We got to visit the section of the beach that's right by San Simeon campground. There's a path from…read morethe campground that goes under PCH to connect to the beach. We went during the fall of 2022, not too cold in the afternoon but you'll probably want to wear a long sleeve since it's a little windy there. It's a nice peaceful beach, we saw lots out pull over spots along PCH so there's more than just one opportunity to check this beach out.

This is the beach below San Simeon's hotels, though it's often confused with San Simeon State Beach…read moreand the San Simeon Creek Beach.. It's a sandy beach with plenty of small rocks. This beach was made for long walks and is generally not very crowded. You can park off Pico Avenue and walk down to the beach from there. If you head north on this beach you can walk past Pico Creek and pond and walk over some large beach rocks. Heading south will take you Jung Trail and the area's best tide pools.

Moonstone Beach is gorgeous, calming, clean, and unique, with the perfect Central California vibes…read moreand views. The beach has several really cool driftwood structures that visitors have built and continued adding to over time. My 6 year old son had a blast running through them and adding a few pieces of his own. There are also actual moonstones along the beach. I spent some time collecting a few since they come in so many unique colors and shapes and make great little souvenirs. Make sure to bring your phone or camera because you will definitely take lots of photos! The restrooms and parking are also close by, which is a huge plus. Will definitely be back on future Central California trips!

My family loves this beach. The parking lot is small, but we usually are able to find a spot…read more There's a public restroom connected to the parking lot. I've never needed it, but I'm glad it is there. Beach access is down some stairs that can be hard if you have mobility or balance issues. They are sturdy, and if you are able to navigate them slowly, it is worth it. The beach itself has driftwood that has washed up, and other beach-goers have fashioned into makeshift structures that are fun to explore. The sand is soft, and has tons of rocks and pebbles to investigate. As the name suggests, there are moonstones to find, if you have a bit of luck. Several times when I've visited, I've found these transparent clear and purplish/blue velella velella all over the shore. Other wildlife seen at this beach include moon jellyfish, sea lions (off shore), pelicans, seagulls, cormorants, and cottontail bunnies along the cliffs. There is a creek outlet that washes into the sea that can be a bit stinky, and tends to make traversing the beach hard past that point. Also along the water's edge, there can be some unstable sand areas, so tread carefully. This beach tends to have a nice breeze, and is refreshing even on hot days. If you are in the area and you can find parking, check it out!

Small quaint beach town with a pier with 3-4 benches and people come here at all hours of the day…read moreto fish. While visiting the area, we came here 3 days in a row to grab food and fish on the pier. It's very peaceful, quaint, and if you are used to the vibrant hustle of the beaches in OC, which I am, this place keeps everything on pause for you to enjoy the moment. I am already planning a return with the whole family to stay couple of nights and attempt another round of fishing on the pier for my boys. Oh and this place is dog friendly....so he will be joining us next time too. Definitely recommend a visit....just very peaceful!

April 16-19, 2026 - Cayucos…read more Still the best beach in California, in my opinion. I've been coming here for years. In my earlier days, I would run from Cayucos to Morro Rock and back when the tide was low. These days, leisurely walks on the beach with my husband and dog are more my speed. Rather than running to Morro Rock, I just take in the beautiful view. Duckies and Schooners are still here if you want to grab some food. Ocean Pizza is gone, but you can still get pizza at Pie in the Sky Pizza. And no visit to Cayucos is complete without a walk on Cayucos Pier. Note: Dogs are allowed on the beach, but not on the Pier.

Beautiful, secluded, and sandwiched between San Simeon and Ragged Point - well worth a stop if…read moreyou're in the area! A true hidden gem - I only found it bc I caught the sweeping views of the creek flowing onto the beach flanked by cliffs with vibrant blue-green waters against rich, deep brown sands while driving along the PCH. It was so breathtaking I just had to stop! And eventually I found the trailhead - there's a gated entrance that almost looks like someone's private property but the hiking trail becomes obvious as you approach. The trail is sandy and mostly flat. It's part of the Los Padres National Forest and also a Snowy Plover nesting site - so be sure to stick to the trails while heading to the beach. The creek flows to a large pool created by a rise in sand on the beach, trapping the creek waters and creating a refuge for shore birds. At low tide and when the creek isn't overflowing, you can easily get onto the beach itself by walking to the end of the creek pool - there's a little dry, sandy spit taking you out onto the beach. But at high tide you may have to wade in the creek a bit bc it sometimes joins up with the ocean waters. The sand is the deepest, richest brown I've ever seen - very unique! And really makes the gorgeous blue-green waters on the Pacific pop! The trail is pretty short - only 1/2 mile to the beach. Flat and easy. It's part of the CCT (California Coastal Trail) so that's always fun. There's a large coastal pine with a makeshift fire pit under it right before you get to the beach - apparently someone was living there at one time lol - but not anymore. The beach is full of beautiful pieces of driftwood- such a lovely place to explore. There are also sea caves but unfortunately I was on a time crunch - wish I could've explored more! There's a small bit of paved parking at the trailhead - maybe room for 1-2 cars. But across the street there's plenty of parking along the side of the street. There aren't any bathrooms or facilities here so plan ahead. The trail is listed on AllTrails - Incredibly beautiful hidden gem that I will definitely leave more time to explore on my next visit - highly recommend!

