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Seacliff State Beach
Rating Details »
State Park Dr
Aptos, CA 95001
(831) 685-6442
Aptos, CA 95001
(831) 685-6442
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
38 reviews for Seacliff State Beach
5+ stars for the scenery and overall physical beauty! Wow. Probably one of the more underrated and undiscovered beaches in Northern California. I believe there is something like 20 miles of continuous beach line.
But one star for services. Like so many places in Santa Cruz, the man made stuff leaves a lot to be desired. I took the family here over the weekend and something as simple as finding a public bathroom was one huge hassle (what is it with public restrooms in Santa Cruz? Even their downtown seems to be void of them.). Not that there are not a lot of facilities - there are. The problem was most were closed (doors locked). And don't give me "it's the off-season" argument. This is California - It was 70 degrees and quite crowded. Maybe it is budget cuts. When we finally did find an open door, we discovered a restroom that was dirty with no paper towels, no soap and only cold water was running - and no wastebasket (which is likely why it was so disgusting). OMG - come on! Have you heard of swine flu? How about a little soap and hit water for the hands. And this was not because things were broken - this was normal. (I've seriously seen better facilities at the state parks in 3rd world nations).
Anyway, sorry for rant but it is so annoying - and sad.
But again, the physical beauty is awesome - great place for a run, cookout and just overall fun. Not a good surfing beach but excellent place to swim - from pier to end of campers and back is about one mile I think. Also a great Visitors Center / museum - they run some nature tours - well worth it. And the town of Seacliff is a short walk up the bluff where their are some decent restaurants.
Great place for a work-out. I like to go for a beach run, then work out my buns on the stairs. The view from the top is amazing! My dog also loves our little walks here, but is not usually a fan of the stairs.
Sooo happy summer is over so that it is not so crowded, but now it is going to be too dark for a run after work :o(
I recommend running around 8am when the people in their motor homes start cooking breakfast. Mmmm, bacon!
This is a really nice beach. My friends and I came to boogie board and we had so much fun, and I'm sure the onlookers had fun watching our bathing suits fall off as we were swallowed up by waves. It's pretty clean for a beach and we also saw TWO DOLPHINS swim side by side, they were literally a few feet away from us. Later a dead seal washed up to the shore and the entire beach smelled like ass, luckily we were ready to leave. What I'm trying to say is this beach turned a beach hater into a beach lover. I want to come back tomorrow, and the next weekend, and the weekend after that...
Also, no alcohol but you can be sneaky ;)
Wow! This beach is wonderful! I arrived here yesterday at around 11 AM with a friend of mines. We packed some food and drinks for a picnic on the beach. Some chardonnay too, but alcohol isn't permitted on the beach. Shhh! When we got here, all the picnic/BBQ tables were taken! I was amazed at how many people were here already! I knew it was the 4th of July weekend but I was still amazed! Thanks Hazel for the great suggestion!
We parked on the cliff parking lot and were greeted by one of the longest flight of stairs that I have ever came across! The walk down was cool, but the walk up was pretty rough! LOL! Especially walking up with a bunch of things to carry! There was a pier that people were fishing off of and a wrecked ship at the end of the pier which gave the beach some character!
We found a spot beach and set up a blanket and were there for quite a while. We picked out some food to snack on and wine to drink! It was a memorable experience! I jumped in the water a couple of times and was nice and refreshing! At around 5 we packed up and dropped the stuff off to my car and went back to walk along the pier and beach.
I highly recommend coming here sometime with the family or friends!
As you all know I am in love with the beach. Since this long weekend I thought going to the beach would be a great idea. Then again I think everyone had the same one. I came with a friend on Friday and thought it would be good idea to just chill and relax.
There are tons of picnic tables and BBQs on site. You can even camp there if you wanted. The fees for the park are more expensive but then again maybe its cuz our State needs funds. No alcohol on site but we sneaked it in. If you want the picnic tables I suggest you come early, they seem to full up fast. There is a pier and peeps go fishing. Fishing for what I don't know? We didn't see any catch of the day.
Overall its a wonderful beach to go too. Just to walk around and be in the water. Nice to just people watch and listen to the waves. It was a great day to spend on the beach but wish I didn't get the sunburn. Oh well... I would love to come back again.
