would definitely recommend this place for a camping trip. read more

Beautiful campground! Came with our senior class and had a really great time. 2/5 stars though. People working the check in office we're not very hospitable and got pretty upset with the people staying here. Bathrooms/showers were horrible. Absolutely horrible. Our campsite was not raked and the BBQ was not cleaned, you could tell nobody had been here since the last people checked out. We had a great time on the beach and the campground was in a great spot, but the facilities were not up to par. read more

I stayed here the first weekend of October 2011. We stayed at campsite 97. It was close to the bathrooms and had a decent amount of shade during the day. I noticed some of the camp sites were a bit crammed together and not much privacy. We lucked out and had only one campsite occupied next to us. Bring something warm to sleep in because it gets pretty cold at night. The bathrooms and showers near the day use area were much cleaner than the ones near my campsite. The picnic tables that are covered in the "campers day use area " have some electrical outlets located under the light switch. I had a few issues. Raccoons got into our food locker at about 3 am. I got up and shoo'd them away. There was a 2-3 inch gap on the side of our food locker and they pushed all the food over and the box of eggs kept the doors a little open and they were able to stick their hands in and get food out. I cleaned up the left overs and put any food that was not in cans or bottled in the trunk of my car for the remainder of the stay. I strongly suggest you do the same. I propped my axe against the doors to prevent them from trying to get in again. I notified maintenance the next morning and they said they would fix the gap. As for the doors not closing completely, I don't believe there is a solution for that. Check your food locker for spiders before you put anything inside. I found a black widow inside of my food locker. There are spiders everywhere . All different shapes and sizes. The park was very nice and it was very close walk to the beach and a short drive to the city. It has a beautiful view of the ocean. You can hear the ocean at night. My kids and I enjoyed our stay and will be back. The staff was very nice. read more

New Brighton State Beach - New Brighton State Beach - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

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This place holds many memories for me. Growing up in the Central Valley, we camped here every two years. Going to sleep hearing the waves at the bottom of the bluff . . . campfire programs . . . walking down that long curved driveway to get to the beach . . . sea creatures to the right, the cement ship waaaaaay down to the left . . . "sheep cliff" . . . look out for the poison ivy . . . So when my first baby was born, my wife and I wanted to take her camping. New Brighton was her first spot, age 7 months. If something bad happened to her, Dominican Hospital is only a few miles away. Nothing bad happened, and she loved it. Yes, it's in the middle of metro Santa Cruz, surrounded by suburbia. Freeway 1 is close to the border. But this is real camping. Dirt and trees everywhere, room for tents and trailers, and look out for the poison ivy. Except for the occasional train, you cannot see or hear anything of the surrounding civilization. They also have showers available, if you need to wash off and would rather not brave the cold ocean. The beach is great, too. If you're not camping here, you can park just off of Park Blvd., walk across the railroad tracks into the parking lot, and you're there. Being Northern California, the water is cold, so beware. Reserve early . . . September and October are the warmest months . . . look out for the poison ivy . . . read more

Overall a very clean beach with great views. Downside is $10 parking. I walked almost across the entire stretch (about 1.75 miles each way) and there are a lot of friendly people walking with their dogs (must be on a leash). There is a long RV section where they park up in a straight line so you have a view of the ocean. There are multiple bathroom centers to use which are the only spots where you can find trash cans. I came on a Friday and there was plenty of parking in the day lot but I can see how it can get packed in the summer/weekends. It is right off the 1 near Cabrillo College but there isn't any food places nearby so bring your snacks/drinks here. read more

We love this campground. Great location...close to decent restaurants and a great beach. Most of the camp sites provide some privacy. We stayed in #65, site had privacy but we were not aware that the paved road in front was used a skate park for every kid in the camp ground. Pretty noisy. There was also the teenagers who thought they needed to entertain us with their soccer skills. Most of the kids who rode their bikes, scooters and skateboard did not have helmets..nor adult supervision. The bathrooms also need to be updated. We will come back but as retired folks, prefer to come when the kids are in school. read more

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2 stars for the better than other beaches bathroom (there are three stalls instead of one).. -3 stars for the non-spectacular view; the dirty foamy sea water (i was scared to stick my body in the water); and last but not least, the grumpy park rangers who are supposed to collect the $10 fee as you enter state beach to park. oh, and negative on the dead kelp with NASTY flies all over!! next time i will head the other way and just drive the extra miles to monterey, pacific grove or carmel (SOOO much more worth it!) read more

