Pelican State Beach holds the distinction of being California’s northernmost state beach, located just south of the Oregon border. This remote, undeveloped beach offers a wild, pristine coastline experience with minimal facilities and often few visitors. The beach features dramatic views of offshore sea stacks and the Oregon coast stretching northward. Birds including brown pelicans, […]
California Beaches
Laguna Creek Beach
Laguna Creek Beach is part of the Coast Dairies property recently designated as part of the California Coastal National Monument. This relatively secluded beach features interesting sea stacks and rock formations offshore, creating a dramatic landscape popular with photographers. The beach is accessible via a short trail from Highway 1, descending through coastal prairie habitat […]
Monterey State Beach
Monterey State Beach stretches along the southern shoreline of Monterey Bay, extending from Monterey to Seaside with spectacular views of the entire bay. The beach’s protected location within the bay creates gentler conditions than many California beaches, making it popular for swimming and water sports. The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail runs adjacent to sections […]
Pescadero State Beach
Pescadero State Beach encompasses a mile-long shoreline with sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, tide pools, and adjacent marsh natural preserve. The beach is divided into several sections by rock outcroppings, with the northern areas featuring sandy shores perfect for walking and beachcombing, while the southern section offers fascinating tide pools during low tide. Across Highway 1, […]
Bean Hollow State Beach
Bean Hollow State Beach features unique geological formations along its shoreline, including honeycomb-patterned rocks created by salt weathering and erosion that are a distinctive characteristic of this beach. The park consists of two separate beach areas connected by a mile-long trail that winds along blufftops with panoramic coastal views. The northern section is sandy and […]
Trinidad State Beach
Trinidad State Beach is situated on a protected cove beneath forested bluffs in a picturesque fishing village along California’s northern coast. The beach is accessed via Trinidad Head, a massive rock formation that juts into the Pacific and provides hiking trails with spectacular viewpoints overlooking the beach and harbor. Offshore sea stacks create a dramatic […]
Goat Rock Beach
Goat Rock Beach is part of the Sonoma Coast State Park, featuring a sand beach nestled between the Russian River and the massive Goat Rock sea stack that gives the beach its name. The beach is known for its colony of harbor seals that frequently haul out near the river mouth, particularly during pupping season […]
Sonoma Coast State Beach
Sonoma Coast State Beach encompasses multiple beach areas along a breathtaking 17-mile stretch of rugged coastline. This dramatic shoreline features towering bluffs, sea stacks, rocky coves, and sandy beaches accessible via numerous parking areas and trails along Highway 1. Beaches such as Schoolhouse, Portuguese, and Salmon Creek offer distinct characteristics from expansive sandy shores to […]
Glass Beach
Glass Beach in Fort Bragg is famous for its abundance of sea glass created from years of dumping household garbage at the site until 1967, when the practice was stopped and cleanup efforts began. Natural wave action over decades transformed discarded glass into smooth, colorful pebbles that cover the beach in place of sand. The […]
Windansea Beach
Windansea Beach is a historic surfing location in La Jolla, characterized by its unique rock formations that create distinctive wave breaks prized by skilled surfers. The beach is relatively small with limited sand area at high tide, framed by sandstone cliffs that add to its picturesque setting. A legendary palm-covered surf shack, built in 1946 […]