12 BEST Beaches in Santa Cruz
You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to beaches in Santa Cruz. There are wild coves up the north coast, famous surf breaks, sandy family beaches by the Boardwalk, and colorful Capitola just down the road.
Whether you want to escape the crowds or join them, there’s a beach here for you. Here are our favorite Santa Cruz beaches, from the rugged north coast down to Aptos.
📌 BEFORE YOU GO
- Where: Along Monterey Bay, from Davenport in the north to Aptos in the south
- Parking: State beaches like Natural Bridges and New Brighton charge $10 per car. Town beaches use meters and street parking, and both fill up fast on summer weekends
- Dogs: Not allowed on Main Beach, Cowell, or Natural Bridges. Leashed dogs are OK at Its Beach and New Brighton, and Mitchell’s Cove allows off-leash dogs before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
- Water: It’s cold year-round, so bring a wetsuit if you plan to surf or swim for long
- Tours: Santa Cruz tours and activities
🏨 Where to stay: Santa Cruz (walk to the beach) · Capitola (cute and colorful) · Aptos (quieter)
1. Coast Dairies State Beaches
Just north of Santa Cruz near Davenport, a string of wild beaches makes up Coast Dairies State Park. There are too many to cover in detail, but these are our favorites.
First up is Shark Fin Cove, named for the big rock jutting out of the water that looks just like a shark fin.
Panther Beach, at the mouth of Yellow Bank Creek, is another favorite, with dramatic cliffs and a rock arch. Other honorable mentions include Bonny Doon Beach, Davenport Landing Beach, and Laguna Creek Beach.
These beaches are much wilder than the beaches in town, with no development and sometimes tricky access down steep paths and across the old railroad tracks. That’s what makes them so rewarding. Honestly, they’re our favorite beaches in the area because they’re so raw, rugged, and uncrowded.
Across the highway, the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument has opened trails through the rolling coastal hills, if you want to add a hike.
TIP: Parking is the tricky part. Most of these beaches only have small, potholed dirt lots or roadside pullouts along Highway 1, so arrive early and don’t leave valuables in your car.
👉 Read the full guide: Coast Dairies State Beaches
📍 GET THE ULTIMATE CALIFORNIA MAP 🗺️
Get our curated list of the best adventures and things to do north of LA loaded onto your maps with just two clicks!
✅ Waterfalls ✅ Hikes ✅ Viewpoints
✅ National Parks ✅ 1400+ Pins
2. Lighthouse Point Beach
Lighthouse Point sits at Lighthouse Field State Beach on West Cliff Drive, a little away from the downtown crowds. The beach right next to the lighthouse is known as Its Beach.
A paved path runs along the cliffs here, popular with walkers, joggers, and bikers. It has great views of the crashing waves, the lighthouse, and the surfers at Steamer Lane, one of the most famous surf breaks in California.
Leashed dogs are allowed at Its Beach, so you’ll see plenty of four-legged friends. If your pup wants to run free, Mitchell’s Cove, just west along West Cliff, allows off-leash dogs before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
TIP: Pop into the free Santa Cruz Surfing Museum inside the lighthouse to learn about the history of surfing here. It’s small and usually open in the afternoons, but it’s closed some weekdays, so check the hours before you go.
3. Natural Bridges State Beach
If you want fewer crowds and a ton of natural beauty, Natural Bridges State Beach is for you.
The park is named for its sea arches. There used to be three, but the ocean has taken two, and one big arch still stands just offshore. The beach is fairly small, and it really comes alive at low tide, when the tide pools are exposed.
Look for sea stars, anemones, and crabs in the tide pools, and keep an eye on the water for passing whales. From about mid-October through February, thousands of monarch butterflies spend the winter in the eucalyptus grove here, the only state monarch preserve in California.
Parking in the lot is $10, and there’s free street parking nearby if you don’t mind a short walk. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach.
TIP: When we visited, a ranger told us a new arch is slowly forming offshore. Let us know if you spot it!
4. Santa Cruz Main Beach
Main Beach is exactly that: the town’s main beach, front and center next to the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It’s busy all year long.
Part of the appeal is how easy it is to get to, but it also has fairly gentle waves, which makes it popular with families and swimmers.
It’s one of the busiest beaches in Santa Cruz, packed with people playing volleyball, relaxing on the sand, and having picnics. There are lots of facilities nearby and lifeguards in the warmer months. Dogs aren’t allowed here.
5. Cowell Beach
On the other side of the wharf from Main Beach is Cowell Beach. Think of it as Main Beach’s little sister: smaller and a bit less crowded.
Cowell’s gentle waves make it one of the best places in California to learn to surf, so you’ll see plenty of beginners out on the water. There’s room to stroll and look for shells too, but watch out for flying volleyballs from the courts on the sand.
The big Dream Inn sits right behind the beach. A room there, or a spot on the sand, gets you great views of the wharf and a colorful sunset if you time it right.
🏨 Where to stay in Santa Cruz:
👉 Read the full guide: Things to Do in Santa Cruz | Hikes in Santa Cruz
🏨 Need a place to crash nearby?
From rustic cabins to boutique inns—check prices and availability in just a click.
6. Seabright State Beach
Between the Boardwalk and the harbor, Seabright State Beach stretches for about half a mile. It’s full of surfers, sunbathers, and swimmers.