New Brighton State Beach - kelp. our view.. - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

I stayed here this past weekend and had a great time. I was in site right next to the hosts and had no problem at all. I was even up late one night with friends and expected a complaint but no one did. one downside is lack of shade, the trees are not as big as Big Sur or Tahoe (last 2 places i camped). The beach was okay, flat so good for paddle boarding. Fire pits on the beach was cool. I brought my bike and i could bike anywhere and it was fun. Cant wait to go back, it is just so hard to get reservations! read more

New Brighton State Beach - Looking down at New Brighton Beach Labor Day Weekend 2015 - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

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Brought the family to go sea glass hunting we found so much !!we love this place lots of people There are giant fire pits and fire wood. Full moon, beauty at every look! It is absolutely read more

New Brighton State Beach - Our glass hunting beach! Awesome!!! - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

Be aware that the day parking is closed for this beach right now. You can access this area just by walking along the beach. Beautiful area. Stunning. Well worth going to read more

We concur with Rachel J. that No. 89 is one of the best non-premium sites and No. 73 is the primo premium site. We live four miles away and this is our go-to spot for camping during the week when we need a break. Definitely popular on weekends. It's quiet, you can hear the ocean, there are fire pits, yep the bathrooms could be a little cleaner. Also close to great places to eat. read more

New Brighton State Beach - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

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This beach is ok kinda dirty smells odd a lot of people no big waves that's a plus. Otherwise it is a good place to go

Another great trip to new Brighton. Some things to note about the beach. As of March 2016 they did not have any toilets at beach. I suppose the storm damaged them. Also half of day use parking lot is not in use. Huge sink hole. See photos. The trail from campground is also closed right now. Again I was reminded how close we are to rode so you can hear traffic noise. We really love this place since you can go to beach. Also find last minute cancellations. We will be back. read more

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My friends and I spent the night recently over at Monarch Cove Inn. While checking out the grounds at the Inn, we could see New Brighton State Beach so we decided to walk over to check it out in the late afternoon. Easy little jaunt-- we took some little trails and walked along the railroad tracks... just had to watch out for poison oak in parts. Once we arrived, the beach wasn't busy or crowded at all. I brought my dog (leashed dogs are allowed) and she had a blast checking out/smelling the seaweed and playing in the little waves. We didn't stay very long, didn't see or check out the campground, but spent enough time at the beach to know we'd all like to return sometime when we return to Capitola. read more

New Brighton State Beach - Beautiful - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

One of my favorite beaches along the Santa Cruz Co. coastline. The ocean is generally calm, beach is clean and vibe is low-key. It's fun to walk along the bottom of the cliffs over to Capitola during low tide or head the opposite direction and stroll down the beach to the cement boat pier. I used to go out on the cement boat when I was a kid...now it's falling apart and closed. Hidden gem: hike out of the parking lot (headed north) and you can wander to the top of the cliffs - awesome view, but a tad bit dangerous as there are no fences! If you are lucky, there are BMX jumps with daredevils flying through the air in an incredible spot overlooking the beach/bay! Cool beach - 4.5 stars! read more

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Newbies welcome, New Brighton State Beach is an excellent camp site to convert city girls into camping champions. There are really clean toilets and showers here. I call it fake camping but it's as close as I am going to get to real camping for now. I need to be broken in slowly. We went camping on the rainiest of all days. I was skeptical of going but uncontrollable conditions such as this are what help constitute camping as roughing it. The sun did come out eventually and we used that opportunity to pitch our tents as well as set up shop. There are countless grills and picnic tables available as well as water spouts and your very own fire pit. This makes for excellent bbqing and campfire shenanigans. The beach is minutes away within hiking distance. Consider it your own private beach. Bonfires and dogs are allowed on the beach but horses and cars are not. The beach is absolutely beautiful and many were taking advantage of the waves by boogie/wake boarding. When nighttime hits, you'll be falling asleep to the sounds of the Pacific Ocean. Things I learned from camping at New Brighton: flip burgers from front to back instead of left to right, you can make your own bbq sauce (from salsa, ketchup, 2 beers, salt, pepper, salsa, teriyaki sauce, mustard, grill seasoning...) from pretty much anything you've got on the table, dress warm because it gets very cold in April, dogs can choke on rice and miniature marshmallows don't really cut it when you are trying to make smores and roast the marshmallows on a stick. I thought I would have a Jessica Simpson moment camping but New Brighton State Beach is so friendly even those who need Camping For Dummies can survive a weekend here. read more