This is a pack the family in the mini-van type of beach. Big upper level parking lot, lot of picnic tables (many covered), even a concessions stand, pier, and visitor center. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing beach, head south.
Tip: get there at 8 if you want a prime picnic table on weekends, there may be nothing left after 9.
Great beach! Much cleaner then the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Parking is $8 within the park. We didn't try to look for alternative parking. It looked like you might be able to park on the streets outside of the park, but it may be similar to some of the street parking in Santa Cruz where you need a residential tag to park. There is a lower parking lot that fills up first, and is close to the beach. Then there is the upper parking lot where you will have to go down stairs to get to the beach.
As mentioned, the beach was very clean. Lots of picnic tables where you can barbecue, and restrooms were available. There are no vendors selling food or drinks, so bring your own! Almost felt like we were in San Diego while we were laying out!
I went to this beach today with my uncle and my daughter.
It was fantastic! There were alot of people there and it was a great day to hang out, BBQ and swim.
The price to get in is a bit expensive but my uncle's a senior so we get a discount.
I do wish they had more lifeguards around just in case somebody gets in over their head and the firewood in the sand makes the beach look a bit dirty.
Other than that, the day was perfect!
Everything else is clean and the trash is where it should be. No fights, no gangs and no profanity that I saw or heard.
Picnic at the beach! Great Gazebo Covered Picnic areas complete with tables and grills. This is a great place to go if you want to have a "day at the beach" Parking is $8, get there early since the bests spots near the picnic areas fill quickly. Bathrooms are clean and there are showers to rinse the sand from your shorts. We took the kids here for the afternoon last week. We played on the beach, barbecued chicken and had a great time. On the way home, we stopped at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz for unlimited rides. A great way to spend a summer day.
Great beach with a lot of people. I like the pier and all the fishing. The lack of boulders along the shore and the lack of pebbles gives the beach a more southern California flare except for the weather, of course. The parking was around $8.
-my sister joanne took me here the first time
-we'd park at rio del mar and trek down to "the wall"
-the cousins would throw their birthday parties here and camp out as early as 6 am to get "our spot"
-love watching the different dogs walking their masters
-the fact that they have hella restrooms make me happy
-i remember back in the day you could still get on the cement boat
-my co-worker and i would touch "the wall" after work and take the stairs for cardio
-the line of trailers and their occupants chillin is entertaining
-i was here this weekend with my non-yelping girlfriends and it reminds me how much you need to appreciate your friends and time spent
-walking distance from work and my house
-it's a cool location cuz there are plenty of stores on the top of the hill
-my sister got proposed at with "will you marry me joanne" written in chalk on "the wall", she had wedding pictures taken there too
=LIFE'S A BEACH ALRIGHT, MINE'S ALSO A FOREST.
1..2..3.. okay okay, I'll run the next wave. Breathing gets harder, heart rate raises, adrenaline spikes.. 1..2..3.. go! Whoo hoo!! Look at me, I'm having me some sex.. oh I mean.. I'm skim boarding!
Skim boarding is super fun and this beach is a great place to do it. The waves are a little harsh, but prefect. A little pain is worth the rush and thrill you get. If you're not into this sport, you can definitely bury yourself in the soft sand or bbq in their bbq pits. They have tables and benches to chill at and unfortunately, there is no alcohol allowed.
Plenty of parking but it can get full fast and I think it's a six dollar fee.
Oh, I saw an ice cream lady pushing a cart selling um.. ice cream.. cool for business and cool for us.
Great beach to walk along. RV camping on the beach with a fantastic view. If you want a beach away from tourist and valley folks this is it. The further south one goes the more private the beach becomes. One can walk from this beach to Moss Landing so for a long stroll along the beach this is it.
i love Seacliff! i live right above it so i may be biased. when we don't feel like bbq'ing in the backyard, we head down to Seacliff with a few friends. we have an annual parks pass so we can park for free. we typically don't go during tourist season or weekend days so we never have a problem finding somewhere to park. there is plenty of room for our cornhole boxes so we usually bring them and play a few games. dogs are welcome, on leash, there are plenty of bathrooms and indoor and outdoor showers all over the place. the info center is pretty cool also and has a tide pool inside and who doesn't love the cement ship? one of the best features of Seacliff is it's loooooong paved walkway that goes from here to the end of Rio Del Mar. it's a great place to take a nice long walk or bike ride, right along the sand.