It has everything you could want from a Santa Cruz beach: fire rings for evening bonfires, volleyball nets, and room for paddle boarding and fishing.
TIP: Walk out along the jetty to the little Walton Lighthouse at the end and watch the boats head out of the harbor. There are restrooms nearby too, making it an easy place to spend a sunny day.
7. Twin Lakes State Beach
If you want a big stretch of sand to relax on, Twin Lakes State Beach is hard to beat. It has about a mile of shoreline on either side of the Santa Cruz Harbor.
The sandy bottom makes it a fun place to bodysurf, and there’s beach volleyball if you’re feeling sporty. Behind the beach, Schwan Lagoon is a great spot for bird watching, and there are a few restaurants nearby with ocean views.
8. Sunny Cove Beach
Sunny Cove Beach is a long, narrow cove with plenty of sand to lay down a towel. It gets busy, but not nearly as crowded as the more popular beaches in Santa Cruz.
The cove is tucked between bluffs, with stairs leading down on both sides.
TIP: Bring a boogie board and ride the waves into shore! We saw lots of people doing it, and it looked like tons of fun. Just watch out for rip currents.
9. Pleasure Point
On the east side of Santa Cruz, Pleasure Point is a laid-back beach neighborhood that’s popular with surfers and anyone who wants a taste of classic California beach life.
It’s almost split into two areas. At the south end, you’ll find surf breaks full of surfers and a cool little cove. It’s not very beachy, but there are a few spots to put in a kayak and explore from the water.
The north section is made up of lots of little coves. Some have stairs leading down, while others are more of a scramble. It’s not just people who like to lounge on these small beaches, so you might spot a seal or sea lion too.
Kayaking, paddle boarding, and beginner surfing are all popular here, and so is walking along East Cliff Drive, which winds along the bluffs with great views of the coves below.
TIP: There are only a few small parking lots, and street parking fills up fast, so get here early for a stress-free visit.
10. Capitola Beach
Just over the town line in Capitola, Capitola Beach is a cute little beach to match a cute little town.
Brightly painted houses in blue, pink, yellow, and green line the shore, and the small cove keeps the water fairly calm.
Lots of the buildings along the beach are restaurants and shops, so it’s easy to take a break from the sand. The rebuilt Capitola Wharf is open for strolling, and the colorful tiled beach wall makes for a great photo.
No wonder it’s considered one of the best beaches in the Santa Cruz area!
🏨 Where to stay in Capitola:
🕒 Save hours of planning time! ⛰️
📍 Get The Ultimate West Coast Map
1400+ breweries, trails, waterfalls, beaches, and weird roadside stops—mapped for you!
11. New Brighton State Beach
New Brighton State Beach is a long beach in a protected cove, backed by cliffs and big trees. The sandy shoreline is great for fishing, swimming, swim training in the calm water, and beachcombing.
In winter, boogie boards get swapped for surfboards, and wetsuit-clad surfers brave the cold water. The park also has great views out over Monterey Bay.
A short trail behind the beach leads up to the campground on the bluff, one of the most popular beach campgrounds in the area. Day-use parking is $10, and leashed dogs are welcome.
12. Seacliff State Beach
Seacliff State Beach in Aptos is famous for its “Cement Ship,” the SS Palo Alto. It’s a concrete ship built at the end of World War I that was sunk here in 1929 and turned into an amusement center, complete with a dance hall and swimming pool.
Today, what’s left of the ship is closed and slowly breaking apart, and it’s become a home for seabirds and marine life. The old pier that led out to it was destroyed in the January 2023 storms and torn down, so you can only see the ship from the beach now. Go at low tide on a clear day for the best view.
The long beach is still a great place to spend the day, with a big picnic area, sand for miles, and the high bluff protecting it from the wind. The campground was badly damaged in the same storms and has been closed while State Parks plans to rebuild it, so check before you plan to stay.
TIP: Pop into the small visitor center to learn more about the history of the ship and the beach.
🏨 Where to stay in Aptos:
Where to Stay Near Santa Cruz Beaches
FAQs About Beaches in Santa Cruz
It depends on what you want. Natural Bridges is best for tide pools and the arch, Cowell Beach is great for learning to surf, Main Beach is the classic family beach by the Boardwalk, and the Coast Dairies beaches up north are the wildest and least crowded.
Leashed dogs are allowed at Its Beach and New Brighton State Beach, and Mitchell’s Cove allows off-leash dogs before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Dogs aren’t allowed on Main Beach, Cowell Beach, or the beach at Natural Bridges.
Yes, but it fills up fast on summer weekends. State beaches like Natural Bridges and New Brighton charge $10 per car, town beaches use meters and street parking, and the north coast beaches have small dirt lots and pullouts.
Yes. Main Beach, Cowell Beach, and Capitola are the calmest, and some have lifeguards in summer. The water is cold year-round, so many people wear wetsuits.
Final Thoughts on Beaches in Santa Cruz
We love Santa Cruz so much. It’s one of our favorite beach towns in California!
Cowell Beach is awesome for surfing, and we really like Natural Bridges for the beach and tide pools. Pleasure Point is the least beachy of the bunch, but it’s great for water activities, and the seals that pop up there are a huge bonus.
If you’re willing to drive a bit farther, we also love Año Nuevo State Park, with more beaches, great trails, and huge elephant seals. It’s about 30 minutes up the coast from town.
We hope this helped you plan your visit to the best beaches in Santa Cruz!
