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Moonstone Beach
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for Moonstone Beach
this is one of my favorite beaches of all time. I found out about this beach when i was a kid from my book about rock finding in CA.
it's called moonstone beach because among the many rocks that cover the beach, there are millions of tiny moonstones, this milky/clear stone that has a slight pearlescence to it, almost like clear opals.
it's very peaceful, and cambria is an awesome vacation destination as well.
only thing to be careful of is that sometimes tar oozes up from the ground, so you don't want to wear fancy clothes and ruin them, i did have to throw away a pair of shorts as a kid because i got tar on it.
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Husband and I passed by this beach after our stop at Cambria. It's such a beautiful and peaceful beach. I took pictures with the beautiful moonstone rocks. It's quite a romantic place. What a treat!
After breakfast, my girlfriend and I took a nice long stroll on the boardwalk. The weather was beautiful. The views were gorgeous. Lots of interesting things to see: unique looking rocks and rock formations, sea otters and seals (although we didn't see any), surfers.... Walking hand in hand with your honey... Worries and stresses from the real world disappear.... it doesn't get any better than this....
This is a beautiful, beautiful beach. Stop here if you are traveling up the coast or on your way to San Simeon. The shore is littered with beach stones, moonstones, pebbles, and interesting rocks. It is great for rock hounds, couples, or romance ( wink wink). This is a good stop on a road trip or for a weekend getaway. There are lots of little inns and B and Bs nearby if you want to stay the night with your special someone. This beach is a must see in my opinion. I think it is gorgeous and calming.
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I suppose its called Moonstone beach because of the cratered side of the rock, right under where the wooden lookout point is. (see pic) You'd have to walk down to see it.
Its a serene beach. A few surfers, bunch of other tourists. Occasional squirrel. The wooden walk way up top is nice for anyone not wanting or able to walk down to the beach, but the most characteristic part of the beach is the pretty little pebbles that are all over the sand. Kinda makes walking harder since your feet go deeper in, but its manageable.
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I listened to your waves crashing this morning when I woke up in my hotel room and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling that it made me smile in complete joy.
This morning I wanted to go for a walk, but for some reason your rocky beach called me to go for a stroll along your shore instead of taking traditional boardwalk path.
I enjoyed listening to my ipod "songs to chill to" playlist which allowed me to reflect on things going on in my life. Goldfrapp's "Black Cherry", Travis's "Falling Down" and "More than Us" was perfect background music to get emotional to while watching the birds fly around when your waves got too close to them. The sky was clear and blue while there was just enough wind to keep me cool. It was perfect.
I was alone with my thoughts on the beach for I was the only other soul there apart from the fisherman on the south end hoping you might provide him with some joy in tossing him a fish or two.
You were covered with billions of stones of all shapes and sizes. You also had a large amount of washed up kelp that I could have done without. You smelled bad at times, but that's ok. It's not your fault. But your stones were quite beautiful and interesting. I was so fascinated that I had to take a few back to the hotel to donate to the "moonstone beach" dish dedicated to you in the lobby.
I left with a few cool stones, but left you with my thoughts for they were ones that I needed to let go of. But your beauty and peacefulness will remain with me until I return again next year when I need a little r and r again ... thank you Moonstone Beach. I'll be seeing you again.
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Amazing. Beach.
Packed up my cooler, stashed my wine, cheese, baguette, some chocolate, and some blankets. I was ready for a fun lunch. I thought escaping to Paso would mean escaping the 100+ degrees of San Jose.
WRONG.
It was hotter than Texas in Paso...if I recall, 107 in downtown. So what's a ice princess like me to do...head west towards the beach! I headed to Moonstone, since I had been here before, and loved it. The sand is rocky and easy to walk on. Clean with wonderful spots to plop and take a nap. The vibe is definitely chill, and there are alot of great mini boardwalks that lead to the beach. You can head down to the water by steps,or stay on the mainland and watch the view from the scenic stops on the road.
CAVEAT FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T JUST WALK ON BY:
So I saw an injured seal on the beach. People were just walking by, looking at the the poor, injured thing, offering it no help. I guess cause no one knew where to call? It made me cry and shed a tear...since the thing had been cut, and flies were starting to dig at it's skin. I called all these numbers frantically, looking for some assistance with no avail. Finally, I got a hold of someone, and they told me they would send someone down.
