I love this area. The wildlife spotting is amazing, and the views are spectacular. The beach is…read morenice, but really, it is all about the wildlife here. On one side, you've got sea otters playing in the water, on the other side, you've got deer wandering through the neighbors front yard. It's currently warm, and it's just such a cool spot. Definitely one of my favorite spots of all time. I love coming back here.

Beautiful place to walk or watch the sunset, it's dog-friendly & there's tide pools at low tide. We…read moreeven saw deers nearby.

Palm Beach State Park seems to be part of Sunset Beach, but this area is dog-friendly. There is a…read moreparking lot, but also free spaces on the road. It's a short walk to the beach. On the day we went, there were tons of jelly fish washed up on the wet sand, so I had to be careful of where our dog, Zoey, walked. In any case, she had a great time there, so I'm very glad we went.

Secluded beach that you access by driving through the mostly agricultural area of…read moreWatsonville/Pajaro. Near Pajaro dunes resort. The park may be good for a quiet and semi private picnic but amenities are limited. From the parks website: FEES - There is a $10 vehicle day-use fee. [Regular Sized Auto: $10 (Senior $9, age 62 or older); OCEAN SAFETY - dangerous rip currents, frigid water and deep offshore dropoffs make surfing and swimming hazardous for any but the most experienced surfers. ALCOHOL is not permitted on the beach or in the day-use area.

Hidden gem tucked away unexpectedly!…read more Parking situation is small but then again, no one knows about it so a win-win for all. Came here horseback riding and only saw a few guys out fishing. Unsure why ppl keep saying it's a dog beach when the parks department says otherwise. "DOGS are not permitted on the beach or dunes." Maybe take another look - https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=572.

Free beach! It's a California State Parks Beach but there is no entry fee. Very small parking area…read more Very rough road to get in. But very few people there, mostly people fishing. It's a wide open, sandy beach. You can see south to Monterey and north to Santa Cruz.

This place sucks dangerous to climb down and dangerous parking someone died here very recently…read moretrying to climb down. Also the high tide comes up to the cliffs and can trap you, no way out for a mile or two, don't go!

Hidden Beach -- at least that's the name I know it by -- can be found by (carefully) parking along…read morethe side of Highway 1 about a mile south of Pomponio State Beach. After parking your car, walk about a quarter of a mile down a chasm, crossing a sometimes treacherous log, and then scaling down about a 15 foot sandstone wall face. Once descended, you will discover yourself to be on one of the area's most pristine beaches. The rip currents and aggressive tides ensure that nothing stray stays on the beach -- no seaweed, no shells, no nothing. So the beach is always clean and raw. The coastline here for about 3 miles long has a 100 foot cliff wall at the back of the beach, which means that this access point is the only one for at least a mile in either direction. People go here to get away from it all, and sometimes you may see some discreet nudists, but I don't think it's known to be a nudist beach. A great place for dogs and people to get close to the elements, listen to the pounding surf, feel sand between you toes, and wonder about how you can feel so far away, yet be so close to the hustle and bustle of the 408, 650 and 415. Please don't tell everyone about this place. Oops, I guess I just did.

$10 entrance fee to relax on the beach with a clean bathroom. Bring blankets, chairs, and cooler to…read morespread out, this beach is not crowded. We listened to the quiet of the ocean waves and enjoyed lunch and drinks.

Really great beach. Fee is $10 per car and dogs are allowed, on leash and please pick up poop! It's…read morea nice long stretch of beach that has a lifeguard tower, but wasn't managed while we visited during the week. We were able to see whales and dolphins on our visit. The parking lot sits on top of cliff with stairs that walk down to the beach. Depending on your physical abilities this can be deficient for some, however not impossible. There are also bathrooms in the parking area. Great views from parking lot!

River Function Nice…read morebeach located at the confluence of the Salinas River and the Pacific Ocean and is part of the 99 miles of protected Monterey Coastline. The Good: *Fishing *It's a beach?! *My favorite price: free *Three parking lots *Port-o-potties in each parking lot *Sandholt Trail that takes you along the estuary and River The Meh: *No dogs on beach but OK on the aforementioned trail. *No camping The Ugly: *Rip currents 0_o Conclusion: Life's a beach, and then you die.

This was a long beach with clean sand. We spent a lot of time playing on the sand, watching the…read morewaves, with sea lions frolicking, dolphins surfing, and a gorgeous winter sunset. There is a porta-potty on the north end of the beach (closer to the harbor), but not really any facilities otherwise.

One of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to! Located on highway 1 very close to the Kirk…read morecreek campground on the south end of Big Sur! When I tell you the walk down to this beach is breathtaking... my god! It's a ton of stairs so be mindful of what you want to carry because you start on a path from the parking lot and then it turns into stairs.. a lot of stairs! To park in the beach parking lot it's $10! This beach is simply beautiful! My yellow Labrador loved it! They also have this cut out area called jade cove! On the far north side they have a small cave! So cool! Please pick up your trash and be a good human!

Very pretty beach. Plenty of parking spaces. Free. Also free public restrooms. We did not find any…read moreSand Dollars but enjoyed the short easy hike down the stairs to the sand from the parking lot. Found some gorgeous dark green rocks-looks like jade but was probably granite. Worth the stop.

Such an awesome beach that feels sort of hidden in plain sight…read more We came here while on the search for tide pools, while we did find tide pools they didn't have the marine life we were hoping for, we did explore some cool natural coves and hang with a seal lion pup. This is a state run beach, so to get that premier and close parking you'll need to pay. It was ten-dollars, but that covered you for the whole day and you could leave and come back if needed. The beach area itself is small, but offers amazing views of the "natural bridges" or rock formations that give its name. My son and I crawled through a small hole in the rock wall that opened up to private cove. The cover was awesome, but not a place where you can lounge due to the tides. The tide pools are located high up on the rocks that are only accessible during low tide. You'll mostly only find sea anemones and a few small crabs. There are some picnic tables here near the back of the beach under some shaded trees, so families can enjoy lunch without leaving. This picnic area butts up to a pond that, I assume, when it's high tide is a direct link to the ocean.

Walked through the monarch butterfly preserve area and ended up overlooking the beach. For a…read moreTuesday, it wasn't so busy, so parking was easy. Gorgeous views, small beach area, and cool view of the rock bridge. It was a quick visit for me, but it was pretty.