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New Brighton State Beach
Rating Details »
1500 Park Ave
Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 464-6330
Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 464-6330
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
35 reviews for New Brighton State Beach
Well the good news....looks as if New Brighton State Beach is one of the few State parks that has little or no chance of being closed! The popularity and year round use of the park apparently is enough to not have it on the chopping block. Yay! Boo, that if it becomes one of only a handful open; it will become even harder to book a camping site then it is right now! Bummer!
This review is for the campgrounds. My first time there and I must say that I thought the park staff were pretty outstanding keeping bathrooms well stocked with TP and showers pretty clean. The campgrounds, well I'm not going all out on 5 stars because there were just too many sites, that I don't know that I would happy with, but I'm sometimes a little fussy with having a bit of privacy when camping. So I've broken my review of sites etc. down by a few different categories.
Size by my definition: (s) particularly small; one tent at most. (L) particularly large site that could accommodate several large tents. (see my pics for examples) Most sites are a good medium size most likely get a couple of tents.
Premium sites: #73 (L), awesome site, right on the bluff with gorgeous views. #75, 76, 78, very nice sites, no shade, again right on bluff, great views but these 3 sites are very close to each other with little privacy. # 79, 82, 87, 88 all (L), no shade where table/fire pit are, on bluff, but large sites means bluff is farther away. #90, have no idea why this is considered premium. Very long and narrow, table/fire pit right on road so little or no privacy at all/with no shade; but if you walk through site all the way to bluff you can tell that folks have set up their tents in right along bluff
where there is some shade etc.
These are sites I thought offered a fair amount of privacy i.e. usually had at least 2-3 side of bushes/trees to block views from other campsites or a well placed tent might also offer a bit more privacy from. Pls note that many of these sites had RV/trailers in them so site might have appeared more private then it really was. Sites #1, 2,3,7,14, 31 (L), 35, 57, 69, 70, 91, 92 (s), 96 (s). Sites 67/68 are fairly private from the rest of the camp but not from one another and very sloped sites. #111 seemed fairly private as well but close to the main road.
These sites in particular are very close together as in it would be most conducive to "knowing" your neighbors! Sites 16/17, 18/19, 23/25, 24/26, 28/29, 32/33, 67/68.
These sites are VERY unshaded, so you may want to consider bringing your own. Sites # 5,6,8-12, 36, 37 (L), 38-40, 43, 65 (L), 77 (L).
Lastly large (L) sites that are not considered "group" sites, yet could accommodate many tents that were not mentioned above: 27, 65, 97, 100, 102, 103, 104, 106. I find this significant only that if you are camping with several families or parties, it might be necessary to book multiple sites where one or two of these large ones might do the trick.
A couple other notes. Wood is $8 per bundle, good size, decent deal. I definitely wouldn't tent camp in the RV/hook up sites, but saw folks doing it. Walk down to beach is steep but well paved and plenty of great views just going 1/2 way down. Didn't think the beach was really "clean" but at least it's not trash, but see debris such as seaweeds etc.
Overall, the fact that you can camp amongst the trees and walk down to the beach during the day makes this place awesome. And like my review of Big Sur, though there are preferences to sites depending your needs....even the worst site (#23...because its so open to main path for 1/2 campground to get to beach) would be better then not enjoying this park at all!
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU OWN A CAMPER OF ANY KIND AND HAVE NOT STAYED HERE, YOU ARE AN IDIOT...that is all.
I never understood the camper-camping ideal. Do people go to a car dealership thinking, "I want to camp, but I don't want to sleep in a tent outside...or poop in the woods...or cook over a fire...yeah, I would like a bathroom and a kitchen...But not a hotel...if I make my own bed and stuff, that's roughing it?"
My aunt bought one of those fancy ones about a decade back...Dude.... That is not camping, but whatever it is--me likey. Crown molding, king sized bed, matching wood cabinet treatments for the cabinets and fridge, marble tiling... Given the poor state of the economy, I'm thinking about renting that thing out and being the first person to make others envy living in a trailer.
But I digress...People subconsciously get trailers to go to New Brighton. 30 bucks a night, panoramic ocean views, and luxury. You are close enough to Capilola/Aptos to do things other than sit around a fire and read, but you are also far enough away from civilization to just enjoy the forest AND the beach (two things that are usually not in walking distance that are now in your front yard).