This is by far, my favorite beach get-a-way in northern CA. My family and I have been going here for years and we have some great memories from our stays here. We usually use http://reserveamerica.com to reserve a trailer camp spot for any given weekend. If you plan on doing this, make sure you book the very moment you are allowed to by the site. Spots here fill up rather quickly, especially for holiday weekends.
One thing you can count on here is great weather. We go here at throughout the year and even late in the season, like in November, the weather is always great. Infact, this weekend we are going down there and http://weather.com is predicting 75 degrees! That is amazing for the coast in the end of November.
Seacliff State Beach has trailer spots with or without full hook ups. The bathrooms are always well maintained and the showers have plenty of hot water.
Wonderful beach. I grew up vacationing here. We rented a house on the beach that was totally fabulous. The stone ship has always been a landmark that is important to me. My grandmother used to go to dances on the ship and then take me for walks on the beach when I was a child and tell me the stories of those days. I always remember her when I see that ship. My dogs also love the beach as well. I still go down there now an then for a bit of peace and tranquility.
Parking = $6
No ALCOHOL!
The beach is vast and long but parking is somewhat of a miss.
I like how its setup with a second level so you don't have sand blowing into your food while your bbq, etc, but they need more entrances to the beach. The beach water is cold, but it gets warmer as you stay in the water.
The beach and waves are perfect for skim boarding, boogie boarding, and what not.
On the second level, there are benches (some covered) and a nearby bbq ready to go. I'm not sure if you can do bon fires though.
RV SITES REVIEW:
Reservations for the full hook up sites are 7 months in advance, on the first day of every month; paid in full. There are only 25 available and they are a pain in the ass to get! They go on sale at 8:00am and are gone by 8:15am!
My wife and son really like traveling in the 31' beast of a motor home. This campground isn't too far away. Lots of RV owners are staying closer to home with these out of control gas prices.
The non hook up sites are terrible. No fire ring. No picnic table. Inconsiderate neighbors with generators running from 8am to 10pm. Not very level, had to raise the rear end 6" with blocks! Very tight sites, it took me a long time to get in the spot with the big old manly man trucks parked everywhere, used to pull the manly man travel trailers.(Unga bunga, I eat meat and drink beer Ug!) Some of these guys are real jerks: "Hey, you want me to back in your motor home for you?" Me: "No thank you, if your big ugly truck wasn't illegally parked and taking up the lane I'd have no problem getting in!"
Anyway, I digress. This place is very beautiful and it would cost you over $400 a night to be staying in a hotel this close to the ocean. Full hook up sites are the ticket, but very hard to get.
This beach is probably one of the closer beach I like. The only reason I gave it three stars is because those damn beach cops came and looked right into our cooler and broke all of our beers, MOTHER F*CKERS man I swear. Some parts of the beach smelled really bad.
CAUTION. When you go in a little too deep to the water you will step on hella rocks and hurt your feet even bleed.
Other than that this is a really good beach.
MotherF*ckerB*tch!!! she lamented. So long story short...I get called out on being weak sauce.....so guess what...I man'd up and walked that beach.....all billion miles of it. Good lawd that is a long *ss walk. I kept getting sand in my shoes, walking barefoot kind of sucked cuz I managed to step on every sharp shell on the beach.....and it was a hot day.
Other than that there was a great breeze, festive people on the beach, nice houses to speculate on, there's a special wall to see if you ever go.....and it turns out that I've been to this beach on more than one occasion in the past for bar-b-q's and what not. Fond memories.
But now both my calves hurt and I have sand everywhere....
the great company (oddly uncharacteristically quiet most of the walk) I kept made up for it though. Not to mention my manhood is no longer in question.
;D
Seacliff is our favorite beach. There are barbecue pits and tables. You are allowed to bring your tents if you like. It gets crowded at times but the people that go aren't ghetto. It's really peaceful to go and relax with your loved ones.
I came huffing up the stairs. I exhaled a boat load of over-exerted air, right into a cute surfer dude's face.
Eee gads watson.
