Best beaches in Santa Cruz: where to swim and where to park

For little kids and nervous swimmers, the gentlest water in town is at Cowell Beach by the wharf, where the surf schools teach their beginners and lifeguards are on duty. Main Beach next door is the busiest beach in Santa Cruz, with the Boardwalk behind it, volleyball courts on the sand, and guards on duty daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

At Capitola, five minutes away, the wharf and the jetty knock the waves down, and Soquel Creek forms a warm, shallow lagoon on the sand where toddlers can paddle. The rebuilt Capitola Wharf reopened in September 2024 and the village sits right on the beach, though the restaurant at the end of the wharf is gone and has not been replaced.

Seabright is a mile of deep sand with the lighthouse at the end, and its shorebreak hits hard. It's fine for a walk or a bonfire, but don't take boogie boards or small kids into that water.

Beach fires are legal only inside the metal fire rings the state sets out, never on open sand. The rings closest to town are at Seabright, Twin Lakes and New Brighton, and there are more at Rio Del Mar, Manresa and Sunset farther south. Rings are free and first-come, so claim one by early afternoon on a summer weekend. Full rules, ring counts and what you can burn are in our Santa Cruz beach bonfires guide.

Fires are banned everywhere else: the city beaches (Cowell, Main, Its, Mitchell's), Capitola, and all the county beaches near the park. The one exception on city sand is a propane barbecue raised at least six inches off the beach. Charcoal has been banned there for years. Wood pallets, tiki torches, fireworks and sky lanterns are banned everywhere.

Natural Bridges State Beach on the West side has the last standing arch, tidepools at low tide, and California's only State Monarch Preserve, with butterflies in the eucalyptus grove from roughly mid-October to mid-February. Parking is $10, and the tidepools sit inside a marine protected area, so don't touch or take anything.

The reef you can walk to from the park needs a minus tide to be worth the trip, so check a tide chart before you plan around it. On an ordinary low there isn't much showing. From about 32nd Avenue through The Hook, the rock shelf drains into pools full of anemones, crabs, and sea stars. Get down by the stairs at 36th or 38th Avenue, or from the Hook lot, and parking is free at all three. The rock out at the Point is uneven, so with small kids the footing is easier at Corcoran Lagoon. Which tide to pick, and why the winter lows fall during daylight, is in our Santa Cruz tide pools guide.

New Brighton sits under the bluff and is the usual day-use stop, with fire rings below the campground ($10 lot). Seacliff and Rio del Mar next door have the widest, flattest sand in the county, and the old cement ship is still sitting offshore. The pier that led out to it is gone, removed after the 2023 storms.

Farther south, Manresa and Sunset take longer to reach and stay much emptier: long dune-backed sand, surf fishermen, serious rip currents, and almost nobody on a weekday. The rip currents keep most people out of the water.

North of town, Highway 1 runs past a line of beaches under the bluffs: the main beach at Davenport, Panther Beach and its walk-through arch at low tide, Bonny Doon below the pullout, Four Mile at the end of a half-mile bluff trail in Wilder Ranch, and Shark Fin Cove, named for the fin-shaped rock just offshore. The Four Mile bluff walk and the rest of the north-coast trails are in our best hikes in Santa Cruz guide.

Come prepared: strong afternoon wind, cold water, sneaker waves (wade only, and never turn your back on the ocean), no restrooms, and dirt pullouts where you should leave nothing visible in the car. Dogs are banned on this whole stretch. The far end of Bonny Doon has a long-standing clothing-optional reputation, so scout before you set up if you've got kids with you.

• Lifeguards: city and state swim beaches are guarded in summer. The East Side county coves aren't guarded at all, so swim sober and keep an eye on the kids.
• Parking: free on the East Side cove streets, county metered and permit at Twin Lakes, $10 at the state lots (Natural Bridges, New Brighton, Seacliff, Manresa, Sunset), metered around Main Beach and Capitola.
• Summer mornings are often gray and usually clear by midday, so do the redwoods or your errands early and save the beach for the afternoon. Month by month, see our best time to visit guide.
• Bringing your dog? The rules change beach to beach, so read our dog-friendly Santa Cruz guide before you pick one.