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Love camping here but both times there have experienced stealing of camp items and men coming into camps asking for food. All we want is a nice getaway but maybe because it is so close to the freeway and town there are people you have to watch out for. Be safe and guard your items. read more

I go to this state park a lot. They have decent day use area and the beach access is super convenient. The beach is nice. You can walk from here all the way past the cement shop at Seacliff and further down to Del Mar and past if you choose I enjoy going here in the Fall when the summer crowds have packed it up and are gone. read more

Haven't been here in quite some time, but this is an absolutely beautiful beach in Santa Cruz County. Lots of great views and just even seeing the ocean and the waves crashing makes you feel great! It's right off Highway 1, near Cabrillo College. I think it was $10 for the entrance/auto fee. read more

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Great to camp here with friends! The beach was beautiful, the campsites are nice and big. I would definitely come back to just relax. Not very many bugs which is a plus. This is a very popular location so make sure you book early. They have clean restrooms and working showers. Bring your friends and family and enjoy!!! read more

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First off, we love car camping. We have all the gear, and we love driving to different parts of California to camp during the summer months. I booked a premium site (#88) at New Brighton after a colleague of mine raved about it. He said the premium spots are huge and right on the water so they are hard to get. I got lucky and was able to book a premium spot for June 2017. The campground was fine, nothing special. It was a little too close to Santa Cruz to really feel like you were out in the wilderness. PROS -Close to the beach, great for daytime hanging -Facilities were clean -If you forgot anything, or run out of firewood, there is a Target and a Safeway like 10 minutes away. Kind of a pro and a con. -Decent cell service. Most campgrounds have zero signal so that was surprising. But again, kind of a pro and a con. CONS -You could hear cars on the freeway all night -- very close to Santa Cruz, which totally spoils the feeling of being in the wilderness. -Although the premium spots are large, the grass is so overgrown that you can't really put your tent anywhere you want. The area near the fire ring is cleared so we had to put our tents there. Oceanfront, technically. But you had to walk 30 yards to see it. -No privacy. The spots are RIGHT on top of each other. Our neighbors had a huge group (like 12 people) and because there were no trees to separate the sites, we felt like they were on top of us. -So much foot traffic. Our site was pretty close to the bathrooms, which meant that people were walking by our campsite constantly. Hard to avoid that at any campground, but it felt much busier than we're used to. -Fire ring was much taller than other campgrounds in Northern California. Not the end of the world, but it does get really chilly at night and a taller fire ring gives off less heat when sitting around it. Overall, we had a good time, as it's hard to have a bad time camping. We got super lucky with weather, and were able to enjoy a perfect beach day. So all in all, a good weekend with friends. Would I go back to New Brighton to camp? Probably not. read more

New Brighton State Beach - Premium site #88. Very close to neighbors, no privacy between sites on either side. Tall grass made it hard to enjoy the large size. - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

Family has been visiting New Brighton State Beach for several decades and I must say, it is a total Pain in the Ass to get a good reservation to this place. It all starts with using the parks.ca.gov website on a specific day at a specific time in the morning, ( I cannot share these sacred details ) my family usually gets together early in the morning with our computers, tablets, at 8AM the reservations start, and by 8:15AM the campsites are filled and getting consecutive sites near each other is damn near impossible. It costs a small fortune for a site with hookups but if you are lucky enough to get a campsite in the 110s your going to have an amazing view of the beach . The campgrounds are very good, family friendly, kid safe with lots of activities for the kids, they have a weekly kids bonfire event, the showers take quarters so bring a roll, the bathrooms are okay, at least the toilets are flush toilets. Beyond renting a site guests also have to pay a fee to come in which IMHO sucks , we should not have to pay to come into a park and my friends shouldn't have to pay if they just want to come in and visit for a couple of hours. Its a great State Beach but if you want to experience it, get your credit card ready, its going to cost you read more

New Brighton State Beach - Lovely - Parks Near Me - Capitola, California

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