Definitely look into it. Book hella in advanced though, the word is starting to spread and this place is getting hard to get into. I think you can tent camp here too, but you would feel like a total whack @$$ being surrounded by the macho RVs.
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went here to get away from the scorching heat and to attend a bonfire. the beach is relatively clean, safe, and easy to access.
there is a safeway plaza a few exits before where you can pick up some goods to grub on. Alcohol is not permitted, but if you want to bring your drink on make sure you hide it in a papercup or brown bag. State patrol will kick you out. Parking is $8 dollars, and they make you move your car by 8pm. There are actually plenty of free parking spots in the neighborhoods above. We had no trouble parking there.
firepits are clean, but you have to arrive mucho early to secure one. There are only a few.
I had an absolute wonderful time at this beach. One of the nicer ones around here. Not overly crowded.
have fun! and make sure to pickup your trash! there are plenty of garbage cans right back the public bathrooms.
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We went on a week day and found plenty of parking. It was cheap, the beach was nice, not too crowded. They had showers and bathrooms which were OK, not great, but not too filthy either. i have seen worse. The water was perfectt. You can rarely swim in the shark-y, rough and tumble pacific ocean, but here, we all got in and it was great. We even saw some seals swimming around a few feet out from the shore, which was cute, but they ran away when we tried to get near them...We (my friend, and his teenage kid, + my pre-teen kid) had a great beach day at this beach, i highly recommend for families...One star missing because there were no waves for boogie boarding and a stream with "contaminated water--watch out" was being fed in to the ocean at the north end of the beach..? what the hell is that ?
This beach is a gem. I never see anyone here (even during our hottest days). So, it's a perfect get away from all the tourist who like to invade my town!
The beach here is amazing. It feels a world away but so close to some hustle and bustle if you want to mix things up. The beach is beautiful (there are BBQ pits!), facilities are good, and I can't wait to come here again! It's so close to the peninsula that I'm kicking myself for taking so long to discover it.
One of the nicest state beach campgrounds in all of California. Very rustic setting with lush vegitation and beautiful trees. The bathroom facilities are very clean and the camping spots are a nice size. The only downfall is that it can be very difficult to get a reservation for a camping spot as they book months in advance and go very quickly. Everything is really close yet you feel as though it is not. Very scenic and romantic place. Great for the family as well as there are tons of things to keep the little ones occupied. Make sure you pack all of your food away at night as there are tons of raccoons and they will ransack and eat your food.
The beach is terrible. There is seaweed everywhere and thousands and thousands of sand flies. I will not be going back there. Do they ever clean the beach?
Good location next to nice beach although access is down a very steep and long hill.
Facilities are clean and new.
As people have mentioned lots of RVs at this camp. Camp sites vary greatly some have no cover and are between people and bathrooms so people walk through your site. Others are connected to neighboring sites so good for small groups. Others like the one we were fortunate to have are very large, private with large trees. Given you have to select your site before you go and the online map is not good guide, makes sense to scout out location if you can before reserving.
Great place to camp! EZ beach access trail from campground. Ample clean restrooms and hot showers. My kind of roughing it :) Close to shopping for any supplies you may run short on. And of course right next to Capitola village. The park also has freshwater and dump stations for your RV's and a few sites with full hook-up. Nice Beach and nice campground! Definitely a fan...
Amazing spot to enjoy the beach and camp, if you plan ahead...pretty far ahead. The staff here are really friendly and accomodating. Great views, excellent seaside rendezvous area.
We used to come here as a family all of the time when I was young and everytime we came I loved it. It has everything. Great camping, dogs are allowed to do almost whatever. Please don't let them poop will ya'. Clean up after your little angel.
The bluffs that are in the background are really beautiful and the beach long and smooth for long. long walking. It is a true beach park gem in the California Park System and it gets really crowded so make reservations early in the year for the best spots and times.
It's great during the winter when no one is here but in the summer it really turns nice in the afternoon when all the fog burns off. No trails, lots of poison oak so stay out of the blackberry patches. It isn't worth it.
Unlike many other parks, the rangers are pretty cool. Why I do not know? It must be in the water I guess. You can stay up late and talk or cook or play dominoes. Whatever! And the bug issue doesn't seem to be that bad except for the yellow jackets. They can smell that meat and they go crazy.
If you are a kid, teenager, young adult, this is a great beach campout for you because people leave you alone to talk and be with your friends in peace.