I turned around to warn my sister - but it was too late. She had her head down, jamming up the steep incline of stairs from the beach below, chugging and churning air out. Out into this dude's face.
Its what he gets for interrupting our workout. See I abuse this beach and come running down the curvy sloped driveway, onto the beach below and run by the picnic-ers. I jam out onto the sand, run around and under the wharf. The I blast up the stairs.
Wash Rinse Repeat.
I am too cheap for a gym. Not when I can abuse Cute Surfer Boys the way they were meant to be treated.
At least I hadn't eaten garlic right before...Thank god for small favors.
I think this is one of the cleanest beaches on the Monterey Bay. I would spend one month during every summer here. Before the bulkheads were repaired with boulders, there were many sand dunes, sand grass, and ice plant everywhere. The houses used to have a quaint charm to them, but over the years some have been just too much. There was a lagoon that children would wade in if they did not want to venture into the water. In the AM, my sisters and I would search what we call "rock piles" that form during the night to find glass that has been worn down by the salt water, shells, etc. Many seals are seen swimming around.
Anyway, this is a nice beach to take the kids, and there are trailer hook ups, and plenty of parking for your van, car, or RV. Take Highway 1, exit State Park Drive, and head towards the bay. Yes, it''s technically a bay.
Agreeably, not the most breathtaking beach in Santa Cruz, and yet the one I hold dearest.
This is where I learned to ride my bike. This is where we'd camp on the weekends. This is where we sang camp fire songs and roasted marshmallows. This is where I did junior life guards. This is where I faced my fear of heights and jumped off the cement boat. This is where I'd lie with my best friend and wish on shooting stars that our crushes would fall for us (ps. that shit really works). This is where my mom's car got keyed on the 4th of July. This is where I got a mild case of hypothermia. This is where I got stung by a jelly fish.
Ah, memories. They can't all be good but a good majority of them are.
This is a great family beach - camping facilities available for both tents and RV's, bonfire pits, and small waves ideal for little tikes just learning to ride the water. But watch out for those jelly fish! They sure are nasty little buggers.
I live right down the street from here and walk my dog here most days of the week. Very nice and pretty clean.
This is a long, straight beach with plentiful picnic tables. It never seems to get very crowded. If you get hungry you can walk south to the end of the beach where there are some restaurants, or if you get bored you can go to the visitor's center where there is a small tidepool exhibit. There's also a long wharf and at the end an old cement ship that was used as a casino for a while. Now it's where seagulls go to die, which is fine with me because I hate seagulls.
There's limited free parking outside the gate, otherwise it's $6.
You can go fishing off the big ass pier without pissing off people who are swimming.
That's A++
If you like to fish at the beach, come here to the pier and stay the hell away from me.
Usually I'm at the beach with the kids and some asshole shows up to start fishing about 10 feet from where we are at making all types of noise and being typical loud obnoxious Americans. Don't these idiots know it will take an act of god plus a 1 in 100 chance to catch a fish around a bunch of people swimming? Jesus Christ whats the world coming to?
And the big yellow wading boots are big time unnecessary.
So if these type of fisherman (the ones who want to cast out into seaweed all day next to a bunch of beach goers) are going to be pulling this BS they need to come fish over here before I start piercing noses with fish hooks.
happy mother's day moms! so, what do you want to do, it's your day, so whatever you want to do, we'll do it...
memories of moms, sis and me on the beach were as clear as today's weather. a bit hazy but you can still see blue skies and warm enough to stroll on the beach in shorts and a t with the best moms in the world. we shared memories of the many trips we made to this beach and the many times i scared the living shit out of her with my daring body surfing and boogie boarding. she told me how much i loved being in the water and my sister was the opposite. braking down the family line gave me an epiphany: being part irish and part native american explains my taste for guinness and alcohol! memories of the half sunken ship that's still there half sinking. fishing, catching trout and flounders. just plain ole fun times here.
all this walkin and all this talkin is makin us hungry. time to eat whatever she wants to eat...
note: parking is limited here, be prepared to hike your stuff up/down many stairs.