3 hours later I got a call back. The stupid little thing had gotten back into the water. Shows me. Mother nature doing her thing. Geez. Either way, at least I called...and If I was on one of those Front line specials, I would get the gold star!
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Every summer when I was younger, my extended family rented a huge house across the street from the beach in Cambria. While all the beaches in Cambria are absolutely beautiful, Moonstone is the best. Incredibly clean, nice thick sand. There are trails (yes, real trails with built-in paths) up along the sides which I was dragged upon. What we really wanted to do was scale the kid-size cliffs. Per our parents request, we scampered north along the beach to reach the tide pools, where we were instructed to gather any good shells to decorated our mothers' bathrooms. I vividly recall throngs of seal/sea lions lounging around on rocks not ten feet away from us. The best of California!
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A wonderful board walk along the beach. It is wonderful and beautiful. If you have a chance to see the seals in the morning they are quite a site. We have seen people painting the landscape which I find delightful. Dogs are welcome to walk along here so there can be many stops for greeting each other.
it is great natural therapy.
If you ever see me in Cambria.... you will most likely see my dog pulling me.
This beach takes my breath away everytime we walk the boardwalk. Yes, I said the boardwalk. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.... so minus one star for you.
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Amazing beach! Sooo clean. Being from socal, dirty beaches is all you see. The water was clean, the beach was clean, the waves were big, and the fog made it just a little bit more beautiful (I came during January). It is correct to say when someone mentioned that the beach is stoney/rocky instead of sandy. It is also correct that dogs aren't allowed on the beach, but I did see one on it. You must stop by when in Cambria or San Simeon!
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Such a gorgeous beach!
Its incredibly relaxing, and not too many people are here!
Great picture, cuddling, and reflective spots!
I love Moonstone Beach!
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Absolutely gorgeous beach (although rocky, not sandy).
I was disappointed in everything Cambria had to offer, but this beach.
Sweeping views, gorgeous sunsets, tide pools, cute promenade which is ideal for jogging or walking your dog.
Grab a picnic blanket, some wine and cheese and your sweetie and come here to watch the gorgeous sunset.
Moonstone Beach is located at the northwest end of Cambria, CA along the central coast. It is one of my favorite places to just BE in all of California.
Moonstone Beach is a wonderful place to stroll along. You'll start out by parking along the road or a small parking lot at either end of the beach. There is a boardwalk running the entire length of the cliff above the beach, with several nice lookout areas. The more able bodied can take stairs down to the beach or clamber down the rocks to the course, pebbly sand.
There are fantastic tide pools here (check the tide charts before going), where you can find starfish, urchins, green anemones, rock crabs, etc. There are also some good rocks for climbing as well as huge piles of driftwood. You can collect jade and other colorful pebbles too. Keep your eyes open, and you'll even find some milky white moonstones, though these are usually small and not gem quality.
You will also see interesting sea life here. Seals and sea lions are easy to spot near the tide pools, and occasionally sea otters can be seen playing in the kelp beds near Leffingwell Landing. I'm told you can see whales migrating from the shore, but I haven't been lucky enough to spot any when I've been here.
Up along the boardwalk there is a bench under a craggy old Cypress tree that is well worth seeking out, if you want to read a book or just kick back and gaze out to sea.
The south end of Moonstone Beach is a great place to fly kites. You'll get the right amount of wind and no power lines!
Dogs aren't allowed on this beach, but there are seldom any rangers around to enforce this rule, so take your chances and bring along Fido.
There are no grills or tables on the beach, but you can walk over to scenic Leffingwell Landing, where there is a nice picnic area and restrooms. While you're at Leffingwell, be sure to climb down onto the smooth rocks below, since this is the best place to find starfish and hermit crabs.
The only reason this beach rates 4 stars instead of 5, is that it is not a swimming beach. In fact, there aren't even any life guards here. If that's what you want, drive about 12-15 miles south to Cayucos.
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I like being able to walk around the rocks and look for starfish and other creatures in the tidepools. You can also see seals (or are they sea lions).
This is also a popular spot with surfers so you can watch them as well. I think it is amazing anyone can stand atop a board and ride a wave in. For me its fascinating to watch.