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Calm sweet beach where you can adventure. plenty of rocks for you to look at, too. sun, air, wind, water, sand, really good and uplifting to come to once in a while :)
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We love this place! It's not far from San Jose which is mighty convenient. It has a small trail that takes you down to the beach where you can just relax and enjoy yourself all day long... with your dog too (as long as they are on lead).
The campgrounds are always well kept and have all the modern amenities for superb car camping. They have clean flush toilets (Yay!), hot showers (bring quarters), fire ring (you can buy wood there), table and conveniently located water spigots for dish washing and such. The best spots are sites 69-82 that overlook the ocean... but they are hard to come by. You have to make reservations far in advance to camp in the summer too... just pre-plan and you are A-OK. It's worth the effort for this beautiful spot.
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Just stayed here again for 4 days.
Good times and nothing but. I love camping here. The staff seems pretty lax about the 2 car and 8 person max. We had upwards of 12 people and 5 cars without any problems.
I love this place!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/21/2007
My favorite place to camp and go in the summertime.
Great location.
Friendly staff.
Safe part of the… Read more »
This place is excellent for summer camping.
Our neighbors were nice and lent us oil since we forgot to bring some.
Our group bbq'd till late, 12 am, then decided to head to the beach. We had no trouble being on the beach after the 10pm curfew because it was too foggy above the beach for patrols to look down.
I always get excited for being on the beach at night. It was also fairly epic seeing the houses lined up next to the sand a little bit down the coastline.
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I love a good beach and this one is a gem. The cliffs are beautiful and I had numerous sightings of dolphins, various birds circling in the distance, a little lizard, and seals (or sea lions?). Absolutely gorgeous.
This beach is very family-oriented. There are a lot of little kids running around which was ok for me. The downside was all of the seaweed strewn around, which felt a little dirty to me, but was not that big of a deal. Parking was easy but cost $6 for the day. If you want to skip out on the parking fee, I hear there's free parking on Coronado St. nearby and a convenient path that leads down to the beach from there.
Also, the park service reps walk the beach. I saw them fine some people who brought beer in their cooler. They had to dump all of the beers and throw the cans away. That's kind of a drag.
I will definitely visit this beach again.
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Only camping spot on the beach within spitting distance of Santa Cruz (allright, Capitola).
And when the couple times a year huge storm blows in and the waves are too big everywhere else, New Brighton goes off!
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I spend many of my Sundays beaching. 3/25/07 was no exception. I should write a little California Beach Travel Book titled, "Travels In My Truck. The 411 on California's Beaches." By: Rox M.
Believe it or not I had not actually planned on going to the beach this Sunday. When I checked Yahoo! weather on Saturday night, it claimed that it was going to be 'Mostly Cloudy.' Imagine my disappointment.
But then today, Sunday morning, what was there but some sun after 9AM. I had previously planned on maybe catching a flick at the theatre. But since there was some sun....NAH!! Forget the movies!!
I belong in the sunshine by the water. I decided to explore some beaches that I hadn't visited previously. New Brighton State Beach was the main one. It's very easy to access off of Highway 1 South. You will pay a $6.00 state parking fee at the kiosk, then drive down to a fairly large parking lot. As you walk towards the beach, you won't really see the beach, but ahhh.....you will hear it!!
You'll walk down some stairs, and then there you are. This is a wide and peaceful beach. The weather was mild when I went. The water was, of course, cold, but not too cold to walk in. Too cold to swim in?? Yes!!
There were people all over the beach, but spaced out, so it didn't appear to be super crowded at all. The bathrooms are decent too.
Lots of natural rocks can be found by the shore. The sand is golden in the water, black in some areas outside of the water, and there is some super soft sand off the shore.
The water was slighty reminescent of Bay water, in that there was no roaring surf. But it definitely was not Bay water!! And I did see two folks kayaking far in the distance.
The water was beautiful. I didn't stay more than an hour and a half. I wasn't dressed to go beaching. I looked more like I should have been attending a cocktail party. Haha.
I took a long walk from the beach entrance almost to the pier/sunken boat area, but not all the way, and then back. Will save that for next time. I did stop and sit for a while to take in the atmosphere. It's a long wide beach my friends!!
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This is one of my favorite beaches to visit with my dogs. A leash is required, but as long as there is not a ranger on the prowl my dogs are cruising without it.