This beach is in my front yard. I grew up here. I learned how to boogie board here. I taught Sierra how to boogie board here. I fall asleep to the waves of this beach every night. Home sweet home.
my favorite =] 4th of july outings or going to the beach spontaneously! its heckkkaa fun! it gets pretty crowded but its nice. bathrooms are nastyyyy tho so make sure you bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizers! hehe
eh... i was just there last weekend and it was a WRECK... or not that bad... except when i was there, a fight broke out and a couple was having intercourse IN THE WATER... with children present and swimming about probably 50ft. away from them...
it was one crazy day at the beach though... seriously. some family that was there broke into a fist fight, and went after eachother shouting, "THAT'S FUCKED UP MAN... WE FAMILY, DAWG... BUT CHU KNOW WHAT?! IMA TELL YOU THAT STARTING TODAY, YOU AIN'T, AND TODAY - IS THE DAY YOU ARE GOING TO DIE..." - as he and five other guys ganged up on one other guy... haha... cops and EVERYTHING... sheesh... one good thing to know: right as it started to escalate, i saw several people whip out those cell phones and put them to good use by calling the proper authorities... [thank you good samaritans!] - and surprisingly, the police reported to the scene with the QUICKNESS... [mayhaps it was the demographic location that determines that factor?] - *shrug*
then there was the couple - bumping uglies - in the ocean... i saw my boyfriend and his friend standing in the water - just staring off out into the ocean, and i asked them what they were looking at... my bf told me a guy dived off the pier and swam towards a girl to make it inconspicuous... then proceeded to take off his shorts and throw it over his shoulder while he had his girlfriend straddle him in the water... he then told me they were smiling like crazy... "THEYRE FUCKING!" the boys said, as they laughed... then they continued to watch. i yelled at them for being such perverts - and that they were just as dirty as that couple because they were staring... and they were standing in the very ocean they were doing the deed in... sickos.
besides this, it was a gorgeous day to be at the beach... and a great place to bbq by the sea... however, the table next to us backed up their SUV and started to play AUSTIN POWERS on their car theater system and blasted the stereos at sunset... i think that completely defeated the purpose of a family outing to the beach if you did that... but who am i to preach?
i dont know, its a great place, but it was the suckiest day to be there, i suppose... whenever i manage to find a really nice beach, i guess i ruin it for myself for becoming a frequent visitor... and i am more prone to seeing things like this to diminish my once "high" opinions of a particular place... but comon, three of those particular things happening within a span of three hours? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME...
Check out the visitor's center. They have a tiny touch tank for the kids, a little theater showing the story about the cement ship and really friendly docents. On the weekends they do history tours and fossil walks. Great way to spend an hour at the beach.
I hold this beach near and dear to my heart, it being a location of many special memories for my husband and I. I've done my birthday here for the last 10 years and of all beaches in and around Santa Cruz, Seacliff is my favorite. It is a wonderful place to fish or just a great place to walk. I caught my first perch on the old cement boat when it was once safe enough. This is a beautiful place to have a small get together with its many benches and party sites. Fly a kite, dig for sand crabs, body surf... I love this beach and look forward to spending many more birthdays and summer days here.
I went to Seacliff in the dead of winter for a photo shoot, and the weather was incredibly nice and mild. The beach had a fair amount of people, but it was not overly crowded. We had to park on a side street because the main parking lot/s (upper and lower area) were closed for some reason. So we walked down all those stairs and got a bit of exercise. The boat was not super impressive, nor was the beach, but nevertheless, it was a beach in its own, and I like beaches overall. It was a relaxing day in and out of the cold ocean, I got my photo shots taken, overall, not a bad experience.
Love it I use to live in the little ol house right up the beach it was perfect! The beah is awesome not too many people at the sunset nice to be there with a partner great to take dogs with and kids. The boat being on the dock is great to look at, cant walk out on it anymore but is still good to look at. Waves are good also not too much of a surfer but for boogie boarding its awesome!!
Beautiful Sunset, perfect ambiance, not a lot of people. Tons of places to park and a short walk down some stairs to the beach. There are decent amounts of showers, bathrooms, tourist spot and BBQ places around the beach. It is relatively clean and drama free (then again it was Monday night).
nice beach. long uninterrupted stretch of sand good for walking or running.
i'm a beach lover & this beach looked really dirty. booooo this beach sucks. i give credit for trying to look like a beach.