Another one of San Simeon's secret trails and beaches. The San Carpoforo Beach Trail has amazing…read morescenery and seclusion. The Trailhead is just past the San Carpoforo Creek bridge ( 13 miles north of Hearst Castle) and across the street from a Lime colored house. Park in front of the trailhead or across the street. The walk isn't a long one at less than half a mile, but when you count all the exploring options around the beach and lagoon you will definitely get a lot of steps in. There's a ton a driftwood around this beach and if you hike to the north below the cliff ( if the tide is low) you can find a small secluded beach and a large sea cave. To the south is Ragged point. Note - The sand here is different than the other beaches in the area especially close to the water. It's very porous. There are also unique sand fleas/flies only found at this beach next to water. Tip - Keep a keen eye on the fields on the both sides of the road when driving here (Highway 1). I've seen herds of Elk and various deer.

Great place to stroll. Saw some whales. The walkway was clean with beautiful flowers. The trail…read morewas easy to navigate gate. Spectacular views of pacific coast. It's a must. Wear comfortable shoes hats and water. Donation is optional. Free admission

On my annual trip to Cambria, this trail walk is a must. It's so beautiful! They have a very nice…read morewalkway that borders the ocean on one side and rolling hills on the other side. When your on the trail closest to the water, a lot of times you can find seals, or birds, or if you look way in the distance, whale spouts. Along the trail they have really cool driftwood made beaches for you to sit and just take it all in. The tide pools by the homes are fun to walk around and experience as well. It's just a breathtaking walk. On my last trip it was really neat to see all these people out painting. I loved watching them create their masterpieces. I would almost love to find out if they are for sale. Some of them were amazing that I would love to have in my home! I definitely recommend walking this trail. It's a very easy flat loop to walk.

Leffingwell Landing is part of the San Simeon State Park providing access to Moonstone Beach and…read moretide pools, northern starting point to the Moonstone boardwalk (walking trail), picnic tables, restroom, and gorgeous bluff views. Absolutely gorgeous views. And get this...parking and access is free. FREE! I walked down to the tide pools. I didn't venture out too far. It was low tide and I didn't see much of any marine life. But still fun. Then I walked up to the bluff and looped around the walking trail and portion of the boardwalk. Terrific views. Pretty native flowers blooming. There are several benches and picnic tables to sit and look out to the ocean... well actually 360 panoramic view. Ocean, beach, tide pools, meadow, bluff, treeline, people watching. Breathing in all this beauty and calm. If you go into the tide pool area. Please do me two big favors. One is to be aware of the tides. Don't get so engrossed that you turn your back on the ocean and kiddos. Second is that observe and no need to harm the marine life. Take a picture (physical or mental) and leave everything as is.

Great tide pools! We walked down the stairs and found tide pools up high on the rocks with all the…read moretypical tide pool wild life! Came around 1 since low tide was set to be 1230 on June 24th

Final lovely beach before hitting scenic highway 1 cliffs and elephant seal beaches to the north,…read moreso if you want a beach walk, pier, or hike to a headland, stop here. Portable toilets replace the bathrooms, but there are signs about the area located off the large parking lot. You can see the historic Hearst buildings from halfway down the pier. We saw sea otter and comorants,and had a great view of Hearst Ranch.

I was a little confused why the rating is so high here having lived in California all my life and…read moreseen some amazing beaches. It appears that a lot of the reviews on this listing are actually for Hearst Memorial State Beach, which is, imo, much better but has a completely separate yelp page. I hope people aren't getting them confused because they will be disappointed if they are. San Simeon State beach is ok but the sand is a but rough and there are many spots that don't allow dogs. We have parked here a few times to enjoy the views and use the restroom. There are also some boardwalks/paths you can meander but the beach itself is just ok. I would head over to Hearst Beach since you're already in the area or really any of the other awesome beaches in the state for any genuine beach activities but that's just me.

2020 review (8/21/2020) - The is the best family-friendly trail in the area. They've done extensive…read morecleanup since my last visit and many of the downed trees have been removed. It's mostly flat and the only risk to small kids are the Cliffs. The yelp address is misleading (this is not located in Pittsburgh). To get here you must park in the Hearst Memorial Beach parking lot. Walk down to the beach and walk north about 200 yards. Look for the trail that goes up to the cliff area ( just past the Hearst Winery Barn).. Many people just hike to the San Simeon point and the benches. BUT I highly recommend you continue your adventure through the tall tree path all the way to the cove with a sea cave. There are several openings along the tree trail that give exclusive and private views of the coastline. - When you start this hike keep a look out on the right hand side for a very short path that leads to a huge climbing tree.. The kids will love playing on that.. - The farther you go the fewer people you will see.

I read about this area via a SLO county travel site:…read morehttps://highway1discoveryroute.com/activities/hiking-san-simeon-ragged-point/ where it's also referred as the San Simeon Point Trail. Access to these trails are from William Randolph Hearst State Beach. Gates to the park open at 8 a.m. and there's no fee to enter. The trail is about 2 miles round trip and can be accessed if you walk along the beach (on the right side of the pier if you're facing it. You'll see a trail that leads up to the bluff, about 1/2 way down the beach. Once along the bluffs, you'll wind through the trees and catch views of the beach and pier. Not too far in, there are a few fallen trees and the path, at first seems to have disappeared-it hasn't. Look to the right and there's a small opening in the fence that allows day hikers to continue on (it's marked private property with allowance for passage of day use hikers.) It's a quiet trail that's partially shaded and very quiet. For a short while I was a bit unnerved being alone but soon enough I came across some locals walking their dogs. The hike out to the point is the big payoff and plan to spend a little while admiring the views, including a small cove to the north. It was the perfect short morning adventure and definitely a less known gem in the area.