This past weekend myself, my dogs and seven friends camped at New Brighton and it was a BLAST. There are camping areas on the bluffs above the beach. There are prime camping sites that overlook the ocean, but they were scooped up by the time we made our reservations.
The weather was AWESOME and sunny all weekend. Bugs were not an issue. The only critters we saw were raccoons that stole four of my cupcakes off of our picnic table. Damn raccoons!
We had group sites 26/27 which were located right next to the restrooms. It kinda sucked always having strangers spying on us every time they had to use the Lou. FYI, the bathrooms are fully operational WITH a flush toilet and sink. There are also coin operated showers that will run you about .25 for 3 minutes.
It's about 10pm, campfire is raging and champagne is flowing. We had surprised my friend with a wig party camping style. Considering how loud and obnoxious we were being, not one person or ranger complained. A final camping trip for a summer that was not long enough.
P.S. The drive home is only 30 minutes. Yay for that!
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We camp here with the family in August. I'm not much of a camping girl, nor a camping girl in fucking AUGUST, but this place is the exception!
You are on a bluff overlooking a beach. It's the north end of Monterey. You can take a lil walk down, and ta da you're at the beach! It's high was 70 this year, and that is much warmer than last year! It's about 10 miles away from the boardwalk, and a very fun flea market.
One night we were there they had this beautiful Polynesian music playing. It was so incredible to see this ladies perform. Where can you get that camping???
But it is camping. Don't get me wrong, I didn't bring my blow dryer here! They have many bathrooms and decent showers. We were the *loud* ones camping, so I guess when we're not there it would be really peaceful.
I would definitely recommend this place for a camping trip.
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LEGALLY BONFIRE UNTIL 10PM
-$6 Parking day use fee
-About 7 or so bonfire pits
-Hepatitis-filled bathrooms, I'd rather pee in the ocean
-Short walk from the beach to the parking lot
-CHEAP DATE
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My favorite beach to camp, especially now that they have flushing toilets and showers. It's roughing it without actually roughing it cause everybody knows how much that sucks at the ocean. Who wants sand in their crack?
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This is my favorite beach in the South Bay! I haven't camped here before, just been here for the beach access. Parking's $6 for the day and only once has it ever been full. When you go, park on the right side near the cliffs...your car will be in the shade all day long.
I've been to New Brighton a few times now and each time it's been wonderful. The people at this beach tend to be less "touristy" since most of them go to the Boardwalk or downtown Capitola. The sign says dogs are welcome on leash, but I had my dog off leash yesterday, and as long as your dog is well-behaved, no one seems to mind. Surprisingly, the water wasn't even that cold yesterday as well! I usually scream when even just my toes get wet, but I went in all the wait to my waist yesterday. That's big for me. Oh yeah, and the dog jumped into the ocean for a swim for the first time yesterday too.
Newbies welcome, New Brighton State Beach is an excellent camp site to convert city girls into camping champions. There are really clean toilets and showers here. I call it fake camping but it's as close as I am going to get to real camping for now. I need to be broken in slowly.
We went camping on the rainiest of all days. I was skeptical of going but uncontrollable conditions such as this are what help constitute camping as roughing it. The sun did come out eventually and we used that opportunity to pitch our tents as well as set up shop.
There are countless grills and picnic tables available as well as water spouts and your very own fire pit. This makes for excellent bbqing and campfire shenanigans. The beach is minutes away within hiking distance. Consider it your own private beach. Bonfires and dogs are allowed on the beach but horses and cars are not. The beach is absolutely beautiful and many were taking advantage of the waves by boogie/wake boarding. When nighttime hits, you'll be falling asleep to the sounds of the Pacific Ocean.
Things I learned from camping at New Brighton: flip burgers from front to back instead of left to right, you can make your own bbq sauce (from salsa, ketchup, 2 beers, salt, pepper, salsa, teriyaki sauce, mustard, grill seasoning...) from pretty much anything you've got on the table, dress warm because it gets very cold in April, dogs can choke on rice and miniature marshmallows don't really cut it when you are trying to make smores and roast the marshmallows on a stick.
I thought I would have a Jessica Simpson moment camping but New Brighton State Beach is so friendly even those who need Camping For Dummies can survive a weekend here.
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We camped there for the first time this year and loved it. Nice campsites, wood for purchase, wonderfully clean bathrooms and showers. The bathrooms are close to every campsite. The showers are coin operated .25 cents for 2 minutes. There is a nice area for cleaning dishes. The beach area is really nice, clean and accessible. We well try to go there every year.
