Santa Cruz beaches that allow bonfires: where the rings are

These are the state beaches around Santa Cruz that set out fire rings. Ring counts move around year to year as rings get damaged or replaced, so treat the numbers as a rough guide and expect fewer on any given day.

Seabright and Twin Lakes sit near the harbor on the near side of town. New Brighton and Rio Del Mar are just past Capitola. Manresa and Sunset are farther south toward La Selva Beach.

There is no reservation system and no fee for a normal-size group. You show up, and if a ring is open, it is yours.

• First-come, first-served. Summer weekends and holidays the rings are usually taken by early afternoon.
• The fire goes in the ring and nowhere else. Digging your own pit in the sand is not allowed.
• Someone has to watch the fire the whole time it is lit.
• The fire has to be out before the day-use area closes. That is 10 p.m. at Seabright and Twin Lakes. Confirm the hours for whichever beach you pick, since they shift by season.
• Drown it, do not bury it. Covering hot coals with sand keeps them hot, and that is how people walking the beach the next day get burned.

The wood rule is simple. Burn clean, dry, untreated wood and nothing else.

• Only clean, unpainted, untreated firewood.
• No pallets, and no wood with nails, screws, or other hardware.
• No trash, plastic, or painted or pressure-treated lumber.
• Collecting and burning driftwood is generally not allowed. Bring your own wood or buy it nearby.
• Keep the fire small enough to stay inside the ring. A common guideline is no bigger than about 3 feet across and 2 feet high.

On the beaches the City of Santa Cruz runs, which include Cowell Beach, Main Beach, and the beaches along West Cliff Drive, open and wood fires are banned outright.

What you can bring instead is a gas grill or stove. The city allows a propane or butane grill or stove that stands at least 6 inches off the sand on stable legs, with a gas cylinder no larger than 20 pounds. Anything beyond that takes a special permit from the city Parks and Recreation director.

A normal beach fire in a ring needs no permit and no reservation. Large gatherings are different.

At Seabright, a group over 50 people needs a special event permit from the State Park Special Events Office, reachable at 831-400-8519. If you are planning a big party or an event, call the specific park ahead of time, because thresholds and rules vary by beach.

The rings are popular and there is no line to hold your place, so timing is the whole game.

• Get there early. On a summer Saturday, aim for late morning or midday, not sunset.
• Bring your own wood. You can buy firewood bundles at markets near the beaches, and some campgrounds sell it on-site.
• Have a backup beach in mind. If Seabright is full, Twin Lakes or New Brighton might not be.
• Bring a bucket for water and a way to douse the fire at the end.

Beach RV Pleasure Point sits on the East Side, on Portola Drive. The closest fire rings are at Twin Lakes State Beach by the harbor, a short drive west. In the other direction, Capitola is a five-minute drive, and New Brighton and Rio Del Mar sit just past it. New Brighton is also the closest state-beach campground, covered in our Santa Cruz beach camping guide. Pleasure Point is best known as a surf neighborhood, and the beach right below it is day-use only, with no fire rings and no fires.

If a fire is the plan for the evening, sort out the ring earlier in the day, then walk or drive over. For more on the beaches themselves, see our guide to the best beaches in Santa Cruz.

Fire rules tighten fast in dry season. During high fire danger or a red-flag warning, State Parks or the county can suspend beach fires entirely, rings or not. A rule that held last month may not hold this weekend.

Before you load up the car, check the California State Parks page for the specific beach or call the park, and confirm the current hours and any fire restrictions. This guide points you the right direction, but the beach or the fire agency has the final word on the day.