I love this place. Milla does too, my pug! We have been there twice and it has always been really nice. Great place to go for a long walk. Milla loves running in the sand and keeping away from the water. There are lots of dogs there, beyond a certain point they can be without their leash.
I remember coming here, before Milla, to visit friends who were camping and it seemed like a fun place to go camping too. I have only been camping out in the valley, where it's hot, dry, did I say HOT, this place seemed like a nice change.
The water is COLD, but isn't it cold everywhere in the "Bay Area". I have given up trying to find a warm beach to actually go swimming in...only in Hawaii and Portugal! But this is a great place to hang out!
****OMG We went there this weekend and there were so many dead birds all over. I'm thinking there might have been some kind of spill or something, but then again maybe some drunken youngsters feeding the birds something they shouldn't have! It was sad, I spotted 6 birds and a set of wings...ewh!
I was here this after noon about 5 with my dog. Parking is 6 bucks and on Tue at 515 there was only a handful of cars. The only ranger I saw was the girl I payed to park. The beach itself is accessible by a multi platform stair case. The bottom few steps are slick with sand be careful. The beach is long and wide and there is a row of fire pits a good way down. There is an access road the runs parallel to the beach and offers an easier walk down the beach than the soft sand or the wet pack sand. This road eventually runs into the only facilities there in the form of restrooms. Above on the top of the cliff that over looks the whole beach is the campground which I didn't check out. I understand you can camp on the beach as well. It seems like it would be a great spot.
The most important thing for me is my dog. She had a great time. There weren't a lot of dogs there may be 5 total, and they apparently need to be on a leash. Easy to get to, easy to park. The sand could use a grooming, but the area and beach was great.
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This place is really beautiful. The beach is loooong and the waves are fun to play around in. Me and my bf camped here for a weekend with his dogs and had a really fun time. The rangers are really chill as far as rules go. They don't seem to care about the quiet hours or be very strict on the group size restrictions. It's a fun place for dogs too except you can't let them off leash on the beach which kinda sucks. The dogs were not too happy about that. The park doesn't seem to have very many trails either and the ones they ahve are covered in poison oak. I'll definitely come back here if I want to bring the dogs camping again though, otherwise I'd probably try something else just because of the lack of trails. But it's absolutely gorgeous and very dog friendly!
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We have camped at NB numerous times over the years and have always been quite pleased, until this time. No doubt this is a beautiful place to spend the weekend, you can't beat the view from the campsites along the cliff. I'm knocking stars off, however, because you'd think that your belongings would be safe in your campsite while you sleep but they're not. We had an entire cooler, complete with soda and adult beverages, as well as an unopened 12-pack, taken from our campsite while we slept. That's just not cool on so many levels. If that's indicative of the type of folks who are going to be camping along side us at NB I think I'll stay somewhere else next time.
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Beautiful and clean beach. Went here a couple of weekends ago to hang out with some friends that were camping. Had a blast and will most likely go camping with them next year. Hopefully it's back to this place again!
My favorite beach in capitola, hands down. A great place to take a walk from the village. Walking the cliffs over to the parking area and down the stairs is a nice way to get a little exercise with a beautiful view. Get there if you have a chance to!
New Brighton beach is the best beach for camping, kids and dogs. The beach in between New Brighton and Seacliff is private - non state park land. You can take off your dogs leash in this area. It's a nice long, large place for the dogs to have a blast. I camp there all the time. Year round.
awesome beach...went here the other weekend with a friend to walk on the beach...started off here and ended up doing a 10 mile walk down along the water...we didn't realize how far we walked until we met up with another friend who was also walking on the beach
not sure where we ended up, but by the time we stopped we ended up going to a resort for Sunday Brunch...
one bad thing is i came home with a really bad funky sunburn on the left side of my shoulders...:(
As a child I spent countless days during my summer with my family camping here.
It's a good place for camping newbies, the bathrooms and showers are clean and a city is nearby.
Be wary of cold weather and rain during the Spring months. For bad weather days, bring a book to read in your tent or clothes suitable for public viewing to venture into Santa Cruz or Capitola for a save haven from the rain.
If you go during the Summer time, rather than the Spring, head down the beach and admire the gorgeous water. If your brave enough, you can attempt to swim in the water, but wading is probably a better option.
